Tweaks: The Thread

Whistle
41

Oh, that’s a thought.

I know I need to mess with mine at least a little bit…I just noticed tonight that the front of the mouthpiece and the holes don’t quite line up in a straight line! Haha. (I assume rectifying that–both loosening the glue on the fipple and twisting the head around half a millimeter–won’t change the tone, which I rather like, right… because if it will, the amount it’s off isn’t really enough to make a difference to my playing; it’s just enough that it might drive me nuts now that I know about it!)

If I posted a sound clip, would you all be able to tell if it sounds okay?

42

Advice on my whistle, please?

I have a Walton Irish D (you know, that one that comes in a “kit”; it was my “first” whistle and still my favorite. I love the sound of it… the Sweetone that was my mom’s and made its way to me doesn’t compare.

However, a couple things annoy me:

  1. Clogging. This is the biggest one. Not to get TMI, but let’s say I have a reputation at the dentist’s office and they’ve learned to make liberal use of the sucker-vacuum thingy, so something I’ve read tends to be a problem with the Walton whistles anyway is a big problem for me. It only takes a few minutes to clog, and though I can clear it out (first give it a good shake–this is always gross-- and then a good hard blow with the tonehole covered), it really doesn’t play the same (squeaks, cracks/misses, in general I sound like I just picked the whistle up ten minutes ago-- I’m still not very good but I’m not THAT bad when it’s unclogged) until it’s dried out again. I just tried the waxed-dental-floss trick though, so we’ll see how that works. Failing that I’ll try the dish soap thing. Anything else I can do? I really try not to put the mouthpiece so far in my mouth, but it doesn’t seem to make a difference anyway.

I don’t have this issue with the Sweetone (once the Walton clogs, I have to move my practice to the Sweetone), nor my Gen B-flat, nor so far with my Clarke Traditional C (but I just got that one and haven’t put in the time on it that I have with the others, so I don’t know it as well).

  1. Second octave is not so easy to play as on the Sweetone. more comparable to my Clarke Traditional C (untweaked) in terms of air requirements, a bit more shrill than I’d like.

Is there anything I can do for these, or have someone else do (since I know nothing about whistle mechanics myself)? I’ve soaked the head off and did remove an extraneous shaving of plastic that was just sitting in there, but that doesn’t actually seem to have done anything.

I don’t want to give up this whistle. I really like the sound–kind of reedy and unique-- and I’ve looked at just plain getting a different whistle, but some of the “higher end cheap whistles” that come well-recommended like the Dixon and the Parks Ghost just don’t quite have the sound I’m looking for (they’re beautiful, and from what I’ve read from you all they sound so nice to play, but they’re what I consider a bit more recorder-y, like the Sweetone, and for a recorder-y sound I’d just play my recorder! I like the sound of the Impempes, but that’s probably too much whistle for my current skill level [playing just a couple months now]).

I’d rather not have to get a new one, but I’d be willing to look at a Freeman Mellow Dog if it’d be an improvement on these issues (had I known I’d like the sound on the Walton so much, I would’ve picked up a Mellow Dog from the beginning, but hindsight = 20/20 and all that and I didn’t understand the value of tweaking then and yada yada). It’s just that, you know, I already have this whistle, I’ve formed an attachment to it, lol, and would hate to see it go to waste and just sit around if I got something else.

43

Just made permanent-ish my tweak to the new Dixon tapered bore low D.
I rushed off some quick clips:
http://phillvanleersum.users.sourceforge.net/clips/NewTweak0.mp3
http://phillvanleersum.users.sourceforge.net/clips/NewTweak1.mp3
http://phillvanleersum.users.sourceforge.net/clips/NewTweak2.mp3

Please excuse my playing, this is about the whistle…

44

Jerry tweaks more than high D’s. I have a Bb… He tweaks all generations

45

I have a Freeman-tweaked high D, and while much of it sounds pretty good, the C natural is not only sharp, even with the DEF&A covered (!), but the volume on that one note, no matter which fingering options I choose (even the single finger, which is really awfully sharp), is ‘way down. Now, I do not own a normal Gen D, so maybe that’s a feature of the original whistle. Just sayin’ – I practice with it, but I don’t bring it to sessions because of these two features. The little rat is cute, though.

