I’m sorry to pre-announce, but I’m really excited and happy about the new stuff, and I want to share some of it with all of you. Nothing you’ll see is for sale, yet, and I will not take orders until production actually commences. I’ll do a formal announcement when that happens. I just thought some would like to see what’s goin’ on in my shop, after all this WTT stuff, arguments, and other hoopla, so, I offer you this link: http://www.serpentmusic.com/brassproto.html
If anyone gets offended by this post, please take it up with Dale. If he thinks I’m out of order, I’m sure I’ll hear about it. Otherwise, please help me be happy!
Thanks to everyone who has been so kind to me and participated all the way along in this journey. You can see the horizon, too!
Cheers, best wishes!
Bill Whedon
Congratulations on the spark of creativity that is occurring in your workshop, Bill! I hope the others on the board will be kind and allow you to share your happiness! After all, if we cannot share our excitement about whistles here, where would we?! No one else would tolerate our craziness, methinks.
Hey Bill-- they’re looking good! Can’t wait to try one out.
That tuning slide looks especially well done. Is that just machined right into the thickness of the tubing? Neato!
Hi, Paul! Yep, the tubing wall is 0.040. I turn the head slide down 0.022, and bore the inside of the body 0.020, leaving me with the slide wall at 0.018 and the body wall at 0.020 - just enough for the TFE tape to make a nice, snug fit! When you slide the whistle shut, you can hardly tell where the joint is, on some of 'em!
Good thinkin’ Sam, but I don’t want to put up sound files until my pre-release folks are done with critique. I may change things about the head mechanicals that would affect the sound, and don’t want to lead anyone astray. Hang in there, buddy!
Cheers,
Bill Whedon
Looking good! I just got a new shipment in of brass too. It’s exciting isn’t it? Almost like a new bar of chocolate. O.K. not quite that good, but close!
On 2002-11-10 20:50, Elkcreek wrote:
Have you given any thought to chocolate whistles wrapped in brass foil? They could be made with child labor!
(snip!)
You mustn’t do that, John! I’m addicted to chocolate, and to whistles, both! It would be pure torture at a session, if I went in there hungry! Zounds!
Cheers,
Bill Whedon (who believes that children should help their parents - for no pay - until they figure out how to pick the lock - and move away…)
Chocolate whistles! I talked to a chocolate maker a few months ago and am saving up for a mold! Can you imagine anything more wonderful for valentines? Mmmmmmmmm
I’ll let you all know when they are ready…I can already taste them…
On 2002-11-10 19:20, Sandy Jasper wrote:
Looking good! I just got a new shipment in of brass too. It’s exciting isn’t it? Almost like a new bar of chocolate. O.K. not quite that good, but close!
Best of luck
Sandy
You think a shipment of new brass is terrific? How about a new supply of wood? I recently found a semi-local place that actually carries the exact 1x1x12 pieces of exotic hardwoods that I use for D whistles, in all sorts of amazing flavors: olivewood, blackwood, bubinga, mopane, cocobolo, pink ivory,tambootie, etc. Day before Halloween, they had a late night hardwood sale: extra discount to anyone who came in a costume. I put on a surgical gown, mask, and red fright wig and had a ball. Sat on the floor in front of the wood rack and hand picked over hundreds of pieces, happy as a drunk in a distillery, and came home with a bag of goodies big enough to keep me busy for a LONG time. BETTER than chocolate, by a long shot.
Okay, so it’s “Do Ya One Betta” day, is it? Well, my brass supplier just told me that he has some 3-1/2" rounds of solid stock at only $78USD per foot! And his cutting charge is only $2 per cut! So there!
… oh. you prolly want to know “so what!?”…
Well, what that means is, after a bit of center-drilling, I can make a high-D “Brass Serpent” whistle that can only be managed by somebody who could win a caber toss! And I can learn about the “chimney effect” in a Really Big Way.
As I am friendly by nature, I will ignore the comments on the chocolate and take it to be an indication of the poor quality available in your neiborhood. Now onto the wood issue.
WOW!!! I love it when I find a new supplier!!! LUCKY!!! Wood is my first love and one day I hope to have the resourses to make myself a wooden whistle. Nothing is quite so beautiful as a swirly wood grain when you coax it out of a piece of plain looking wood. To see the beauty ahead of time is truly a gift! I can see the wooden whistle in my mind, it would be dark, stained with a lovely grain and a sound so sweet you never want to do anything else but play it and stare at it!
I would love to see some pics of your new whistles when you make them with perhaps some before shots of the wood blocks they were hiding in.
Oh and guess what? I just got given a $50.00 gift certificate for a hardware store to spend on what ever I want!
Router bits, a new jig saw, clamps, boxes of wood screws, new files…
