I have absolutely no plans for the weekend, so I thought I’d play around with the idea of making a whistle.
I have the different copper whistle instruc. printed off…I’m wondering if these instructions will work just the same for Pvc?? I’m not a tarnish lover, and especially not a penny taste and smell fiend!
Also, what else can be used for the plug in place of wood?? I have loads of fimo that I’ve read people use. I just want to try something OTHER than wood, since I’m somewhat of a wet player.
Fimo should work OK. Hardest part of a fipple is getting a nice tight fit. On my lathe, this is easy, but by hand it’s tough. With Fimo, you can mold a fipple blank right in the tube. Use a scrap piece of your PVC, and lubricate the inside with Vaseline, mineral oil, etc. Pack the Fimo in and tamp it down well. When it hardens, tap it out with an appropriate sized dowel. Voila-- a perfect diameter plug.
As I recall, the copper tubing whistle requires you tapping the blade of the head down at an angle. This won’t work with PVC-- gotta resort to a different design, which is too complicated for me to describe in words. Maybe I can do a sketch and scan it: how can I post pictures here?
Whatever material you use, the head joint will be the hardest part to make, so you may want to make a 2 piece whistle. That way, if you mess up the finger holes, you can simply make a different bottom tube of the whistle. YOu might also be able to make a C tube. Get a pipe union for the pipe you’re using, and use it to join the 2 parts.
Fimo is a polymer clay, which you mold then bake in the oven.
My hubby was a designer for a major line of polymer clay cane, so I have LOADS sitting around my house.
I’ve even been toying with the idea of making a whole whistle out of fimo…still don’t know how, but it’s a goal!
I must warn you that making “just one” is like eating one potato chip,NOT POSSIBLE!
But seriously,PVC and CPVC tubing have a greater thickness and would throw your tonehole pitches off. Toneholes are realy “bore shorteners” and the thickness adds to the wavelength. In other words,thicker PVC would make your toneholes “flat” in pitch because they would increase the distance between voicing and the top of the tonehole.
Correcting your design is fairly simple though.Each tonehole must be slightly larger to sharpen pitch.
Alternative…PVC mouthpiece/headjoint and copper body? This removes the “penny” from your mouth,retains the correct tonehole measurements and will give you a tuning slide in the bargain.Here are some others…
Fipple plug material…Delrin polymer, PVC rod, simple cork, rolled paper and Elmers glue with a cut windway, Carved or molded “American Pewter”(non-toxic and lead free),Elmers glue sealed Balsa or other wood and finaly,a cut piece of candy cane.(I don’t recommend the latter,it causes cavities)
As usual I made this post too long. Sorry. Please forgive my passion.
Thomas Hastay.
[ This Message was edited by: Thomas-Hastay on 2001-09-01 16:04 ]
[ This Message was edited by: Thomas-Hastay on 2001-09-01 16:14 ]
For those who need to make a block for a PVC whistle.
Take a scrap piece of PVC about the length of the block that you desire.
Using a hacksaw, cut lengthwise from one open end to the other. Then make another cut about 1/8 to 1/16th of an inch from the other cut. You are effectively removing some of the material from the tube to reduce the diameter of this tube. Continue this process until this small tube fits snuggly inside the tube that you are using for the whistle.
After this, you fill the inside of your new block tube with silicone sealer, sculpey clay, hot glue gun sealant or whatever filler that you want to use. Try to avoid having gap, fill it in with super glue gel.
The gap works best pointed downward in the whistle.
I used to do this very thing before I started turning delrin on my lathe.
One more thing. Fimo and Sculpey clay are roughly the same thing. Fimo is a bit harder than sculpey.
If you live in the US, you can get either one at a Walmart that has a crafts department.
Daniel,I have a question you may be able to answer for me.There is a product named graftech which is amongst other things,a synthetic graphite material impregnated with teflon and am wondering if this would be a potentialy good whistle material.Any comments?Thanks. Mike
mike.r
Both graphite and teflon or toxic materials and should not be placed in a human mouth. PVC or poly-vinyl-chloride,is also not the best to thing to put in your mouth. New PVC,when subjected to heat,can leach out the chloride used in this plastic as a catalyst.
We use chlorides to purify our water etc. but accumulation in your system can cause an acquired alergy reaction. Most “plastic” woodwinds are made from types of Nylon and other polymers,not PVC.
Yikes!Thanks Thomas,does this mean our teflon frying pans are killing us?I did stress this was synthetic,not the real thing and I would guess a coating of some sort would would prevent an early demise.Sorry to bug you but when you mentioned delrin I thought you might also be aware of this stuff.Also,whats with the teflon(I think)coating inside the airway of my Kerry…I dont feel well.Mike
Both graphite and teflon or toxic materials and should not be placed in a human mouth.
Regarding Teflon, Thomas, can you back up what you say? Just when I think that a teflon-coated anodized aluminium whistle is the answer to my worries about aluminium toxicity, you post this!
A quick web search turned up a lot of stories about toxic fumes being released when Teflon is heated to very high temperatures - as in frying pans left on the stove and the fumes poisoning pet birds, besides releasing persistent pollutants into the atmosphere. Scary.
OTOH, an article about the (accidental) discovery of what is now known as Teflon says that Dupont scientists found it to be “the most chemically inert substance they had ever seen”. This would suggest little danger from putting it in your mouth, unless perhaps you chew the coating off the whistle.
Do you have any other data on the toxicity of Teflon when placed in the mouth?
I just oiled all of my wood whistles and bamboo flutes with almond oil on Sunday (I only found glass and plastic containers; no aluminum cans were available with almond oil).
I also am playing my aluminum Overton and Chieftain whisltes with regularity.
What an adrenaline rush!
Does anyone have one of those old generations with the lead fipple blocks?
This reminds me, I’ve been wondering recently whether or not I’m being slowly poisoned by my PVC whistle. It probably doesn’t matter, 'cause either way I’ll still play it… lol.
Teflon coatings are not dangerous unless they begin to burn or flake off your pans or you scrape some off your whistle with your teeth. Both Graphite and Teflon are “accumulative” poisons. They act just like cyanide or arsenic in that they won’t harm you until they reach a “critical mass” within your system,then they damge many of your internal organs.
Chlorides(bleachs) are used to sterilize bacteria but some bacteria is needed in your digestive system. Thats why you get sick after taking antibiotics,you don’t have the anarobic bacteria to digest your food correctly(eating yeasts and yogurts restores them).
PVC can leach chloride when heated but after its old it becomes less and less able to do this. Soaking new PVC in hot water will reduce any chloride seepage and wash it away.If you are concerned with chloride buildup in your system,you can coat the parts your mouth comes in contact with by using foil tape or other coverings to shield contact.
I did not mean to cause panic,I only wished to advise about some dangers.
Thomas H.
Mike
Mike