46

the C natural is not only sharp, even with the DEF&A covered (!)

oxo xxx is more common on flutes. Try oxx xox, which is the usual alternative for sharp oxx ooo fingerings on whistles. And it is absolutely normal that a cross-fingered cnat is a bit quiet, not only on Gens.

47

Ralph is a mouse.

48

I have a question for anyone with an answer…Where can I buy ‘blue tack’ aka ‘poster putty’ Thanks in advance, Mickey

49

I have a Clare that had the same problem…I used steel wool instead. It worked! Now I’m doing that to all my brass whistles! it made a Gen brass D un-tweaked sound great!

50

I have not seen the genuine Bostik brand Blu-Tack for sale in a store in the US for maybe ten years. It seems to have been completely buried by alternate poster putty products from Elmer’s, Scotch and Duck brands. The Elmer’s stuff is safety orange in color. You can find generics at dollar stores too. Poster putty is generally available at most any big box store that sells adhesives, school supplies and arts/crafts products ( Home Depot, Lowes, Staples, Office Max, Walmart, Target, Michael’s, Hobby Lobby, etc.. Look in the Back-to-School section at the big stores this time of year. Poster putty is a college dorm room staple.

Any pliable putty or clay product should work for the purpose on whistles. Poster putty will remain pliable for a longer time than some materials though.

Wonder why no one uses Silly Putty? It comes in outrageous colors too including glow in the dark types.. Probably doesn’t explode when it comes into contact with glass though. No fun.

Feadoggie

51

In my experience it didn’t stay firm. Thankfully I got it out of the whistles before it started to ooze down the tube.

52

Ah, that’d be why then. :slight_smile: Thanks for sharing.

53

You’re welcome. :slight_smile:

54

Thanks all ! Last question…what’s the best way to enter the cavity below the wind-way under the blade? From the top or from the tube sleeve? And what is good to use as a tool for seating said putty into cavity ? Mickey

55

Really? Ok!

The best way to do this is to use a custom made poster putty plunger. These can be cobbled up from an empty caulking tube and caulking gun. An industrial grade clay extruder will also work. Make sure that the tube/nozzle at the end of the caulking tube is machined to exactly 1/2" in diameter. You’ll need a lathe for that. Now block the top quarter or so of the nozzle with a teflon coated piece of 6063 aluminum. A 4 axis CNC mill is the best tool do make this but a 3d printer with powered brass medium might also work in a pinch. The teflon is necessary to keep the putty flowing. Bonding it in to the nozzle is the hard bit. That particular part is meant to block the putty from going into the windway and blocking it. So a custom nozzle for each type of whistle you will tweak is important. Then buy about two dozen packs of poster putty. You’ll need that much in order to generate enough pressure to fill the cavity uniformly. Heat the putty to ~85 degrees and mix it thoroughly so that no air pockets remain. Hand kneading is suggested to maintain the intended tone of the whistle. Stuff the putty into the used caulking tube. Re-install the plastic plunger. Let it sit with the nozzle facing up over night maintaining a temperature of at least 82 degrees. Next day you insert the cartridge into the caulking gun and do a test squeeze to relieve any air that remained in the tube. Then and only then insert the nozzle into the head of the whistle to be prepared. Make sure the windway blocking mechanism is properly oriented. Squeeze out about 1 cc of putty. Count your fingers. Use a surgical scalpel inserted through the window of the whistle head to cut off the putty stream. The scalpel is important to make sure that the face of the putty is cut smoothly and flat to the end of the windway. Count you fingers again. Remove the nozzle. Insert the whistle tube and play. You should be able to tweak another 599 whistles with what’s left in the tube.

Or … you could just put a bit of putty on the eraser end of a new-ish Ticonderoga #2 pencil and do what you can. It works best to try this with the head off of the metal tube though.

