Mack’s poem (in the brass/nickel thread) got me to thinking. I have all the standard whistle materials (bamboo, tin, brass, nickel, PVC, generic metal). But really, any tubular material should work, right?
I have here with me the Hoover Arrowshaft Whistle in high D. I do believe it is one of a kind. Otherworldly quiet, tunable, beautiful tone, well-made, with a very nice Mossy Oak Brown camo finish. Just think, if it were a bit louder, I could use it to call in coyotes, then shoot them with it.
Of course, some of you might remember my other “hunting” whistle, an aluminum “Scotty’s” whistle in blaze orange. I can say with confidence that I’ve never been shot at while playing it.
Then there’s the Hoover curtain rod low D. I think he’s still working on the design (the current one is monstrously hard to play) but the sound is very unique and beautiful. I don’t own one, but plan to if Mack ever makes another one…
So, what about the rest of you? If there were to be a C&F Odd Whistle Museum, what would your contribution be?
Tom
[ This Message was edited by: WyoBadger on 2001-08-07 17:03 ]
If it is hollow and I can make a hole in it, I’ve probably tried to make a whistle out of it. This is especially true on camping trips (always have to bring a small saw and set of files:)
Ski pole in A, cool anodized blue aluminium
Big knitting needle D, PVC head and profuse apologies to spouse
Car antennae G’ish, wrong bore to length for good tuning but looked neat
Turkey bone two tone, gross out the relatives!
Deer leg bone quena, if only there were road kill llama in Nebraska (just kidding)
2" diameter 4’ long PVC transverse flute with 4 finger holes in a spiral (played with thumbs and that one fingered salute finger) Tuning was wierd but sound could be felt as much as heard almost.
newest is a PVC Txistu! needs some more refining but it works fairly well
I have a low F that I made from part of an old brass floor lamp. It plays three octaves. Of course the balance between them stinks and the tuning is far from right on, but hey…
Did you use the tapered part of the ski pole? I figure I can get at least one cylindrical and one conical per pole. My local thrift shop supplied a pair of poles for cheap a while back, but I haven’t perforated one yet. I’m sure my wife has noticed them in the trunk of the car, but she hasn’t asked yet …
My only weird tooters so far are a low D based on an aluminum shower-curtain rod (from the Dennis Havlena directions online) and a square towel-rod (beautiful gaudy gold) in B. The low D needs a second try with a different hole arrangement, or else I need to devise finger-extenders. The B has an interesting tone with both chiff and funny overtones, and plays nicely, when the modified SweeTone head isn’t falling off.
Mop handle. It had a nice hard painted finish (I think powder-coated) and I didn’t know it was STEEL till I had ruined my band saw blade. But I went ahead and completed a low G with hardwood plug, and tossed it in the cull drawer. My cousin from Alaska saw it, and coveted it ten bucks worth!
And Tom, the other half of the curtain rod is now a very playable low D waiting for your next visit.
Out here in ski country, poles can be found in dumpsters, yard sales and thrift stores for cheap, so…
And Mark, I did a # 17 knitting needle (two in fact)
And that colorful windchime did have four tubes, now just three.
For Christmas I got given a strange pipe/whistle affair.
It consists of two wooden tubes, one 10cms and the other 8 cms long, bound together with colourful string. Each tube has two finger holes cut into them and each has a carved fipple.
The sounds is something like a bad panpipe and the range is about 4 notes (Exageration I know, but I don’t like the thing so I will give it a bad press anyway).
It currently lives on a shelf, but only when the friend comes to visit as she always comments on it.
This is not one that I made, but my weirdest whistle is a little tin antique with a wooden fipple, 3 finger holes ( or 2: we just moved and I can’t find it at the moment!), a flared wooden plug at the bottom and a metal loop soldered to the side. The entire thing is painted red, white and blue, and is supposed to look like a little bugle. With the 3 finger holes, it just plays a bugle scale-- very cute, and terrific if anyone starts playing Taps at a session…
I don’t have anything particularly unusual, but I’m wondering if anyone has attemptied to make a whistle out of Carbon Fiber tubing yet? Any whistle makers out there willing to give it a shot?
