Box call chalk

[1Morgan]

I ruined a box call last year by using my daughters chalk on it. It was just too waxy I guess. Can I fix it? What chalk do you use?

[grizzly]

i suppose you could use some light grit sand papper and strip the chalk off . i use H.S Strut box call chalk myself but i'm sure other call companys have their own brands as well. maybe an e-mail to Scott or one of the other call makers here would be wise . i know Scott was a big help when i needed help on sanding my pot surfaces...wayne

[Treerooster]

There was a guy on here a while ago, I can't remember his name or board name, but he was a friend of the late Kenny Morgan.

He talked about "saving" a box that had been chalked with wax in the chalk. He cleaned it several times with those sterile alcohol pads and said that worked. Might be something to try as sanding can change the shape of the lid and sound of the call. If you want to try it I wouldn't soak the wood with the alcohol but clean it and let it dry (doesn't take too long, a few minutes) then clean it again and again until it is wax free.

I have never tried that, but I do clean my striker tips with those alcohol pads and they work well.

[BigGobbler]

There was a guy on here a while ago, I can't remember his name or board name, but he was a friend of the late Kenny Morgan.

He talked about "saving" a box that had been chalked with wax in the chalk. He cleaned it several times with those sterile alcohol pads and said that worked. Might be something to try as sanding can change the shape of the lid and sound of the call. If you want to try it I wouldn't soak the wood with the alcohol but clean it and let it dry (doesn't take too long, a few minutes) then clean it again and again until it is wax free.

I have never tried that, but I do clean my striker tips with those alcohol pads and they work well.

I did that same thing last year and thought I had ruined my custom go to box call when I used the wrong chalk.I found out later that The chalk had some kind of preservative in it so it would not wash off the side walk in the rain so easy.It put a wax like coating on the call and went down into the pores of the wood. I took a heat gun and warmed it up real good and then took a rag with thinner on it and it came off and out of the pores. Now i am careful on what chalk I use. I did use some chalk that was like a half ball, but I used it all up. There was no mistakes on what chalk I was using then. Not sure if you can still get it like that.

[Dixie Belle]

Hello 1morgan,
Cleaning the lid with heat and a solvent "carefully" as the guys suggested is good advice. Make sure you don't get in a hurry and use too much solvent. Any time you moisten wood it will raise the grain. Check the friction surface of your side plates as well,some of that chalk will have transferred there also. Be very careful with them if you clean them! After you clean the surfaces you may want to very carefully brush them with a green scotch pad to rid them of any raised grain. The key words are "very carefully" to all of these procedures. When you do the lid brush it in a diagonal X pattern going in only one direction, say left to right.
Some of the guys I build for use Primos, some use H.S., some use carpenters chalk( the type used for chalk boxes), some use railroad marking chalk. You might find the half ball bricks at a good quality hardware store, as those are the kind used for chalk lines. The problem with ordering chalk that has to be shipped to you is that the shipping can far outreach the cost of the chalk.
Good luck on getting your box call working again, I'm sure it will sound as good as ever.
Ted

[El Pavo Grande]

Like y'all mentioned, the best I have used is the blue, half circle carpenters chalk that you can find at most hardware stores.

[icdedturkes]

Like y'all mentioned, the best I have used is the blue, half circle carpenters chalk that you can find at most hardware stores.

Yes this and the brown semi circle chalk.. Personally for me the HS strut chalk sticks are nothing more than sidewalk chalk and change the tone and playability of my calls for the worse.

[bbcustomboxcalls]

The best chalk I have found is Penns woods NO MESS chalk. You can order it through Midwest Turkey Call Supply.
It's about $5 but one stick will last a turkey hunter a lifetime.
Your box call is not ruined just use a green Scotch Brite on the lip of the box to remove the residue buildup.
Use the procedure others have suggested to remove the residue from the paddle.

Good luck!

Bill

[blacky]

The best chalk available for any friction call is RainChalk® in my opinion. It is available from my web site www.genesturkeycalls.com. You can remove the old chalk with a wet paper towel and then add the RainChalk® and like magic, your call is like new or even better.

[onpoint]

Had problems with a new box last spring (eventually turned out to be the tension screw in the lid was the wrong size) and had an extensive conversation with Billy White, the owner of White Hunter calls. I asked about chalk and he said to use only white chalk because, over time, the pigments in colored chalk will decrease the friction and cause problems. Just sayin....