Feadoggie

56

Hey! Feadoggie…Thanks! I think, I will try method # 2 LMAO! :smiley:

57

Method #2 worked real good! Thanks! :smiley:

58

Becker Pvc low whistle tweak,
It was 18.00, but I wanted to try it,

these tweaks have made it quite playable & pleasing to my ears.
After taking the mouthpiece , that makes up the windway ceiling, I found the windway to be a softened V shape, {smaller part of V goes to fipple} I used a Loctite blu tack stuff to make the wind way more of a a ll shape.
also in the cap that forms the winday ceiling , I marked where the air path was and put some clear sticky back strips of a material similar to stick on pickguards, but thinner. I put on 2 layers.

these two things gave me a much more focused stream of air, Im thinking of a way to do this with out sticky and makle it permanent, but haven’t taken the plunge yet.

lastly and I just did this sat, I formed some “ears” going down the sides of the fipple hole, ala Copeland, {but ghetto :slight_smile: }

I like it. I desire a clean pure sound in the 2nd octave and witht these mods and air control have mostly achieved it,

I wish the pipe wa a bit smaller diameter, more like a Dixon, I believe it would give the low octave more character.

as always YMMV but you may want to try it, if it doesn’t suit your fancy , just pull the stuff off.
Oh, yes the blue tacky stuff looks like crap there on ethe sides of the fipple hole, and may not be quite worth having as it only seems to help very slightly.
Steve

59

got a C feadog in mail for playing duo with wifey, I have to say I did not care much for it out of the box, but I took head off with the hot water trick, just filled the cavity with some blutack, to in line with windway exit, and it sounds good.

I wont say its a better or worse sound than the Blackbird, its different, even a bit mellow. For me, not quite as easy to avoid playing errors, as the BB , but still a nice sound & whistle. not trying to fan any flames, just something you may want to try.

I did the same withe a D little black, and the results were not nearly as noticeable.
FWIW

Steve

60

I have two brass Dixon Trads (not the solid brass), so I decided to try the cavity fill on one of them. This was my first tweaking experiment.

I thought I had some poster putty around here but couldn’t find it, and it’s too cold to go out to Staples to buy some, so I ventured into unknown waters. I used bathroom caulk.

The first thing I have to say is: This is a bad idea. Don’t do it. I knew it was a bad idea before I started but thought I’d try it anyway. And I wasn’t even drinking.

I have a small “patch” tube of white latex caulk, so I thought I could release it straight down into the cavity, no muss, no fuss. This was crazy, of course. The stuff doesn’t come out in a straight line, so although I filled the cavity, I also got caulk everywhere–but none in the windway. I got some around the windway, but none in it.

Well, I chalked, or caulked it off as a learning experience. When the stuff started to get firm in a few minutes, I used a pencil to tamp it properly in the cavity. Then I decided to see what I could do about cleaning the mess I’d made inside the mouthpiece. This took a couple of hours, using carefully cut plastic strips, but little by little I was able to get the stray bits of caulk out. I used one of those ultra-bright LED lights to check inside, and each time I found a bit I’d reach in with the plastic strip and pull it away.

To my astonishment, I eventually got it all out. The surface of the area where the cavity is filled isn’t smooth; it looks like the surface of the moon. But I got the all-important area under and back from the blade nice and clean, and the ramp is impeccable.

So, the cavity is filled with latex caulk that is now firm in its stippled ugliness, should anyone ever peer in there. The sound is…well, it’s what I expected, based on reading this thread. The bottom D and E are stronger than on the other Trad, but the timbre is softer. Having them side by side, the difference is very clear. The bell note on the untweaked Trad has a slightly “dirty” sound; not breathy but not pure either. I’ve never liked that aspect of the Trad. It breaks to high D very easily, although I’ve had these things so long I don’t notice that.

The tweaked Trad breaks to high D less easily and has a slightly breathier timbre. It’s a definite improvement, and the same observations apply to low E. After that, they sound much the same.

Interestingly, filling the cavity makes the Trad sound much like the Hermit Hill brass whistle I recently bought, since one of the main differences between the two is the bottom end. But with the cavity filled, the Trad is now a bit louder at the low end than the HH. Not a big difference though.

In the second octave, I’ve always been able to play the Trad with confidence, and it’s no different with the cavity filled. The second octave is, in my opinion, the best thing about the Dixon Trad.

So, this is an endorsement for doing the cavity tweak on the Dixon Trad, but just don’t do it with bathroom caulk.