What is a good way to mark aluminium tubes with the letter of it’s key? How is it done on Overton whistles for instance? I have been engraving by hand, with a tool which has a point which hammers the metal, making small dots. Which sort of works but is very much handwritten. Not too good if the marking should be more visible…
I would guess a number/letter punch like this would go a long way.
You should ask Marc Löfgren/Yellowhistler, his markings are neat and clear IMO.
I have two sets of letter/number punches in different sizes, a little different from what Peter linked to. Mine are simple punches, supply your own hammer. They work well enough on plastic, aluminum and wood. Just make sure you have a slug inside the tube before you make the impression. Simply striking the letter of the key is easy enough. Words and longer strings require a bit more skill. The price is right - cheap.
There are also commercial stamping presses that you could look into. They are basically specialized arbor presses. The used market is the way to go. They can be pricey otherwise. I don’t know about you but I use a small press to insert pins in the heads on some of my whistles. I am sure one could also be used to mark the tubes as well.
The other option I would suggest to you is to have the tubes laser engraved. The beauty of laser marking is that you can print any image you can draw on your tubes. Now this may not be an option for you, might depend on what’s close by. The cost of a laser engraving machine, even at the entry level, is pretty steep. But there are enterprising folks that have already made the investment and now are looking for work to pay off their machine. They can be your friend - for a small price. I have a shop (actually a couple) nearby that do laser engraving (and other engraving too) mostly for awards/trophies and such. They will do engraving by the piece. CNC engraving works too - same dance finding a provider. Laser engraving is common among pen turners around here. If that hobby has legs where you are, find a wood turning club locally and make inquiries with the members. Actually, look into the International Association of Pen Turners when you have some spare time. I find a lot of what they look to do and occasionally struggle with is similar to what flute and whistle makers sometimes wrestle with, although on a smaller scale.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0-u1x8RfvRg
We had a “Maker Fair” here recently and I was able to make contact with a lot of hobby cnc and 3d printing enthusiasts, as well as some pros. There were also artists and crafts people demonstrating their use of these technologies. Instrument making was the second most common use of technology, right behind jewekry making. A couple folks demonstrated home made laser marking machines too. These are basically desktop 3 and 4d milling machines with a laser head instead of a motorized cutter. And the local colleges and universities in the area were there as well. They are also promoting modern industrial technologies in their classwork. The local community college here rents out the equipment in their rapid prototyping lab by the hour - after you take a pre-requisite course, of course. You can get the use of a lot of this technologies for very little money that way. There is also a “Maker Studio” 20-25 miles from me where craftspeople can use their equipment by the hour as well. So go lift up some rocks in your area. You never know what you will find under one.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ggs7eU0zcyk
Even if high technolgy is not the answer to your immediate need, looking into it may give you some ideas that you can use later on.
I think Carey Parks also talks about engraving his whistles in one of his blog posts. So you might ask him how he goes about that.
Feadoggie
The first whistle I signed, numbered and labeled with the key was aluminum and was with a small rotary tool. That was in '98. I use the same tool on every whistle regardless of material. I have had complaints on every other aspect of my whistles but am still waiting for one on my signing technique.
Even then I probably will keep doing it the same way.
Mack
Thank you so much for all your replies and very helpful suggestions!
I tried letter stamping, but find it is quite difficult to execute on a round tube, and the results were rather variable in quality. Maybe I need more practise… and most likely a better set of stamps. And How do you add “b” and “#” to mark for instance “Bb” or “C#”? Hand-making special stamps?
Seems a lot easier just to carry on with my Dremel handheld engraver…
There is much to think about and to investigate…
Hello Hans
both stamps, Overton and Goldie Colin got made for him, it is one hard metal stamp. Over here small CNC or in our case an engraving company made the stamp and got it hardened.
Greetings
Brigitte
thank you Brigitte! That surprises me, because the letters are quite deeply cut. I don’t get that result by hammering a letter stamp. Do you use a press, or some heavy hammer?
It is a very well cut stamp and was hardened. He give it one hit with a hammer, looks quite effortless to me. If you have a design and want them to make you a stamp let us know and I send you the contact info and help with the translation if needed.
Greetings
Brigitte
Danke, Brigitte! I may get back to you about contact info. Übersetzungshilfe ist nicht erforderlich, danke, bin ja selber Deutscher, lebe aber nun schon mehr als mein halbes Leben im wild-schönen Schottland.
I see something wonderfully ironic in this thread. Big bucks and euros for hand made penny whistles also known as tin whistles out of aluminum using power machines by Brits in Germany, Germans in Scotland, Americans of all mixes using wood, plastic, bamboo, cane and who knows what else and who else competing for international sales asking each other for advise and getting it instantly without even talking. And no need for a translator.
