As I said I received a Colin Goldie alto F for Christmas. Here’s my question. I guess I could write him but it’s more fun to post here. I realize I need to warm it up by blowing in the mouthpiece. Here’s my question. Are you just interested in warming up the mouthpiece and blade?
Steve
nope…cover the holes, stick the end on a leg and let it leak a bit
the mouthpiece is the most important but getting the entire thing at playing temp. will keep the tuning from being wonky and the barrel from building up condensation too
Blowing through it to warm it up may actually make it worse. Cold metal+ hot moist breath=condensation.
Instead, warm it up by holding the mouth end of the head in your hands until the metal no longer feels cold. You can also tuck it into your armpit for a few minutes, into a pocket (minus car keys!) etc.
hot moist breath 
wot? he’s alive?
I have to change instruments frequently during sets, and I’m usually standing. What works for me on the Chieftain low D is to wrap my hand around the mouth end, covering the fipple window. Several long, steady, strong breaths will warm the top end enough to get it ready to play. I can tell when it’s ready to go, as I can feel the warmth across the whole fipple and window area.
I hadn’t really thought about this question until I played outside in 40 degree (F) weather: Does the temperature of the tube make any difference in the pitch of the whistle or just the temperature of the head? In other words, does the whole whistle need to be warmed up, or just the windway/fipple/blade area? FWIW, I kept the head warm while playing outdoors and it sounded OK. I expected it to clog more in the cold weather I but didn’t notice much difference.
Yes, it’s the temperature of the air in the tube that determines the effective length of the air column, and thus the pitch.
The second mouse may get the cheese but the presentation leaves a lot to be desired.
True, true. But we’re talking worms and smelly cheese here, not nouvelle mouse guts. 
So, does whistle tend to play flat in cold weather? I can see where a high d could be kept fairly warm with breath and hands but wouldn’t a low D (or some other large whistle) tend to play flat due to the cold air in the tube?
Yep. Any whistle. Colder air = denser air = slower speed of sound = longer effective tube length = lower pitch.
If you mean: would it be harder to keep the larger volume of air in a low whistle tube warm, compared to the smaller volume in a smaller whistle … Yes, I suppose that’s true. And if there’s more warm air near the top of the tube, I suppose the upper notes might go sharper than the lower. But every whistle will reach an equilibrium between ambient temperature and the heat from your breath and hands. So you set your tuning slide or head for that, and hope for the best.
Only if you don’t blow hard. When you blow hard, you warm the whistle up, plus blow out condensation at the same time.
I own an Goldie Low D. One problem I’ve noticed is that even after the windway is warmed up, the fipple plug have not been warmed up properly. With the plug being made from aluminium as well, it draws heat away from the windway, cooling it down even while I play. (this is the reason why when blowing air to warm up the mouthpiece you should blow hard) I work around this (at home) by running warm water from the shower round the mouthpiece. This also provides for better, more efficient warming up.
Interesting takes and advice, thanks to all. I’m in Florida, not known for it’s cold weather, but I can say that I really need to concentrate on this warmup. If I simply blow through the mouthpiece two or three times (and I do it hard as well) then it still doesn’t sound as good as if I blow several times. It seems the more I blow through it the better (or different) it sounds. Now I hold my hand over the first three holes as well, and yes I can feel the whistle warm up down the tube to. Not sure if I want to use my “armpit” but that’s another story…
Steve
This has been very helpful…thank you. I’ve seen mention of some substance/chemical/spray or something that can be used to reduce condensation in whistles. I know it’s a bit off topic, but that’s why we warm up the whistle, right? Can anyone point me to some information about that condensation stuff and sources for it (would my local “band” music store that sells Boehm flutes and “band” instruments carry it typically)?
Many thanks for any info, and a happy new year to you, folks,
Jaydoc
I doubt it. In the US it’s Duponol from DuPont. In Europe it’s Anti-Condens from Moeck. Same stuff, sodium lauryl sulfate, a detergent. Generally available from recorder shops. Courtly Music (upstate NY) sell small bottles for $2.75 that last a long, long time.