Do you guys/gals bother with trying to keep your whistles dry after you play them? I play Clarke (Originals & Sweetones) natural whistles a lot and I was wondering if I can expect them to rust. If so, will it affect the way they play?
I never worried much with my brass and plastic whistles, but I always swab out my copper and wooden ones.
I have heard that Clarkes can rust, but I don’t know if swabbing them out would make a difference.
Redwolf
you’ll find the narrow end of tapered whistles is a bit of a challenge when it comes to swabbing. 
Yes, I have already found that out. In fact, that’s the main reason I haven’t been doing it. Just wondering if I should.
Definitely dry wooden whistles.
For brass and plastic it probably doesn’t make any difference.
If you can’t swab out steel whistles, at least give them a good shake after playing, like shaking down a fever thermometer, and blow out the windway. Then, don’t store them in a sealed case until the inside is completely dry.
Or you could just store them ‘standing up’ for at least an hour or so after playing. Lets the drool drain. Avoid wrapping them up or even boxing them (to allow air to circulate) if you are lazy like me.
(this is for metal whistles not for woodies)
The Casey Burns site at http://www.caseyburnsflutes.com/care.php says this about drying:
“When you are done playing the instrument, disassemble and shake or gently swab out any standing moisture - but do not dry out the flute excessively! The point is to retard the drying rate, while leaving no standing water in the instrument.”
This seems to indicate that we shouldn’t over-swab. What do you think about this, Paul?
I would think that it’s not really possible to over-dry a whistle with a swab. For one thing, the swab itself gets damp after the first run-through. Perhaps if you were running several super-absorbant swabs through there, but a couple of passes with a recorder brush or a cloth on a flute stick wouldn’t be overdoing it, I don’t think.
Redwolf
Mystery duplicate.
After I finish playing my sweetone (and other whistles) I run cold water thru both ends to wash out the drool, and then kind of sling the water out. I touch the bottom end to a towel to blot up any remaining drops of water. Then I store it standing on end in a jar. Eventually, it will get a little rusty around the bottom, but I’ve had my favorite whistle for about 4 years now.
It still isn’t very rusty inside.
Paulsdad