All,
I’m currently playing a Clarke Sweetone which is a plastic mouthpiece. I’m curious what differences exist and pros/cons of a plastic vs Aluminum mouthpiece.
I will say my plastic mouthpieces is comfortable. Is there a sound difference?
Thanks
AB
Any sound difference from whistle to whistle has to do with the design of the whistle and how it is made. The material is a secondary contributor, IMO. Of course, certain materials lend themselves better to certain design details. As an example it is easier to make a sturdy thin walled tube from brass than it is from wood. But the bottom line is that a good whistle can be constructed of most any appropriate material or combination of materials.
Plastic vs aluminum? Well one thing is an obvious issue with many all aluminum heads. the breath you use to make the whistle sing has been breathed into your lungs where it might adapt to that warm environment by rising in temperature. When it is blown into a cooler aluminum windway physics will condense the moisture out of the air to form droplets of water which can clog the windway, land on the labium and otherwise muddy the tone generation of the whistle. We all learn to deal with that. Crafty whistle makers can overcome much of the effect though.
Plastic mouthpieces can clog too, usually due to poor design. But many plastics have better thermal characteristics than bare aluminum. Aluminum warms quickly but also cools quickly. Plastics generally resist cooling better but can be slower to warm up once cold. So some makers of aluminum whistles will line their wndways with delrin or another polymer. Burke’s black tipped heads are one example of that tactic.
Hope that helps.
Feadoggie
What I find strange is how, on the various Overton whistles I’ve had, which are aluminum with a very narrow flat windway, moisture will rapidly build up even when the whistle is the same temperature as human breath, or even hotter than human breath.
Living in a hot place as I do, and tending to leave whistles in the car as I do, there have been many times when I’ve gone to play a whistle that’s been sitting in the car on a hot day, the whistle quite warm to the touch (the temperature inside the car being well over 100 degrees oftentimes). The Overton will build up moisture just as fast as it would otherwise, and after just a few bars of music the tone is diminishing. Ditto with a not so hot day, ditto on a cool day. So at least with those Overtons the off-stated thing that “you just need to warm up the whistle” is false, because a whistle can’t get more ‘warmed up’ than being nearly too hot to touch.
Personally I don’t think the material is the deciding factor because my several MKs haven’t ever clogged with moisture though being entirely aluminum.
In any case I don’t care for the feel of metal stuck in my mouth and I find Burkes and Reyburns and Generations etc more comfortable due to the plastic mouthpieces.
In case you missed it, pancelt … We pretty much collectively and effectively solved the Overton/Goldie clogging problem a while back here on the board, with the Toothpaste Tweak. Here’s the thread:
https://forums.chiffandfipple.com/t/goldie-overton-clogging-problem-and-solution/85653/1
I employed a different solution, utterly effective: I sold off my Overtons.
If thine Overton offend thee, pluck it out? I hope you never get a headache. 
