…So, yeah. I’ve had a sweetheart penny whistle (one of the mis-matched wooden ones Ralph Sweet was selling for a while) for nigh on a year, and I loaned it out to a friend for the ren fair. (Because he couldn’t use a metal instrument, because the director of the ren fair was…odd.)
(Good whistle, by the way, if you’re considering a new one and like the sound of wood.)
Big mistake, loaning it out. It came back cracked. In four places. Two on the whistle head, two on the flute body. GRRR.
Needless to say, its now in some alien key, as opposed to D.
If you have all the pieces, then it is, in all liklihood, salvageable. Where I used to work, we once had a customer fall on her recorder and break it into 20 or so pieces, really!
Now, normally the head of the shop would have said “Um, look you’re better off to just bite the bullet and spend the $1500 or so and buy a new instrument” However, in this particular case, the woman was a professional player, who had just used the recorder to play for the Pope, at the Vatican, so for her, the instrument was simply not replaceable.
And so, Humpty Recorder was, painstakingly, put back together again This happened before my time at the shop, however just a few months before I left, the woman came through town for a gig, and brought the instrument, which she still plays professionally, into the shop. It has held up quite well for the many sears since the repair - it still looks, plays and sounds great. In fact, unless you knew exactly what to look for, you’d have a hard time telling it had ever been broken.
Moral of the story, contact the Sweets, they can probably fix you right up.
Blackout, before attempting any repairs myself, I’d ask Ralph and Walt what type of adhesive would be appropriate for the Dymondwood material. No doubt they’ll be happy to advise!
Yeah, great whistle! I’ve had mine for two days, and I can’t put it down! (If you do replace it, add the fife head too. It’s a blast!)
I just hope Ralph and Walt don’t curse me for this!
By the way, as a point of interest, because I know some wiseguy is going to ask “Just how the heck to fall onto your instrument” here’s what happened:
The woman carrying the instrument in her backpack, and had it in a soft roll (Cavallero) type carrying bag. So, she’s walking down the strick, with her backpack on, recorder inside, and slips stepping off the curb at an intersection, falling backwards, onto her back, and of course, the instrument inside
This is why, while I very much like the convenience and comfort of whistle/flute rolls and recorders for storage/use around the house, I am NOT a big fan of their use whenever one needs to travel anywhere with a valuable instrument. Let’s face it, the only protection a soft roll provides is resistance to scratching, and in some instances, a VERY limited amount of protection against rapid changes in humidity. Hard cases, wood, plastic, whatever, are the way to go if you want significant protection.
I emailed Ralph. I’m more worried that he’ll curse -at- me. I imagine it must be annoying to have someone break one of your instruments…! (Kill. Friends. At. Renfair.)
Based on the description of the damage, I would not suggest attempting to repair the instrument yourself, you’d likely not get it right, and in the process make a more permanent repair (after your attempt) much more difficult. Minor cracks can often be fixed at home, if necessary, but I’d leave this one to the Sweets, if I were you.
I do too. I know accidents can happen to the best of us, but it is pretty serious to damage a musical instrument. I would have been down on my knees crying with my checkbook and pen out!
Denny, sometimes your responses are so…laconic, I guess…that I’m not quite sure what you mean. No option? No other option? It sounds like, well, you mean the person should be shot? But wouldn’t that be an option? I seem to be confused.
For good wooden whistles, I am in total agreement… That’s why I will make soft cases for the wooden whistles’ cases.
However, for metal and/or PVC whistles, the roll is an excellent case, as it provides not only padding, but the very structure of the roll and the physical structure of the whistles actually increases the protection by bundling the tubes, thereby multiplying the support around each tube … a single tube, wood, metal or PVC, is at some risk without a rigid case, but the roll of metal tubes in a padded case provides a rigidity of its own that is very sturdy indeed.
This happened before my time at the shop, however just a few months before I left, the woman came through town for a gig, and brought the instrument, which she still plays professionally, into the shop. It has held up quite well for the many sears since the repair - it still looks, plays and sounds great. In fact, unless you knew exactly what to look for, you’d have a hard time telling it had ever been broken.
I imagine it must be annoying to have someone break one of your instruments…! 
(Kill. Friends. At. Renfair.)
I hope this person did the right thing and offered to replace your whistle.
