What kind of oil would you recommend to use on your whistle’s tuning slides? I am being extra careful, but it still seems the tuning slide on my Greenwood whistle is getting torn up. How can I fix this?
Also Mitch…
I just found out that my mother and best friend put in an order for me for one of your blackwood and silver whistles! I’m super excited! I seem to be getting luckier more and more everyday!
I just figured that some of the people might want to know the answer to my question too…
Sean
Hiya Sean,
What do you mean by “torn up”. I wouldn’t worry too much about the slide. It’s just brass rubbing on telescoping brass, and it should be tight (not hercules tight though!). For the wood I only use pure virgin extract almond oil from a health food store with NO preservatives or additives of ANY kind. It’s just pure and simple oil from the nut.
Yep, things are looking good for you Sean. I’d like to play one of Mitch’s whistles myself. Except, now the pressure is ON baby! You better get darn good, and QUICK or you’ll have to give them back! ( heh heh heh … 
)
Oh God! I’m gunna need to get my butt in gear…either that or go into the witness protection program… I’m not giving these whistles up.
Yeah, the Oz whistle is my Christmas present/birthday present/any other present or holiday you can think of.
but its worth it. I can’t wait until may or june when its supposed to come.
p.s…
The greenwood whistle is amazing. I now have a whistle that I have to get better…just to do it justice.
also, I will post pics of the tuning slide later on today…right now I’m still in class.
Hi Sean,
I never put anything special on the brass slides in my whistles. They usually get a good dose of almond oil along with the rest of the whistle, but I wipe it off. The brass itself wears-in over time and the surfaces will work over each other and cause some minor scratching - this is not a great problem. Some have suggested using petroleum jelly (Vasoline) as a lubricant. There’s nothing wrong with that apart from being careful to keep it clean - abrasive particles can adhere to the grease and accellerate wear.
Brass is pretty hardy stuff and will wear slowly, but wear it will. I prefer to make my slides a little on the tight side to extend wear-time. The diference between a good fitting slide and a loose one is tiny - .005 of a millimeter in my experience. After enough wear, the slide will become loose. This will depend on how much you work it, but will take a few years. It is recommended to work the slide a little every time you pick the instrument up - this reduces the chance that the slide will freeze-up. Also, if the whistle is to be stored for a while, best to store it with the head detached to avoid freeze-up.
If the slide becomes too loose, it is best to return it to the maker for re-fit. An alternative is to aply a little bees wax - this works well. If the slide becomes frozen - do not force it - get it back to the maker or to a qualified instrument repairer.
Hope this helps! I look forward to completing your whistle.
I’m so excited!!! 
Thanks for all your help guys!
I just asked, because the slide looks like someone scratched it up pretty bad. Maybe I’m just being paranoid…but safe is always better than sorry.
So this is what the tuning slide looks like…
Like I said, if I’m being paranoid, just tell me.
P.s: I’m still getting used to this new camera, so bear with me if the pictures don’t look too great.
Sean
The pictures are somewhat blurry but the tuning slide looks fine to me.
I agree: no oil on the slide. It’ll just attract dust and crud and make it stick.