Oh Help!! What have I done?!?!?!

Whistle
1

I got tired of my Kerry Low D sounding muffled on the lower register. So I decided that since I’ve had it since January, it must need a good cleaning.

I removed the fipple (which wasn’t hard to do at all), and gave it a good washing. I replaced the fipple. I blew … and it buzzed. BUZZED??? Yes, buzzed.

After a couple of times removing and replacing the fipple, the little piece of dental floss-looking thing fell off. I tried to put it back on … heck, I tried using Saran Wrap. The crazy thing is still buzzing!!

Any ideas? I KNOW I didn’t destroy the whistle, but how do I get rid of the nasty buzzing?


Much thanks in advance …

Little John

2

Hi, John.

I’m not familiar with that whistle, but I’ll offer what help I can, based on the information I can glean from your message.

You mentioned a “little piece of dental floss looking stuff.” That sounds like teflon tape, which is used in plumbing, etc. to create a watertight or airtight seal. The first thing I would suggest is that you get a roll of teflon tape (about $.75 at hardware stores, Walmart hardware dept., etc.) and roll a layer of that around the end of the headjoint before reassembling it again. (I’m assuming that’s what the dental floss looking stuff was. If it wasn’t teflon tape, then this suggestion isn’t correct.)

Try that, and see if it makes a difference. Other than that, I can’t imagine what might have changed. Of course, you’ll want to inspect the inside of the mouthpiece and tube to make sure there isn’t lint or some other debris.

Actually, there is one other thing I can think of. Make sure the whistlehead is all the way on again. If it’s not on as far as before, that could cause it to buzz. Sometimes a whistle will not play as well with the head pulled out a ways.

Best wishes,
Jerry

3

Jerry,

Thanks very much. I will get some teflon tape and try it. I’ll let you know how it goes. …

All the best,

Little John

4

You could also use waxed dental floss, I use it all the time for running repairs to the bindings on the uilleann pipes. Johnson & Johnson’s is good, there’s plenty of wax which fills the gaps. It’s less susceptible to damage than plumber’s tape when you move the sliding components.