Hard to say. That probably wasn’t the case at Lark In The Morning, as that shop is tucked into one of the breezeways at The Cannery, and consequently doesn’t really have any sunny windows (also the whistle bins are in the entryway, well out of the reach of the sunlight). Who knows what may have happened to it before it got there, however? I think the likeliest explanation is, as Zubivka suggests, some flaw in the making or the curing of the plastic (which would also explain the “poison oak” phenomenon so many have experienced). I think Oak needs to seriously evaluate its plastic formulation…this could be a wonderful whistle, but who wants a whistle that’s either going to turn your lips numb or fall to pieces the second or third time you play it?
But who actually makes them? C&F state that they are US made, but mine says made in Ireland and so does the Whistle Shop. So…first stop will have to be your suppliers over there.
The big packs here are still the old sort (18D and 6C), so maybe you can distribute some old ones over there until the manufacturer sorts itself out. The numb lips I avoided by airing the whistle for a few hours once out of the packet to get rid of the plasticky smell - then no problems.
The main “culprit” in the brittleness of plastics is the quantity of “catalyst” or hardener that is left over after heated injection into the mold.
If the plastic is subjected to too much heat, the catalyst chemical(usualy Chloride) evaporates. if more of the catalyst remained behind, the plastic would be more supple. Over time or if the plastic is exposed to UV rays(sunlight) more of this catalyst evaporates and the plastic becomes more and more brittle.
Products like Armor-All etc. can extend the life but YUK! I give hope to those out there who still have all the pieces of their broken fipples. A product called “Hot Stuff” or a similar product is made for wood turning. Basicly it is a runny form of cyanoacrylate(super glue) and can be used to fill cracks or repair breaks. I even use this stuff to fill flaws and fractures when I turn Alabaster and Soapstone on the lathe. It keeps the minerals from “blowing up” under tool pressure.
A baked on band of Super Elasticlay or Sculpey III polyclay can be used to arrest the splits on Susatos that tend to break at the tennon/tuner too.
Jennifer Mikulski <jm@musicsales.com>
This is the name of the person at the manufacturer of Oaks that I contacted about my Oak mouthpiece. She responded promptly and sent me a new whistle although all I asked for was a new mouthpiece.
Mike
Well, I’m a glutton for punishment. I was at a local music store yesterday, returning my daughter’s rented sax for the summer, and they had Oaks, so I picked up another one. Funny…when I bought it, the clerk said “you know, those are great sounding whistles, but whenever I play them, they make my lips burn and itch!” Eeek! We’ll see how it goes. I’ve played it a couple of times (very brief periods), and so far so good.
Someone asked if the Oaks available here are made in the U.S. The two I have (the cracked one and the new one) both say “Made in Ireland” on the package…the only difference is one (the cracked one) mentions a U.S. distributor for Oak products and the other doesn’t.