Worst whistle “accidents” I’ve had:
“NO, BAD DOG…we don’t play fetch with my whistles! BAD!” (No explaination needed)
“Hey, my whistle isn’t a breaker-bar” (my mechanic brother back when I was in HS)
“We are not putting glitter on my whistle” (Sister-Winter school play)
“And you thought that was going to protect it” (music shop that shipped me an original Clarke D … in a paper towel roll with the ends bent in) - by the time I got it those went the only bends in the roll (and subsequently the instument). > > > > >
We all know as precious as our instruments can be to us, occationally the undergo some terrible abuse. Like a hiku I read recently (here on C&F) about when the wifey has heard enough (by the pond). I have to wonder if that actually happened.. if so what became of the wife.
Here’s a place to post those dismal times of innocent destruction (or attempt on them).
Several years ago, there was a pic on the Copeland website of a Copeland whistle that had about a 45 degree bend in it with a caption “Courtesy of [name of shipping company].” Having owned a couple of Copelands, I have no idea how one would go about bending one like that, but it would most definitely require quite a bit of effort.
I didn’t like the black paint and gold diamonds on my Clark whistle. So I tried to use heat to remove it. In the toaster oven, the solder on the back seam melted before the paint bubbled.
The wood block didn’t seem to have any damage. It would have taken some hose clamps and more skill with a soldering iron than I have to fix that poor thing. It popped open like a boiled clam.
Comparing a Clarke’s whistle to a boiled clam is not a scenario I’d have ever imagined
I’d not examined the construction of my Clarke whistle closely. It’s obvious, now I have, that heating the thing would not be a sensible option, but like many, my hindsight can be 20/20. The actual construction is quite unusual, with that rib running the length of the tube inside. Presumably they’re made on a conical former with a slot for the edge of the metal sheet, then simply rolled around it and soldered. Probably quite labour-intensive and time-consuming, by modern standards, unless they’ve got a really sophisticated whistle-rolling and soldering machine
I was hoping for a little bigger response. I’m sure their are a lot more tales out there. I’m sorry to hear about the “Clammy Clarke”. I’m tryind to find out how it came to be that the (guessing make) “Abell made the chair unstable”. So, please go on.
My only destructions so far have been when I have been turning a whistle on the lathe, and it explodes before I can get it thin enough to be useful. Cutting to fipple has caused a few to be less than intact as well. Flutes are so much easier. End blown flutes are the best and I have a few with whistle tuning.
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before I can get it thin enough to be useful. Cutting to fipple has caused a few to be less than intact 
and I have a few with whistle tuning.