Makers…
Where do you get your brass tubing in the U.S.? I’ve looked online and there are tons of manufacturers, but in reviewing the specs, the thinnest wall brass is still too thick. I also see there are many different types of brass, so some direction as to what to use would be appreciated.
DC
Not a maker here, but McMaster Carr has a nice search function. What thickness are you looking for?
Edit: Hmm, looking at the site I can see what you mean.
Another possibility is Small Parts.
I highly recommend K&S telescoping brass tubing, which is available from most hobby stores, some hardware stores, and a few online suppliers.
I get mine from Small](http://www.smallparts.com/%22%3ESmall) Parts, Inc. because of their speedy order processing, and because they ship via FedEx instead of UPS.
Their prices are higher than some other suppliers, but shipments are well packed, and damage is quite rare… can’t say that about other suppliers I’ve dealt with.
What Gary said!!
K&S offers tubes in two or more wall thicknesses. What you will see most commonly is the .014" wall thickness. This is good for making brass whistle bodies and as tuning slides for wooden whistles, etc.. It comes in 12" and 36" lengths. The sizes are listed according to the outside diameter of the tube. Each size nests within the bore of the next larger size but the fit is a sliding fit - loose.
K&S also offer .029 wall thickness brass tubes - telescoping as well (I could be wrong). If you are looking for more heft it can be a good choice.
As Gary said, it is available in a lot of hobby shops. I also see it in better stocked art supply and craft stores. If you do go the local hobby and art shop route and sizes like 15/32", 1/2" amd 17/32" are sold out - beware. There may be another whistle builder in your area.
Feadoggie
Thanks to all.
DC
Bally
Brass tubing of the same thickness as a Generation whistles can be found at Hobby Lobby outlets as well as most “Craft” retail stores. You can also try industrial “Boiler Supply” outlets. An alternative would be Organ Pipe Supply houses. They have “sheet” tin/lead alloy for making Organ Pipes.
I spent about as much time, effort, and diesel fuel at $5/gal I cared to yesterday tracking down bad leads. I called around, and the guy at Hobby Lobby said, “Oh yes, we have tons of brass tubing… 1/2”, 3/8", etc. Turns out all they have is 1/4". None of the craft stores here (big or small) have any metal tubing at all. I checked lighting outlets and several other places I thought may have it, but found nothing.
DC
In general we don’t have much hardware selection in this corner of the universe, but both our Ace Hardware and Do It Yourself Family Hardware have a nice selection of brass tubing. Have you tried them?
Try VOTAW TOOL COMPANY, musical instrument repair suppliers. An excellent stock range and QUICK! Deliveries to the antipodes in a week!
No I haven’t, and appreciate the heads-up and reminder to keep tying. I’ve been pretty busy and haven’t’ had time to make more calls. I just called an Ace that’s fairly close and they have 1/2" and 3/8" OD brass thin wall in 12" sections which will work. There are a couple other hardware stores I’ll call on Monday as well.
Thanks again for everyone’s input.
As a modeler I can say that most hobby shops that sell stuff for flying model airplanes or various model trains have a “K&S rack” which normally includes brass and aluminum tubing in telescoping sizes from 1/16 diameter to 1/2 inch diameter in 12 inch lengths. Rarely there are also 3 foot lengths.
Look in the phone book for “Hobby and Model Construction Supplies - retail”
My olivewood O’Brien Rover has K&S brass joints…
http://www.specialshapes.com is the direct supplier brass from K&S, they offer sizes that are not available in the hobby stores.