I made my first home-made whistle this past weekend using the Fulton-Bennett instructions. Like the potato chips, I don’t think I will be able to stop at just one. Can anyone recommend an on-line source for brass and aluminum tubing suitable for whistles?
Eric
I would recommend you check the Thomas Register: http://www.thomasregister.com. They’re not a source, but a list of sources.
Charlie
I have used brass tubing from K&S Engineering. You can find their tubing in model/hobby stores. The standard lengths are only long enough to make a B whistle (which I did using a mouthpiece from a C whistle).
Joe
You might try a plumbing supply outlet for contracters and an electical supply outlet they both have different types of tubing.you also might try your local machine shops some of them use tubing for different orders.
Have fun
Brian
Here is a wonderful source for small qty’s of material. Good service.
Erik
Here’s another place:
I haven’t ordered anything from them yet, but their catalog is a lot of fun to browse thru.
-brett
Seeing the post about Small Parts (I didn’t know they sold tubing) made me think of McMaster-Carr, http://www.mcmaster.com. Great service, good price, no minimum order, and it seems that they ship before you place the order!
Charlie
On 2002-01-14 17:44, chas wrote:
…and it seems that they ship before you place the order!
Whistle-making meets mind-reading - whatever next!
(sorry, couldn’t resist it)
Steve 
I’ve got some aluminum tubing I’ll give to anybody that wants to pay shipping. It’s 5/8 inch OD by .049 inch wall thickness. I have two pieces; a 6 footer and a 31 incher. I would actually prefer cutting it to short lengths as it will be much easier to ship that way.
If you use this, will probably want to make your fipple out of some other material becase its heat treated 6061-T6 so its kind of brittle ie it can’t be bent back and forth much before it breaks. - Joel
I could be wrong, but I’m thinking the Overton type tubbing is the same as what you’ll find in some wind chimes.
I was over at a friends house showing off my F Overton and then noticed his wind chimes. The same tubbing I tell you!!
I’ve seen those chimes get real big also. Plus people keep them outside where you can just go and…uh scratch that last part 
Jack “you’ll be seeing on the 10:00 news” Orion
What are the Fulton-Bennet instructions?
And Where?
You can get 7/8" OD Brass Tubing from Copper](http://www.copperandbrass.com/indexc.htm%22%3ECopper) and Brass Sales, inc
Hey folks, thanks for all the help. The McMaster-Carr link looks particularly good. Lots of sizes in brass and aluminum at reasonable prices. Plus, it’s nice to know I have a source of tantalum tubing in case I want to make a whistle that can be played in boiling sulfuric acid.
–Eric
On 2002-01-17 10:32, EricW wrote:
Plus, it’s nice to know I have a source of tantalum tubing in case I want to make a whistle that can be played in boiling sulfuric acid.–Eric
Not every session is quite as bad as that… 
Walt and group
You can find Kim Fulton-Bennett’s pennywhistle site here(along with some other good sites)…
Whistles,Recorders](http://www.mimf.com/link.htm#flutes%22%3EWhistles,Recorders) and Flutes
If you want a “go” at conical construction,Britania or “lead-less pewter” comes in small sheet form that can be rolled on a wooden “manderel” and easily soldered.Half-hard Brass(Alpha Brass)comes in sheet form too.
These metals can be “tempered” by the usual heat/quench technique and have been used on organ pipes for several hundred years. It works quite well for cylindrical tubes if you can’t find your “perfect” diameter with plumbing supplies.
[ This Message was edited by: Thomas-Hastay on 2002-01-17 20:17 ]
If you’re wondering about where to get whistle raw materials, you haven’t truly been struck with WhOC (whistle obsessive construction disorder). If you have been WhOCd, then you start pilfering anything tubular from the neighbors’ trash bins, checking out the thrift stores for cheap things that could be sliced up into raw materials, lingering on every trip to Home Depot, eyeing the hollow steel porch railing supports … Son #1 has taken up archery – I guess I’ll wait to see if he doesn’t put a new nock on that damaged arrow before I filch it . Thanks for the offer, whoever proposed sending their old ski poles - I already have a pair in the shop. Thrift stores are cool.
Oh, you mean stuff to make repeatable whistles with, not one-off oddities! I see … then I second the building supply / hardware suggestions: copper tubing, PVC pipe, conduit, shower-curtain rod; all inexpensive and standard-sized.
– Jake
The metric system seems to breed a better selection of tube sizes. look at tartaix.com, they dont speak e mail or english but will respond to a letter or fax in simple english terms. to my knowledge they have brass tubes from 10mm. to 20mm.dia. in increments of 1mm. all with 0.5mm. wall thickness and yes they are all telescopic fits, at worst you will only have to redraw to change one of a pair by 0.05mm.( this will interest those who want to make tuning slides).The finish on these tubes is good inside and out.
I’m sorry, but I wouldn’t know what to buy, with all the abrevs., and all. I do not know what OD I need to make a low D in brass (kinda sounds poetic). Any info would be extremely useful, since I will be trying my (bloody) hand at whistle making, while off work for the whole month of March.
Thank you,
John