This happens on my tin whistle which is make of nickel, and it looks quite bad. Is there any way to prevent this? Does this also happen on brass whistles?
Yes, it’s perfectly normal. Nickel, brass, aluminum. Your skin chemistry reacts with the metal. There’s also physical wear around the holes. And thumb marks on the back of the whistle.
Most players, especially of brass, just let the whistle develop its own played-in character. If you prefer a shinier look, an occasional gentle swipe with a jeweler’s rouge cloth works nicely.
Thanks
You want a tarnished whistle if you play with others. Otherwise, unless they already know you, they’ll be leery of you being a greenhorn when you whip out a shiny whistle.
You want a shiny whistle if you play with others. A lot of people are newbies and they may feel intimidated if you pull out a tarnished whistle. If newbies aren’t encouraged custodians of traditions will become the grave of those very traditions.
I recommend having a range of whistles ready to hand, in subtle gradations of appearance ranging from “blindingly pristine” to “rescued from a medieval latrine”, to handle all eventualities and levels of accomplishment. Life is seldom dualistic. The serious whistler is always prepared.
That’s strange.
My Clarke Sweetone, made of tin, got the finger-marks around the holes within a few hours of playing.
My Feadóg, made of brass, got the finger-marks around de holes within a few days.
But my Generation Bb, made of nickel, never got the finger-marks, and I have it since some months ago. I thought nickel was less ‘abrasive’(?) than other metals.
Anyways, I don’t know if it would be worth to polish it. It’ll get faded again very quickly.
Eating pizza with extra sauce, and anchovies will accelerate the rings around the tone holes. Assuming the pizza is eaten with out a fork. However, who eats pizza with anything but their fingers?
Question: Has anyone tried clear laquer on brass whistles, to keep them shiney? It works brilliantly on brasswind instruments…
Tom
I have a Waltons C that has some sort of lacquer on it from the factory. My fingertips have burned splotchy spots around the holes that I can’t polish out like my plain brass ones. I suppose if you went with a thicker lacquer it might help, but don’t most brass/wind instruments have shiny pearl bits where your fingers go?
Mike
Hello there!
Rings around your finger holes is the most beautiful sight in the world - I know you’ve been practicing!
the only rings you have to worry about are the ones under your eyes!
Good luck!
Joanie Madden
Ooohhh no!
I use toluene to remove the laquer that comes with the cheapie brass tubes, then I polish them with chamois leather until they are golden, then let the finger holes get the patina that shows that the whistle is “nearly worn out”.
It seems like the good sounding instruments get played more and the wear shows. A shiny, new instrument hasn’t shown/developed it’s character until it has been played a while.
Hail, hail, the played-in patina. I like my whistles to look like I actually use them.
And whenever I play with new people I always pull out my Oak instead of my Burke so as not to create unwarranted expectations of my playing ability. I like to fly under the radar.
Ain’t that the truth…funny how the two seem to go together. 
As as woodwind maker who also has formal training as a metal/silversmith, I’d suggest a different type of polishing cloth for you standard nickel and silver whistles. Jewelers rouge cloths will work just fine, but they will tend to leave a bit more residue on the instrument after polishing. A better choice, IMO, is a store bought instrument polishing cloth, like the “Bach” brand cloth sold in many stores or on-line. These use a somewhat different polishing compound and leave less residue on the instrument (and your hands) than a true Jewelers rouge cloth.
Cheers,
Loren
P.S. Most polishing compound cloths should NOT be used on lacquered instruments, you need a special cloth for lacquered instruments, because a rouge type compound will scratch/wear/remove your lacquer finish. These are also available at many instrument shops, be sure to ask and read the polishing cloth labels to make sure you are getting the right cloth for your needs.
That’s true, Loren, I used to sell those (worked in a music store), mostly for nickel and silver flutes, and they work fine. IIRC, they’re chemically treated, not abrasive, so there’s no residue. We also sold those special lacquer cloths for brasswinds.
As it is, the jeweler’s cloth I use now is pretty old, so there’s not a lot of rouge dust. I try to polish when the bore is not wet, and blow out the fipple and swab out the bore after to prevent gunk build-up inside.
I’ll admit I personally prefer playing a shiny instrument. Maybe after all those years playing beat up school instruments. But I don’t go overboard, a touch-up maybe every few months. Hopefully, when I play, everyone closes their eyes in rapturous delight anyway, so they don’t notice the instrument.
Be careful with this nasty solvent. It is not so dangerous as benzene, but still…
Silvano
medieval latrine
Thats got a ring to it.
Might make a good Celtic Punk band.
I second (or third?) the instrument polishing cloth.
You migh not be able to get all the existing marks off, but it should help new marks from developing at the very least.
Avoid Carbon tetrachloride and benzene based solvents if at all possible, these are dangerous and accumulate in the body.
Always follow safety precautions for tools and solvents. Use in a well ventilated area and keep away from flames or heat sources.
Fingernail polish remover is a weaker version of toluene, but I use the full strength stuff, especially for breaking superglue bonds. It just works better and faster and uses much less solvent.