I recently ordered (my first) 2 tinwhistles; an original Clarke and a Sweetone.
I really like the sweetone but every time I play the original clarke my throat becomes dry and scratchy. I know similar reactions can occur around certain kinds of plywood, but i would have thought that Clarke would use hypo-allergenic materials. Has anyone else had any problem or is it just me?
The Clarke original takes a lot of air flow to keep it going, therefore drying the throat and mouth will be more prevelant with this whistle than a lighter air flow whistle.
Also with the fipple the way it is it’s quite difficult to get a good seal when playing and air can leak from around there to add to the problem.
You can tweek them to make them use less air by flatening the top down and adjusting the blade a little. And you can also sand away the bottom of the fipple block to make a more user friendly beak that you can easily seal your mouth onto.
Mine’s great! 
It’s entirely possible to be allergic to the wood. My father’s allergic to cedar, which is what’s customarily used for the fipple block on recorders. I believe that I’ve read that Clarke uses the same wood that is used for pencils.
That might well be the case. Before you throw (give) away the whistle, you might try coating the wood with something like clear polyurethane to seal in allergens. Let it dry a day or two before coating it. Coat the outside part and also try to get the poly into the windway–you may be able to use a flat toothpick as a stiff little brush. I’d give it several coats and let it dry well before playing.
That happens to me when I play Flute, Highland Pipes, or a Wooden Whistle I am not allergic to Blackwood but it still happens. If there is swelling on your lip you should worry but I think you are fine and just have a lot of moisture goining into a dry place.
Thats my brother’s problem. he had the exact same experiwnce with his clarke.
The interesting thing about wood alergies is that the chemical composition of wood varies so much. I did some industrial hygiene work for a company that made the wood blanks for pencils. They used cedar of lebanon until it became difficult to obtain. They planned to use western red cedar until I informed them that it contains a chemical called plicatic acid that causes severe allergic reactions. Cedar of Lebanon doesn’t have any in it. Neither does eastern red cedar. It is entirely possible to be allergic to one species of cedar and not another.
Even the different parts of a single tree differ in composition. The wood in the crown is not the same as the wood in the trunk or the roots.
The woods most likely to cause problems are the ones that are the most disease and insect resistant. They produce strong chemicals to kill the insects and to prevent rot.
Angelo
Thank you one and all for the input. I am fairly sure it is a mild allergic reaction as opposed to just being winded (I’ve had some experience with saxophones and clarinets in the past), and I plan to try the polyurethane varnish idea as soon as i get my hands on some. (I’m writing this on my coffee break.) Once again thank you.