Mack: a simple country boy in Colorado
Hans, hatte ich voll vergessen 
Viele Grüße
Brigitte
Yes, there is some irony in it 
even though I do not see the big bucks 
But I see a lot of helpful people and not so much competition, which is so refreshing! Probably explained by the difference of craftsmen and manufacturers.
Anyway, I may well be carrying on hand-engraving the key onto my whistles, as I do it on the back, and not in a prominent visible position. You’ve encouraged me.
But I have been making a tubular glockenspiel, with 38 alu pipes (3 octave range and all semi-tones), and for that it would be neat to have each pipe marked neatly near the end, as it will be visible. But I know, if I would be using stamps, I would need to develop some skill for that first.
Hans, a simple jig to position the stamp(s) at the right spot on the tubes might be enough to do a neat job of it.
Feadoggie
When you’re in Hong Kong and want a suit, you don’t go to a tailor, you go to the street of tailors. You walk up and down until you find what you want. C&F is our own street of tailors.
If not using a press it might be an idea to get views from folks here on the pros and cons if a quick blow with a light hammer versus a slow blow with a heavy hammer.
FWIW when I was at school I had a Saturday job in a shop that did brass dog tags etc. I never got good enough that there was not a lot of wastage due to rejects but the shop owner thought that a quick blow with a light hammer was more controllable and worked on very heavy bench because he reckoned even the smallest ‘bounce’ in the bench made it harder and increased the chance of accidental double hits. Leather and poster putty were involved in the mount he used to hold the work.
Well, at the very least, technique has a lot to do with the success of using metal stamps.
This is one of those things where I’d think there can be a lot of ways to get to a good result. What one uses probably depends on what they have handy and are comfortable working with. Amusingly, some of us might enjoy talking about things like this all day long. David-h, your experience is certainly pertinent here. And I am sure that the experience of your shop owner is too. So that is one way to get to the result. And I can see the sanity in the method and set up you describe.
The light hammer/heavy hammer may depend on the material somewhat. We haven’t talked about aluminum alloys yet - some are hard and brittle, while others are softer and more malleable. If one has a set of peening (or other) hammers in various weights they could do a “stamp-off” to see what works best. Many shops will have one, maybe two hammers. So the Goldilocks solution may be easier to find in how high the hammer is raised and how hard it is struck. I’d venture that using a hammer of the correct weight might yield more consistent results than depending on the strength of the blow struck with the hammer. Stll, we’re musicians too. We can play it by ear.
There are a lot of Internet sites where hobby crafters use these metal stamps to make all sorts of tags, pendants and bracelets. The advice given on those sites may or may not be applicable to what Hans is trying to do. It’s well worth reading some of them, or viewing a bit of the YouTube drivel, to determine what they have in common. Of course the work piece should be held fast so that it won’t wander. One hit and no double strikes. Even pressure, hold the stamp perpendicular to the workpiece. Some use soft hammers. Others cushion the underside of the workpiece. On and on.
It’s also worth looking into the websites of companies selling commercial marking equipment. How do the pros do it? You can learn a lot from what they make available. And if you have time to look into the second hand market you may have a better idea of what to look for. Of course much of it is over the top for a small volume whistle maker - but truths can be gained by looking into their commercial solutions.
So what’s the truth? Maybe start with these. Keep the work steady and support it well. Supply even pressure. Align single or multiple characters in a frame/holder or jig. In the end one does what they find works for them. Simple and straightforward is good - sometimes.
Of course hand engraving works too. Hans has probably moved on - leaving the rest of us whistlesmiths standing on the corner talking about stamps and hammers. It’s nice to have a street of our own here at C&F.
Feadoggie
Everyone knows that I’m not a street tailor of any kind. No craftsmanship here… just an admirer… maybe an out of line suggestion though from the user end.
Perhaps some type of etching. Maybe there is an affordable method for the hobbyist?
http://www.etching-metal.com/
http://www.horizonsisg.com/metalphoto.html
I remember back in my military days there was a process for silkscreening a glass etching. Might be worth searching if it works on metals as well.
http://glassetchstudio.com/
Another suggestion would be to have something made and then soldered/adhered onto aluminum whistle.
As a consumer of whistles… I’d definitely liked them marked permanently somehow. Too many blank tubes with holes wandering about.
Yep, good ideas there.
Do you have any Syn whistles? Check out how they are marked. Maybe Mr. Syn will walk by to elaborate. I’ve dabbled with salt water etching and a little with acid etching. Abrasive blasting is another option.
I have a set McHaffie whistles here (nothing much to write home about generally) that have an embossed copper insignia soldered/glued onto the aluminum tubes. Harper whistles use a similar idea although they are a whistle of another caliber, so to speak.
I do like the mystery of an unmarked tube though.
Feadoggie
If I had your ear, I wouldn’t mind the unmarked tubes.