I haven’t tried a pvc whistle yet but I am tempted because of what people here say about Mack Hoover’s and the Water Weasels. I’m a beginner doing okay with Susato narrow bores, but maybe I would do better than okay with a different design. My reluctance about pvc stems from past experience making home made flutes out of pvc plumbing stock. Contact with this kind of plastic makes my lips burn. I had to throw away my creations because they even smelled toxic to me. OTOH I like the ABS plastic of Susatos and the whatever material of the Clarke Sweetone fipples. Is there a difference between the pvc of plumbing stock and what they use to make penny whistles?
I own both a Water Weasel and a Hoover CPVC, and both of them are made of regular schedule 40 CPVC hot water pipe.
I’ve never heard of anyone having an allergic reaction to CPVC, but I’m allergic to some pretty unusual things myself.
CPVC should be completely safe because it is certified for contact with drinking water… but then some people advise against copper whistles even though copper plumbing pipe is also certified for contact with drinking water.
I’d rather believe that there was some chemical residue left on the pipe that gave you the allergic reaction.
Clean a piece thoroughly with acetone and then with warm soapy water… if you still have a reaction, I’d say stay away from Water Weasels and Hoover CPVC whistles.
[ This Message was edited by: raindog1970 on 2001-10-27 23:27 ]
“My reluctance about pvc stems from past experience making home made flutes out of pvc plumbing stock. Contact with this kind of plastic makes my lips burn.”
That might have been due to roughness in the flute where your lip rests. Also, beginning flutists often press the flute against their lower lip much too hard, which can cause irritation. On a Water Weasel, the fipple is made of some other type of plastic, so only your upper lip rests lightly on PVC anyway. If this was still a problem, you could coat the PVC there in some way-- perhaps some sort of non irritating tape.
Maybe you could borrow this type of whistle for a while before buying, just to be sure
to Raindog and Brewerpaul,
Thanks very much to both of you for your generous comments and suggestions. My chemical sensitivities often brand me as a crank, but both of you gave me the benefit of the doubt with your kind considerations.
Lisa
Lisa,
You might want to research some water based non-toxic coatings. These are often used on childrens toys and can be used to paint the mouthpiece of the CPVC whistle. It seems a shame to be limited to what you can play due to allergies.
Some things you should consider if you are allergic to PVC.
- See if the entire mouthpiece can be made with wood instead.
- Are you allergic to Delrin. Many whistles, PVC, wood, metal, etc. Use delrin for the block, this stuff is very popular in whistles but will it cause problems.