entry: 1234

weather: dreary and not enticing.


Ah New Jersey. The state of gardens. and of wawa.
I've sailed my ship home
and it feels great to be here.
It is hard to believe that it is thanksgiving already
this year is just flying by!

life is good right now on the SS Chambs.
no complaints.
but life will be hectic with the ending of the semester...
more on that another day.
today is a day for turkey.

obviously turkey's are not the sea faring type.
but i thought this might come in handy for those so inclined.
enjoy sailors.
happy thanksgiving!

Making a Turtle Shell Turkey Call

A novel, yet effective, friction-type caller you can build is the box turtle or terrapin shell call. The sounding chamber is an empty, dry terrapin shell
topped with a sheet of slate or red cedar. The striker is a red cedar or
hardwood peg topped with a corncob.

Materials:

* One empty and dried terrapin shell.
* One piece of 1/8-inch red cedar or slate for the sounding board (approximately 3" x 6", depending on length and width of shell).
* One five-inch long piece of 3/8-inch hardwood or red cedar dowel rod for a striker.
* One dried corn cob.

Procedure:

* Cut and sand the sounding board into a shape that fits the length
and width of the shell. Round or oval shapes work well and look good.
* Lay the sounding board across the open underside of the shell and mark
the points where the sounding board rests against the shell
- the contact points.
* Dab epoxy at three of these contact points and press the sounding board
to the shell long enough for the epoxy to set.
* Taper the corn cob with sander or sharp knife.
* Trim the cob length to about 4 1/2 inches.
* Drill the center of the cob and drive the dowel rod peg
into length of the cob, leaving about 2 1/2 inches of peg exposed.
The fit must be snug.

Note: Length and weight of peg and cob can be altered, resulting in tone variation. Try several lengths and weights.

If you plan to use this call for hunting, painting the shell in dark colors and making sure not to leave any exposed white will reduce the risk of another hunter mistaking your call for a turkey's head.

Operate your call like any slate and peg caller. Make sure to utilize the forward part of the call for the best sound.