Mallard Toller Duck Call

The sounding device, or as some call it, the insert, is made of five separate pieces. The anvil or sounding board, reed, reed wedge, nylon tubing to hold these pieces together, and “horn” that screws into the barrel. The anvil or sounding board, as well as the reed wedge are made from clear acrylic rod.

My grandfather hand built machines I continue to use to mill these pieces into their initial shape. These machines get attached to band saws, drill presses, and lathes to create the individual pieces. There is a great deal of sanding and handwork to get the pieces to their final shape.

The reed is a Mylar sheet plastic with a very unique taper. Creating this piece is about the only process we do not divulge. The nylon tubing is cut to length on a band saw, filed down, and then sanded to hold the anvil, reed, and wedge. These four are press fit very tightly into the “horn” which is crafted out of PVC pipe nipple.

My grandfather choose this because of the tapered thread that allow the sounding device to screw into the barrel easily at first, but then snugs up tightly as it hits the taper. We have never had a report of a lost sounding device in 60+ years.

The wood barrels are made out of three types of Maple. Birdseye Maple was my grandfather’s trademark wood, and I have added Curly or Tiger Stripe Maple, and Maple Burl. The first two are blond color, and the burl is a darker color.

The wood, which I get mostly from the Upper Peninsula in Michigan, is cut to length, then to a width of 2″ x 2″. With three titanium taps, each increasing in size, I thread the interior of the maple barrels. The maple barrels is turned on the lathe and sanded. It is then turned at the lathe’s highest speed while a bit of blue denim with a special piece of plastic is held on the ends of the call, friction burning the ends of the maple to the black color. This welds together the end grain of the barrel and makes it very strong at its ends. This is especially important at the end where there is a spreading, screw-in sounding device. Then, as a decorative touch, I also burn a couple of lines around the lanyard groove.

The barrels are then ready for finish. One coat of finish is hand brushed on the inside of the barrel, allowed to dry, sanded, and receives a second coat. Each barrel is placed onto its own individual mandrel. The mandrel and barrel as one are individually chucked into the lathe. Each barrel receives three coats of finish with sanding in between. After three coats the barrels are ready for the personalized or limited edition inscription. A fourth and final coat of finish is sprayed over the inscription.

Final assembly consists of making sure each sounding device properly seats into the threaded portion of the barrel. The Mallard Toller is then complete and ready for shipment.

Our goose call is a resonant cavity goose call, or “honker” style goose call. This call is made with the exact same materials and attention to detail as the Mallard Toller. The difference obviously is the shape and size of the anvil or sounding board and the reed. The barrel is also longer for the purpose of easily identifying your calls. Only personalized goose calls are produced at this time.