What’s the best way to repair a cracked Generation-type whistle head? Any particular type of glue?
Tony
Thick cyanoacrylate, available at hobby shops. Be sure its dry before you touch it- it bonds to skin quickly.
I fixed one of mine with a thin CA glue. I just put a little pressure to open the crack slightly so the glue could seep in.
But a thicker CA would probably be a little easier to work with, and less likely to seep all the way through.
I’m a kite flyer, and am friends with my local kite shop owner. This guy sells and repairs kites for a living. We use CA glue for kite repairs, so he uses it all the time. I saw him do a field repair once and he just poured the stuff on the ferrule & spar, rubbed it all around with his bare finger, and sprayed it with accelerator. I asked him about getting it on his fingers. He said he’s got it on his fingers all the time, and sometimes actually uses the grinding wheel on his Dremel to help clean it off!
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Jason
Ahhh, memories. I build model airplanes by the hundreds as a kid and always had the “fuel-proof” glue on my fingers. Not CA and a bit easier to peal off but still gave the finger pads that crunchy, can’t-feel-very-much sensation.
That would be SuperGlue. Thanks. I remember it peeling off some surface or other, so I didn’t try it.
So, don’t go putting a plastic headed whistle in your back pocket head down and sit on it. That’s my theory on why it’s cracked.
Tony
All three of my Generation Blue tops, and almost every other blue top Generation I’ve seen outside of a store has a crack. Maybe some of the local stores just have funny batches.
Black electrical tape is the fix for me! 
OK, the CA glue idea is prettier, but I can use all of the street cred I can pose up!
I bind black heavy thread (more like cord) around the straight-sided portion of the head, then dab super glue on the binding. This makes a rock-solid head that won’t ever crack further. You can see my whistles done this way on the thread “photos of your collection”, where people mistook the binding for electical tape.
I have both Generations and Susati done this way.
So, thanks. It did the trick. Looks a bit sloppy, but, it’s on the bottom side, so only I will know. I just opened the crack with the whistle tube, let some glue seep in and let it sit. If I’m bored, maybe I’ll sand it. It’s my Freeman tweaked, so I wanted more years out of it. The fishing rod guide tape with glue sounds like a good idea for future reference.
Tony
but a new one 
Geez, Tony.
I didn’t realize it’s one of my whistles.
I was staying out of the discussion because it sounded like people had the situation pretty well covered. Pancelticpiper’s method is the one I use. When I tweak C or F Generations (the keys with whistleheads near impossible to get off), I intentionally crack the whistlehead socket using acetone, then place it back on the tube to open the socket a little while I wrap and glue the outside. That creates a whistle that doesn’t look new any more, but the whistlehead then fits correctly and is easily adjusted or removed from the tube.
I use a thinner thread than what it sounds like pancelticpiper uses, and I use epoxy, but only because the odor of superglue makes me lightheaded. You might be able to find a sewing thread that’s exactly the right color. If you’re willing to part with the whistle for a time, I would be happy to do the job, if that’s ever needed.
Best wishes,
Jerry
Thanks, Jerry. I appreciate the offer. At this point, it looks like I’m in good shape. Plus I’ve added more patina of ‘well-used’ look to my whistle with the rough line of glue. I mean the tube is brass with the shiny parts around the tone holes. A few teeth marks on the head and it’ll look really cool.
And of course, that’ll motivate me to play better so I can live up to the look of the whistle. I mean, when you see someone show up at a session with a shiny new whistle, you don’t expect much experience.
Tony