Gene Parrish's "Marsh" Duck Call Blueprints

[Benjamin Lyle]

Some of you may have seen the article in the CCAA newsletter last year about Gene Parrish and the Marsh-Branded Call he was selling prior to a phone call from Johnny himself who was none too happy with the development. The article included a picture of one of Gene's hand-drawn advertisements for his "Marsh Duck Calls", similar to this one......



What you didn't see in the article was a hand-drawn blueprint of the call design including dimensions as well as the original "Marsh" logo as Gene was developing it. I received the originals of these in a stack of call-making information from his wife this weekend. I returned the originals to her, but made copies and took pictures.  She gave her permission for me to share these with the callmaking community in hopes that it may help to give direction to someone interested in making a Reelfoot style call and keep the tradition alive.......Enjoy!                               

Bear

[Mac Dietrich]

Man that's awesome I've been wanting to try one of these style calls for awhile now! Thanks for sharing Ben!

[FDR]

Most interesting. Both the barrel and insert appear to be made using tapered reamers.  That sure makes building the tone channel in the insert easier.  Never thought of that one before!

Thanks for sharing this historical information with us Bear.

Fred

[Atlantic Game Calls]

What is an idea outside diameter for the barrel? 1.25, 1.5"?

[dogcatcher]

Any idea as to what type of tapered reamer he used?  Was it a commercially made over the counter or was it a custom made at a machine shop?

Marvin

[Atlantic Game Calls]

Just looks like it can be done with a tapered reamer you can buy at any machine shop supply company.

[FDR]

What is an idea outside diameter for the barrel? 1.25, 1.5"?

For the barrel (outside diameter) I always start with 2X2 inch stock and turn that round. The usual result is something around 1 and 3/4 diameter at the top end (insert end). I use 1 inch dowel for the insert but a lot of guys start with 1 and 1/2 inch square or larger and turn the large end of the insert to around 1.125 round.  Reelfoot calls are large.  Many will measure 7 inches from the mouthpiece of the barrel to the tip of the insert when assembled.

Fred

[J.Rode]

That's a great peice of history right there.  Thanks for sharing Bear. 

Jason

[dogcatcher]

Just looks like it can be done with a tapered reamer you can buy at any machine shop supply company.

Not as simple as that, the reamer needs to be at least 4.75" long, and at one end 7/8" diameter and the other 5/8" diameter.  There are all kinds of reamers, I looked at a bunch and haven't found one yet.  The ratio of .666" drop per 12 inches is a odd size, I didn't figure the degree of the angle.  Instead I looked for reamers over 4.5" long, plenty of those, but found none with the sizes listed.  The closest with this ratio is .60, but not long enough nor to the 7/7" or 5/8" diameter sizes.  The closest I found in the $60 something dollar range, and expensive experiment in trying something new.
   
Marvin

[Wes]

Better look again Marvin, that is 7/8 to 3/4........

Wes

[dogcatcher]

No idea of where I got 5/8", but that makes it worse, the taper per foot is around .333".  Here is a chart of the tapers on standard reamers.
http://littlemachineshop.com/Reference/Tapers.php

The closest taper per foot of a standard reamer is .5" per foot.  The one he used almost had to be a custom.  It is possible there was a handyman's reamer being made then and maybe even today that would fit the requirements.  But where would it be found.  I think the 4.75" length of the barrel along with the 7/8 to 3/4 taper requirement is like looking for a needle in a haystack.  You may stumble on it and find one on the first try, or you may never find one.   

Personally if I was to try a  tapered barrel, I would find a reamer that was cheap, and work around it, rather than spend a lot of dollars on this size of reamer.  A 3MT will get close with a 0.9380 to 0.7780.  7/8" is .875, so limit the depth you use it, and the taper length is there.  You would still be out around $50, but then I already have one, so my cost is wear and tear on a $50 reamer.

Marvin

[FDR]

I found the #3 MT reamer also Marvin.  The barrel is really not the issue though the tone channel is.  I have made fully Glodoed and half Glodoed barrels and the performance is no better than the straight 3/4 inch straight through bore as Tom Turpin found. The insert material, tone channel taper and depth,  tone channel length, reed material, thickness and length and exhaust design are where the performance enhancing factors are found.  I would love to know more about his tone channel and exhaust design and the tapered reamer he might have used to make both.

Fred

[dogcatcher]

Try a 0MT reamer, from the above chart link I posted, big end 0.3561 small end 0.2520 length of reamer 2".  One of these will set you back about $30, maybe less if you look for one.  I have one of these, I use it on one of my trumpets, and have also use it on some AR inserts to open up the exhaust end.

The 1MT size wise looks to be too large, but if you have the insert chucked up in a collet chuck, it would be nice for opening up the exhaust a little more and get a smooth transition.

I am interested in the tapered barrel, not for the Reelfoot, but for something else I am working on.  Or should say I am wasting a lot of time on.  All of the theories of the mouth blown calls go back to the duck calls, the goose, and the predator calls work on the same theories. 

Marvin

[Benjamin Lyle]

Enjoying the discussion on this guys.  I'll definitely be on the look out for custom reamers the next time I get a chance to look around Gene's shop again.  It's practically untouched since his passing, so it shouldn't be hard to find what he was using.  I'm also planning to get a picture of what his wife claims was his first carved call from around 1942.  She liked it and he kept it for her on a stand in his shop.  We found it the other day and she absolutely cherishes it.  I didn't think quickly enough to get a picture of it then.

On the insert taper, it could be a standard taper towards the end....then above the wedge block could be done with a ball end 1/4" end mill.  Glynn Scobey told me once that this was how he achieved the progressive tone channel depth on his metal reed calls.

The other possibility is how I do it.  I chuck the insert in a collet as Marvin mentioned and turn my taper into the end of the call smoothing out the basic step drill pattern.  I then drill the tone channel by hand manipulating the drill bit from the bottom of the taper up as I drill closer to the end of the tone channel.

Bear

 

[FDR]

Interesting Bear.  I have a real Earl Dennison  from the middle 1950's where the tone channel is obviously drilled and also an early Scobey that was drilled.  I had no idea that Scobey milled his later tone channels.  Tommy Alexander also drilled some of his tone channels.  If you get into the really antique calls you will find just about any shape of tone channel you can imagine.  Milling the tone channel eliminates one of the variables in making a good tone board and the milling can be done on a drill press with an inexpensive X,Y table from places like Harbor Freight.

As you explore the remaining item in Gene's shop we would love to hear more.

Thanks for sharing with all of us here at THO.

Fred