This is my first spendy whistle so I am cautious about keeping it clean on the inside. Ever time I play (at least an hour or so) I take my burke apart and clean it out the inside. I just wanted to know if it is bad for the whistle/parts to disassemble it every time. Will this wear out the rings on the inside or loosen parts. thank you for your help!
Have a look at this thread:
https://forums.chiffandfipple.com/t/burke-cleaning-greasing-instructions-confused/67281/1
Michael Burke himself gives cleaning instructions at the end.
cheers,
~Hans
You’ll get different answers on this. Personally, I think the less manipulation of the whistle the better, the less wear and tear. It’s not an instrument you need to fuss over.
The Burke DASBT is my usual session whistle. In the 4 years I’ve had it, it’s been apart maybe a half dozen times total, mostly to lubricate the slide. After playing, including 4 hour sessions, I usually just shake out the moisture and let it air dry. Occasionally I might swab the bore dry with a brush swab if it’s handy. That’s it, and it’s still going strong.
If the fipple area gets gunky over time, I’ll gently clean inside the window with a wet cotton swab and mild detergent. If there’s a particle in the windway, a strip of thin card stock followed by a rinse and blow-through does the trick. And when I do have the whistle apart, I rinse the tube and swab it dry to remove any accumumated dust.
I know maybe a dozen whistle players here, and don’t know any who take their whistles apart or clean them after playing. FWIW.
Not to reopen an earlier shouting match 
but are we still considering that vaseline (not chapstick) is a safe and acceptable grease for such applications?
I’ve had a couple of Burkes for years, and have never lubed them, but probably should.
Gotta love the Chiffboard … where it’s possible to get into a shouting match about … Vaseline. 
I think the old issue with V-goo is the possible deterioration of natural rubber, and not an issue with synthetics. I think any kind of goose grease will do.
I use Susato goose grease … uh, cork grease … in a tube, the same stuff you can get from any woodwind shop. Wipe off the old with a soft cloth or tissue, slather on the new, and wipe down to a thin coating with the fingers.
Yes, you should probably lube your Burke now and then, lest the slide seize up and damage the rings. And move the slide now and then, whether it needs tuning or not, for the same reason.
I have the same Burke whistle and agree about shaking out the excess moisture and letting it air dry. I think there truly are (2) types of whistle/Great Highland pipes players, those who create a lot of saliva in the beginning of playing and those who blow pretty much dry from start to finish.
I am in the first group. Ever since I started on the GHBs I have noticed that I usually create a lot of saliva in the first 10-15 minutes of piping, before my mouth completely drys out, and oddly enough, I remain dehydrated in general for the rest of the time. In fact, I usually refuse Guinness/Jamesons until AFTER done piping, and prefer to frequently drink water.
Unlike a practice chanter that has a plastic reed that can get all gunked up and nasty, I’ve never experienced any of my whistles “growing” anything. If you mainly play your Burke whistle by yourself, I would not stress out too much about cleaning it out. Plus, if you rarely whistle with other musicians you probably don’t need to fiddle with the tuning all that much.
Matt