I have a wonderful A / Bb Water Weasel set. I’d like to play around a bit with it and make some more bodies for it in different tunings. Maybe a couple of different pentatonic scales and I think the head would tolerate stretching to a low G as well as a B nat. I believe I can find someone locally with a lathe to get the tuning slide socket turned on the bodies.
To do this, I need to know the exact material the whistle is made of. We have some grey PVC electrical conduit at work which looks similar, but the smallest size we have is 1 1/2".
Anyone know where I can find an exact match for the material used in in my Water Weasel A / Bb ?
PS. Just in case someone thinks I’m messing with history, I’m not doing any alterations to Glen’s work. I’m just making more bodies to fit the Water Weasel head.
We have several plumbing joints, but no Home Depot on the island. (Ace hardware is here, is that an Amurican company?) However, all the PVC water pipe in the stores here is white and the CPVC hot water pipe (which makes nice whistles) is cream.
Close, Doc, but you’re in the wrong department. It is PVC but it is sold as 1/2" electrical conduit. You can find it in the electrical department of Home Depot and similar stores. You can get a ten foot section for under $3. It machines a little different from the ivory CPVC but it makes a great whistle. The thicker wall makes a nice chimney height for the voicing window.
There is a 1/2" schedule 40, 600 psi white PVC water pipe that has dimensions close to the grey stuff too. It’s sold as 1/2" pipe but has an inner diameter of 5/8", go figure. The outside diameter is very close to the grey pipe but the inner diameter is a tad smaller. It makes good A and Bb whistles.
Careful, this does lead to other projects you may not intend.
Owen, my Water Weasel A whistle has the pipe code on the face of the whistle. I did not have it with me when I posted earlier. I thought it had the brand showing. It does not have the brand but it does have the UL code and a little more printing visible. That is what clued me onto the PVC electrical conduit. The brand I have been using is Cantex. It is 1/2" rigid pvc electrical conduit. The grey PVC may not be stocked at all home centers but it’s quite common around these parts of the US. Ace Hardware might have it.
Secondly, can someone clue me in to the windway and fipple construction on the Water Weasels? I can’t see how the windway would line up on the soundhole edge, being the same diameter as the tube that the edge is cut on.
The Weasels are all made using a three piece head design. The tube/body (plastic pipe for the Water Weasels and exotic woods for the Thin Weasels) is cut to form the windway edges and voicing window. The end of the windway is then shaped to form the blade/labium. The plug/fipple forms the windway floor and closes the end of the pipe. A collar (plastic on the Water Weasels, stainless on the Thin Weasels) acts as the outer mouthpiece and forms the windway roof. That’s the basics. Many other whistles before and after have used this basic layout. Glenn Schultz was a gifted craftsman. His whistles serve as inspiration to a lot of makers like myself who have followed his lead. Glenn did publish an article in the Woodwind Quarterly back in 1996 where he described his process in full.
I can’t see how the windway would line up on the soundhole edge, being the same diameter as the tube that the edge is cut on.
Basically think of the mouthpiece end of the body being lathe turned to reduce the outside diameter of the wall to say half its original thickness. Then the outer mouthpiece collar is bored out to fit over that thin part of the tube. The inner diameter of the tube isn’t changed. I hope that answered your question.
Thanks very much for this discussion. It’s very helpful for this beginner, as is the mention of the Woodwind Quarterly article. I went to their site and came across the title “Pennywhistle by ‘The Thin Weasel’” in Issue 8. Is this the article/Issue you reference?
Yes, I think that is the issue. I do recall in that issue there was an article by Hammy Hamilton too. So that’s the one. It looks like only copies are available but that would give you what you need to read.
Thank you. I meant to comment on your picture earlier in this thread. It’s a great picture of some really nice looking whistles. Apparently you have skills in photography as well as whistle making.
