I bought a wonderful low D from Colin Goldie. As there is some build-up of moisture during the play, I wonder if you have a tip for best inside cleaning.
Another thing is, has anyone experienced one of these Anticondense liquid, one can buy, f.e. this one http://www.thomann.de/de/mollenhauer_6138_antikondens.htm It’s for recorders mainly but maybe this could help for a low whistle as well. Well, I read about other solutions in this forum (toothpaste treatment, washing-up liquid). But before I try these, I just like to ask if anyone ever tried one of these special Anticondense products.
I’ve tried it but it doesn’t work nearly as well as the toothpaste treatment. I have a medium blowing Goldie Low D with a very narrow windway but have no condensation problems. Occasionally, very occasionally, I’ve give it another treatment but in the main it can be left alone. As a beginner, four years ago, I had continual problems and tried everything until I spoke with Colin and he pointed me to the toothpaste treatment. Condensation problems are a distant memory now.
Out of curiosity have you bought a soft or medium blower? The height of the windway is etched inside the bottom of the tube along with Colin’s signature and the date it was made. 0.97mm would be a soft blower, 0.9mm or 0.87mm a medium.
mine is a medium blower with an 0.90mm windway. I liked the softer blowers too, as they were a bit more accessible to me, being a newbie to Low whistles. But I decided for the medium, because it was more efficient and has a very round, sonorous tone that pleases me very much.
I now filed down a wood of an iced lolly and it fits nicely into the windway. But I wonder how to get the toothpaste into a 0.9mm slit
Hi Freckle Girl,
Patience!! It’s a question of putting a glob of toothpaste (BTW don’t use gritty toothpaste just the ordinary smooth type) on the end of the stick and squashing it against the top of the windway. Obviously only a little goes in at a time but it’s the only way, repeatedly pushing a glob down four or five times. You don’t need a lot in there but more than what will go down on one attempt. Then wet the stick and slide it down the windway making sure you rub both top and bottom of the windway. Also don’t forget to wet the tip of a cotton bud, dip it in toothpaste and polish the exit ramp of the windway and the block wall below it to stop the build up on moisture on the ramp, and allowing it to run down the block wall. Hope this helps. Come back to me if you have further questions.
Mike
P.S. The 0.90mm medium is a nice whistle with the advantage of good air efficiency. I moved to a medium from a soft blower that was the first whistle I had. To get the best out of it, especially in the second and third octave, you need to learn to blow from the diaphragm if you’re not doing already. Colin taught me to do that and it made all the difference.
As regards cleaning the body I use a both cloth on a stick and the fluffy brush but also sluice the whistle through with cold water in the tub now and then, sticking the bottom end under the tap and then standing the whistle up to drain properly.
I use strips of old credit cards or room keys that I cut to slightly narrower than the windway. You can shave/sand them down for narrower windways too. Remember to check the bottom of the fipple is clean too.
I’ve been curious as to whether the toothpaste method is useful for a whistle where the top of the windway is brass, and the bottom is delrin. Haven’t tried it yet, as I was a bit worried it might do harm. I have a whistle of this sort that doesn’t have major clogging issues, but has recently started to a bit on occasion. I notice that the ceiling of the windway is brass with a pretty significant layer of corrosion (or it might just need a simple cleaning, with no special treatment, which will be the first thing I do when I’m not feeling lazy). Looks a bit greenish up there.
I’ve no experience of using toothpaste with brass but it is a gentle abrasive. Any kind of brass cleaner would also have an abrasive element, I believe, so I can’t imagine toothpaste would be harmful.
I took some time to do the toothpaste treatment now. Well, I must say there is no huge effect so far. I warmed the whistle up properly by giving it some hard blows, keeping the windway closed. When playing, I kept in mind to blow from the diaphragm, as Mike pointed out (and Colin advised me). Besides, Colin said that it is important to blow the whistle as it demands to be blown, which means not too soft (in fear to frighten the neighbours). I kept that all in mind, but the tone still gets hoarse meanwhile.
I read that the toothpaste treatment must be repeated some times to get better results - is that correct? And should I rinse the head with cold water afterwards?
BTW Nobody told me that whisteling causes addiction. They should make big warning stickers on them
FG - put one small drop of liquid soap on a piece of credit card or something similar and coat the floor of the windway - wipe off the end and you should be able to play for some time before the whistle gets excessive condensation again. repeat as needed. Just a minimal amount is needed - good luck.
I read that the toothpaste treatment must be repeated some times to get better results - is that correct? And should I rinse the head with cold water afterwards?
Yes on both counts. I find with the toothpaste treatment that maybe it needs doing a couple or three of times to begin with but that once it’s working it will last a long time. Give the head a thorough rinsing to get rid of excess toothpaste.
Indeed, this works quite well with any whistle. Personally, I don’t use straight soap. I put a tiny squirt of Palmolive in a scotch glass and then fill it up about 3/5 of the way with water and stir it around, and then dip a strip of very thin cardboard (such as a cracker box or thin business card might be made from) into the liquid and then put the strip into the windway. Most dish soap is quite concentrated, so I’ve found it doesn’t require much at all. Diluting it first makes it more liquidy so it covers more of the windway more easily for me. I will say, Dawn tastes better than the Palmolive.
What kind of Scotch ? – not too long ago I tested a number of different cures for condensation buildup in whistles. I did it by putting different stuff on the top of a whistle windway and played the whistle the quiet way, over the top of the windway. I was able to see the condensation develop at different speeds depending on the treatment and I found that the undiluted liquid soap lasted the longest. Since then that’s been my go to approach and it’s working well for me.
I don’t use scotch, I use a scotch glass.. you know, tiny sized glasses used for whiskey, bigger than a shot glass, but smaller than a regular glass. Though, scotch is a lot better going into the mouth than dish soap
I don’t doubt that straight soap might possibly work better, but I simply have no condensation issues using my method, and for some reason I don’t like the idea of putting a glop of straight soap in the windway, as I don’t want the mouthpiece all goopy. I suspect having accumulated soap in the windway might be counterproductive, as the soap itself may get in the way of airflow (though perhaps to a negligible degree)… not to mention, I don’t want much soap running into the tube. That’s just me, though, and maybe these things aren’t issues. I simply use what works well with the least amount of surfactant necessary. I have not yet used any soap method on the whistle I mentioned above, as I think the issue would subside if the surface of the brass were more smooth (and it is probably overdue for a cleaning anyway)
I don’t know what’s different about me, and admittedly I play low whistle less than high whistles or flute, but still … I’ve never cleaned my low whistles and never had a problem with condensation, blocked windways or anything else. I just shake the thing out if it needs it and they seem fine.
I don’t use scotch, I use a scotch glass.. you know, tiny sized glasses used for whiskey, bigger than a shot glass, but smaller than a regular glass. Though, scotch is a lot better going into the mouth than dish soap 