I bought a Freeman tweaked Clarke sweetone. A problem I am having is that spit easily builds up in the fipple airway. I can be playing along and notes start to squawk or pressure will build up and I have to quickly suck the spit out to continue. Seems like the longer I play the more it happens. This mouthpiece has two thin pieces of metal inside the airway on top and bottom. Is that part of the Tweak? I have only been playing about 4 months and also have a cheap Clarke and a Tony Dixon dx04. I have never noticed that problem on them. Does this occur on other whistles?
Happens to me too, on my Freeman Tweaked Blackbird.
I have only played for 2 months, and folks here tell me that I will reduce the spit as my breathing technique improves.
I don’t understand how that would be the case though, since I blow however hard/soft I need to get an okay intonation. The airflow is at such a rate that I get the right intonation (or near), and therefore also the “saliva flow”.
But, thanks to a tip from here, during pauses and between tunes I cover the mouthpiece window and blow as hard as I can, removing any spit that’s had time to build up. That works okay, but still sometimes I get spit-blocked while playing a tune anyway.
Note that I’m not blaming the Freeman whistle, since so many do not have this experience. There must be something I am doing wrong.
The “spit” is actually just destilled water which is caused by the breath condensating. Any warm humid air will condensate on materials that conduct heat well, such as metal (or like your breath fogging up a pain of glass - same thing). This fenomenon occurs more readily whenever metal is part of the windway and improving your breathing technique won’t change it. It’s particularly evident in solid metal (aluminium) whistles.
What you can do, is to prevent the humid air/breath to come in contact with the metal by coating it with something, like wax from ordinary dental floss. It will also make the surface slicker and the water will run off it easier. However, it will just lessen the condensation it won’t elliminate it.
The metal trips in the windway is the tweak, yes. Had the strips been plastic you wouldn’t experience as much moisture build up. Though Delrin/POM do seem to cause more condensation than others like PVC, likely due to its higher density.
Having a wooden block in the mouthpiece like on the Clarke helps, as it will soak up any obstructive moisture.
All the best,
Marc
Thank you for that information Marc!
Will try waxing, since there is no room for a wooden block in the mouthpiece.
To clarify, Marc is not suggesting that you put a wooden block in the mouthpiece. He’s just stating that whistles designed with a wooden fipple may not clog as easily.
Jason
I know, that was irony!
Perhaps terribly executed… 
This message sparked a couple of questions about the various tweaks done to whistles. It’s clear that loosening the plastic head of the whistle makes it tunable and adjusting the finger hole size/placement and tube length can correct intonation, but what are these other tweaks intended to do?
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the two thin pieces of metal inside the airway mentioned above
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filling the cavity in the head beneath the airway
Are there other “standard” tweaks, and what are they designed to do?
Thanks and best wishes.
Steve
This message sparked a couple of questions about the various tweaks done to whistles. It’s clear that loosening the plastic head of the whistle makes it tunable and adjusting the finger hole size/placement and tube length can correct intonation, but what are these other tweaks intended to do?
-
the two thin pieces of metal inside the airway mentioned above
-
filling the cavity in the head beneath the airway
Are there other “standard” tweaks, and what are they designed to do?
Thanks and best wishes.
Steve
Here’s the chiff and fipple surgery page with a lot of interesting info on mods, tweaks, and adjustments: http://www.chiffandfipple.com/surgery.html.
livinginthepast, could you please try again, that link doesn’t work for me. thanks
Sure thing - http://www.chiffandfipple.com/surgery.html
For some reason, the period became part of the URL in the previous post! 
Yes but,
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If someone accidentally drained his flute into your freshly poured pint, would you still drink it?
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Why do people find inhaling the condensate (which I do) disgusting?
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Why are we advised to not eat food or drink sugary drinks before playing?
We had a spirited series of arguments about spit about 10 years ago. There were two opposing views, bridged by an brilliant solution called “Dale Wisely’s Solution.”
View 1: It’s spit. A lot of people argued that the stuff in the whistle is saliva. Eeww.
View 2: No, it’s actually ambient moisture which condenses in the whistle due to temperature differential between the warmed tube and the air around the tube. It’s water.
Dale Wisely’s Solution: It’s spit for those who drool into their whistles while playing. It’s water for those of who don’t.
Actually, yet another theory, was that some of that moisture might be coming from the lungs. Still Eeww but not as Eeww as spit.
I had this issue in development stages of the lochlan, although it had a curved wind way it still clogged if it had to much back pressure…the wind way measurement had to be balanced between backpressure and self cleaning requirements…we’re talking a thou of an inch, how ever i found a good solution was to coat the airway with WD-40…i know this stuff may be toxic, very well…but so is smoking and pestcides…anyway just spray it into the wind way and wipe off or wash excess WD-40 from the mouth piece…water seems to self clean from the wind way easier if the surface has a bit of good old WD-40. hey it works for arthritis aswell…just rub it on the joint…go ahead laugh it up!!!
but seriously…you need to coat the inside with a water displacement agent…and something liquid like WD 40, i also like the idea of flossing wax through the wind way with dental floss mentioned earlier…thats brilliant!!!
cheers,
Greg Russell
No, please … A product which says “DANGER: Harmful or fatal if swallowed” right on the front label is not a good idea. Here’s the toxicity data for WD-40:
http://www.wd40company.com/files/pdf/msds-wd494716385.pdf
I’m not sure I’d buy a whistle treated with WD-40. Duponol (lauryl sulfate) is a surfactant with very low toxicity for oral use (it’s used in toothpaste) and a much safer alternative.
Yeah, it’s that, plus #2. Unless it’s #1. Exhaled air is around 95% saturated. We’re walking fog machines. Ewww.
Here’s a cool breath condensation calculator. If anyone can figure out how to interpret the results, let me know. 
Thanks for the “surgery” link. Also checked the “tweaks” page. Both give clear directions as to HOW to do the tweaks but are less clear on WHY. What symptoms are these tweaks intended to cure? Or am I missing something?
Thanks and best wishes.
Steve
Those who play The Fipple Flute That Shall Not Be Named contend that food and drink make you salivate more which raises the moisture content of your breath causing more condensation and more ewwww. As my playing progresses, the ewwww effects my whistle less and less. I’m not sure if my breath is dryer or I’m getting more regular in clearing the tube or my breath control is better. Probably all three. Or, maybe I’m just drooling less.
Dental floss worked very well anyway. Now the spit/saliva/drool runs in a steady trickle and doesn’t stick in the windway!
Its spit…
Well maybe a combination of both, but I feel like music teachers say its water to make them feel better about their floor
Also with the food thing, it then could get stuck in the instrument…which would be bad..