List:
My current favorite whistle is a Clarke natural finish whistle I’ve been using at RevWar Reeactments for the past 5 years. I painted it a Barn red, it’s now dented, rusted and looks ANCIENT! It sounds wonderful!, it’s got as pleasing a sound as I’ve ever heard from a whistle and I wouldn’t sell it for a $100…well maybe!, but people say it looks really old and that’s great because thats what you want at these RevWar Events.
The problem though is these Clarke whistles just seem to break down over a period of time and I’m guessing this whistle may only last a couple more years and like I say it sounds great.
Does anyone else have an old Clarke and how are you preserving it?
Ben
I have one like the one you describe,
it sounds great–an especially good
clarke classic, no finish. I’ve had
it for several years and it
seems to show no sign of
collapse. Hope for the best!
Hello…
I also have a Clarke that I have toted along to rev war events for a long time - probably almost nine years. I have the black one, and I’ve played it so much the gold diamonds have rubbed off (yay!)…it even has a nice dent in it where someone stepped on it. I have at least 20 other whistles, and this old beat up one is my favorite still. I’m not sure there’s anything to be done about preserving it, I just keep playing it and hoping for the best. Maybe reenacting whistles develop a certain toughness, cos mine is working fine. Although every now and then I go in with a cloth on a dowel rod to clean it out, and try to keep the windway clean using a piece of index card. Good luck!
…marilyn…
Marilyn and List:
I was pleasantly surprised to see there are others doing RevWar Events and playing music. I actually was playing Colonial Music for a number of years before I even started playing Irish Music. The two are very different and very similiar at the same time. At this point at the RevWar Events my music is very much a blend. I do a lot of known tunes but also improvise ALOT
Ben
Ben…
My music tends also to be a blend…I was hanging around the fifers in our unit and they gave me a whistle cos that’s what they practiced on. They taught me mostly marches, and a few dances. One of them made me a book of her favorite tunes, and I went from there, collecting music and playing with people. I would like to learn more about what is historically appropriate for rev war, musically and otherwise; I have had people tell me that a woman would never have played the whistle. But oh well, I do anyway, and I love it! I do play A LOT more Irish music now, since coming to college I don’t get out to many events.
…marilyn…
You might try a little pure almond oil on your whistle. It will help preserve the wood and slow down the rust.
Marilyn:
That’s funny that the fifers told you “a woman would not have played the Whistle”. I started out as a Fifer and I would have told you no one was playing the Whistle man or woman! As far as I know whistles as we know them did not exist in the 18th century. There were Flutes of course as well as Flagolettes(like whistles , but also have a thumb hole as well as recorders. But the bottom line is no whistles , I have yet to see a picture or any documentation that actually shows these existed in the 18th century. We all play them at the events and would welcome some 18th century documentation…
I’ve got a bunch of 18th century books with a lot of tunes ,I would be glad to trade some with you, if you are interested…
Ben
Ben…
It wasn’t necessarily the fifers telling me that women didn’t play the whistle (cos some of them were women), but it was other people I met who said that women only played certain instruments, the whistle excluded. I never thought to mention that the whistle wasn’t even around for men to play either! 
I would love to trade some tunes - do you have any books of dance music? I have marches galore, but not many dances ( eg English country dances)…Thanks!
…marilyn…
If there weren’t any whistles then what was Ben Franklin calling a whistle in the “paid too much for his whistle” story? Just curious.
Riki & Marilyn:
I read B> Franklins Auto bio and couldnt find that statement , not that’s it’s not there. But Riki, the bottom line is there is no documentation written or an instrument that would indicate whistles were around in the 18th century. I wish there were I play them at 18th century events and would welcome anything thst would indicate them being around in that period. 1 key flutes and fifes, Flagolettes as well as recorders are very well documented for that period. Marilyn send me an email off list and we can figure out how to get the music to each other
Ben