I found out recently that the Plasti-Coat material that is normally used to dip handles of tools into to obtain a rubber coating is now available in a spray can form.
I purchased some of the black paint and am trying it out on a PVC whistle. It appears that this thin rubber coating may make slippery whistles easier to grip, makes toneholes seal to fingers better and definitelymakes PVC look nicer.
You can get this stuff at Lowes in various colors.
Yes, but if you get it into the tube won’t it affect how your whistle sounds or plays. Plus some folks don’t want to cover up the printing on the PVC.
Would rubber gloves work?
Quote @ Duffy
Yes, but if you get it into the tube won’t it affect how your whistle sounds or plays. Plus some folks don’t want to cover up the printing on the PVC.
Would rubber gloves work?
What you do is take a piece of tape and run it upside down into the tube, then press it onto the undersides of the toneholes, so when you paint it, the paint won’t get into the inside.
Gloves would probably make your hands less sensitive, affecting how well you play. 
Coating the outside of a fingerhole with something would increase the ‘chimney’, and change the pitch. Like the difference between a thin and thick walled whistle.
I wonder if the tacky material that office people use on their fingers to flip pages would help with slipping whistles…just a dab on the thumbs. Never having had a problem with leaking holes (unless its my technique that is bad), I wouldn’t have an opinion on the plastic dip solution.
Tyghress is right about the thickness of this stuff affecting pitch, although not by too much. Krylon now makes a spray can form of paint that sticks to PVC,CPVC and ABS plastic. This spraypaint goes on in very thin coats and also comes in a rainbow of colors including Clearcoat(for that show-through print look 
.
I think the “Tool Armor” would be good on thin metal whistles though, if the painter kept it clear of the tonehole edges. This would affect tone color by dampening the high harmonics common in these types.
(Ty: That “tacky stuff” is Carnuba Wax used by Bowlers and Surf Dudettes n Dudes. Narley eh? {Thomas pictures Tyghress surfing a major TUBE while whistling “surfer girl”})
Hah! see Thomas! I’ve learned something!
(Ty: That “tacky stuff” is Carnuba Wax used by Bowlers and Surf Dudettes n Dudes. Narley eh? {Thomas pictures Tyghress surfing a major TUBE while whistling “surfer girl”})
Visualize claws gripping for dear life…
The coating is working great. It’s thin and has insignificant affect on pitch.
It does however make pipers finger seal easier. It has a nice appearance as well.