I work at sea and my Clarke goes with me. And anybody who’s worked out there knows that if it’s metal and unprotected - it’s gonna rust. Except aluminum or whatever. The inside of the whistle is not painted and some very small specks are starting to show. Naturally I’d treat it with a whole assortment of things at my diposal. But I don’t want it to clog or become ruined in any way. Or poison myself in the process. Does anyone have suggestions to this problem? I could just let it dissolve away and get a new one, but when it would decide to crunch I probably won’t have access to land. Thank you.
The sheet steel your whistle is made of has a tin coating which is supposed to prevent corrosion. Some Clarkes have a better tin coat than others do, and if yours has pinholes in it you can expect that rust will develop even if the whistle isn’t used in a marine environment. The one I bought years ago hasn’t suffered from this problem, so I appear to have found a good one.
You might try a light coating of mineral oil – which is edible – to help control the corrosion. I’ve found that mineral oil also helps condition the wooden fipple. One of the nice things about fiddling with a Clarke Original is that they are sufficiently inexpensive that a blunder won’t break the bank. Perhaps it might be worthwhile to purchase a spare?
Alternatively, you could retire the Clarke and switch to one of the many excellent whistles made of PVC or other plastic. They won’t corrode on you, and many prefer the tone and ease of play to the Clarke. If you visit the main Chiff and Fipple website, there are reviews and sources given for a wide variety of whistles.
Scott: Any ‘fix’ you are able to accomplish will be temporary at best. Possibly a better choice is to simply buy a plastic, CPVC, or aluminum whistle. There are so many out there that are decent quality. At a relatively low price, Susato’s new small diameter whistle, Hoover’s CPVC or aluminum instruments, and lots of others will serve you well. Thicker wall aluminum whistles, like Chieftans, are exceptionally durable, but cost more…
Cheers
I used to be in the Navy, and worked in corrosion control. You’ll notice that a lot of things on the ship are made of brass, because it can take that kind of harsh environment. So get yourself a brass whistle. Or better yet, get a Susato, or some other whistle made of plastic.
JP
[ This Message was edited by: JohnPalmer on 2002-03-20 11:40 ]