Have a C in Delrin that is the best player that I own (made by Judy K) .. and am wondering if anyone has found the “perfect” diameter delrin tube for " D "?
Thanks,
Jim
Most D whistles have either a 15/32" or 1/2" bore.
Both work very well, though there are differences in their playing characteristics… and it’s just a matter of personal preference which one you’d call “perfect”.
Some makers use an even larger bore size for D tubes, and I myself used to make a 17/32" bore D tube… but the upper register starts to become difficult when you go larger than a 1/2" bore.
A 17/32" bore works great for a C tube, but it’s pushing the limits of the acceptable length/bore ratio for a D tube.
A 1/2" bore also works nicely for a C tube, but it falls into the “narrow bore” category… the same applies to a 15/32" bore D tube.
Here is my $0.002 USD worth: The rule of thumb that I use is “larger bore=louder sound”. Also a larger bore makes it harder to get the second octave right. I made one out of sch40 1/2 pvc pipe, which is a about .64" ID. 1/2" copper tube is a about .56" ID and that works pretty good. My production whistles are .495" ID aluminum tube. It seems like larger holes in tube with a bigger ID work well, too.
Also, you can get 3/8" sch40 PVC pipe here: http://www.usplastic.com/catalog/product.asp?catalog_name=USPlastic&category_name=13669&product_id=16587
It has an ID of .483".