I have an old and battered whistle that I was given years ago, and I am curious if anyone knows anything about it. It is cylindrical and is made entirely out of what I suppose to be tin. It has an eagle egraved on it toward the top and underneath the initials U.S. Beneath that in an engraved circle is the letter B (it is tuned in B). There are also little zig-zag lines engraved across it, two rows at the top and four rows at the bottom. Also, who would you get to fix something like this to make it playable again?
Thanks for all responses,
Jon Michaels
Not that I have any idea, but if it has an eagle and “U.S.” engraved on it, perhaps it was used in the military at some point?
I have no idea where these whistles come from, but this is the second one that I’ve heard of; unfortunately, I can’t recall where I heard of the first one but I remember a photo included, and it did look as if it was military issue, which probably means it was made during wartime, trying to capture the patriotic spirit as a marketing ploy. I don’t think it was -actually- military (though it is B… which might go with a fife…) But the origin was never resolved … I’m getting curious again now, but I have no idea where to research the question.
Anyway, it seems fairly obvious to me that since Michael Burke and John Sindt work in metal, that one of these two gentleman would be the choice for repair of a historic pennywhistle… it might take some coaxing and/or some time, but I would see if the task caught either of their interest at all (and any other makers); after that, I’d go to a band instrument repairperson - they work in metal a lot, and work on many different instruments, so being presented with a whistle shouldn’t throw them too much.
Or you could fix it yourself… be a learning experience. 
–Chris
Dave Migoya fixes flutes and whistles, though it would probably be a lot more than you want to spend on yours. Here’s his site, though:
http://home.earthlink.net/~migoya/index.htm
Err, from his site (fyfer restorations):
I am not accepting any restoration or repair work.
I recommend you contact Paddy Ward in Boulder, Colorado, for your needs.
He can be reached at (303)516-9539 or at > candp@earthnet.net