Hi all, last friday I have spoiled my favorite whistle…It is an alloy body with a wooden plug and just minutes before the busiest session of the year started the plug got disconnected and fell down into the whistle. So silly me tried to fix it using superglue (arrrgh) and when I tried to push it into the right position it got fixed…in the wrong position !!!:-(((( So, does anybody have a good idea how to undo a connection made with superglue apart from drilling that plug out of the whistle ??? (boiling water does not work so far…)
All ideas apart fromsomething that will destroy alloy or wood are welcome (and it´s just a few days that Conal O´Grade from Scoiltrad commented on the nice tone of that whistle 
(( )
Desperate, hating myself, Dagmar
So sorry to hear about your whistle Dagmar.
When people glue their fingers together with superglue, some doctors try nail polish REMOVER (a chemical called acetone) first.
I have no idea what this will do to wood or alloy.
Maybe somebody else does? Or, perhaps you can find this information out on the internet?
Wish I had something more helpful for you.
Dagmar,superglue doesnt bond that well with alloy. Try inserting a length of wood dowel from the end of the whistle…a few light taps against the block should free it without further damage.If the plug is not damaged,remove the superglue and reinstall it with a little 5 min epoxy and you’ll be right for the next session.
Mike
Dagmar, there is a product made called de-bonder that will dissolve superglue. Try applying it to both sides of the plug and push it out with a dowell.
Good luck
Ronaldo
Dagmar,
Hmmm…all of the above suggestions have been good ones, and one of them will probably work. If all else fails, try popping the whistle in the freezer for an hour or two. Then try tapping the block out as Mike suggested, or try running it under hot tap water…the metal should expand quickly, hopefully breaking the bond???
Good luck,
Eric
Hi guys,
thank you so much for all the tips !!! Mike, I tried to tap it and not only a bit, obviously I have done a good glueing job as it seems to be glued there for eternity…, well first of all I will give the freezer a go when I come home from work today (guessed already that might be worth a try) and if this will not work its the nail-polish remover, as I could not find any remover for superglue in the shops here (Germany is very different from the states in many ways…) Thanks for all your help, I will keep you informed, Dagmar
On 2002-11-24 15:14, mike.r wrote:
Dagmar,superglue doesnt bond that well with alloy. Try inserting a length of wood dowel from the end of the whistle…a few light taps against the block should free it without further damage.If the plug is not damaged,remove the superglue and reinstall it with a little 5 min epoxy and you’ll be right for the next session.>
This is the way forward Dagmar, but try soaking the whistle in water for a couple days first.
If all fails you can send it to me, and I will sort it for you FRE of charge!
Stace
Don’t know if this will work on superglue, but it works on epoxy. You can heat the head of the whistle carefully with one of those mini-butane torches. With epoxy, this destroys the glue bond.
If all else fails, the fipple could be drilled out and a new one made…
That ‘was’ his favorite whistle…
[quote]
On 2002-11-25 07:28, brewerpaul wrote:
Don’t know if this will work on superglue, but it works on epoxy. You can heat the head of the whistle carefully with one of those mini-butane torches. With epoxy, this destroys the glue bond.
If all else fails, the fipple could be drilled out and a new one made…
Good thinking that will do the trick, just heat it untill you smell the glue burning.
A .45cal Colt projectile fired down the barrel is absolutely guaranteed to remove the fipple!
Do remember to not be holding the whistle in your hand when you do this!
Good luck! 
serp
buffalo Bill, remember it’s a post originating from Germany ? I mean like Europe where our hardware stores can’t even be expected to carry cyanacrilate solvent.
So where do you expect us to buy .45’s ??? Now, if you had suggested AK-47 that could be arranged through Poland
But even this is a no go : OK you shoot a Kalashnikov round, then what ? We don’t even have beef jerky around to make a new plug.
I’ll send my grandson over with his mini-marshmallow blowgun, then! He can certainly make the cats jump, so maybe he’s got enough wind-power to knock out that pesky fipple!
serpent
Acetone won’t harm the wood or the metal. Soak it overnight if necessary in enough to cover the whole end. Just using a little evaporates quicker than it can dissolve the glue. You have to tap hard on the dowel,too.
Extreme measures for extreme disasters.
But not as extreme as some have suggested.
Five minute epoxy is also correct, because it gives you time to locate the plug properly and fills the space left by shrinking wood, but you don’t have to wait long for it to dry.
Acetone will also dissolve epoxy and clean away the excess. By the way, apply only to the plug so you won’t be pushing any into the tube ahead of the plug, and keep it off the windway surface.
We can get acetone in small containers at paint or hardware stores.
Mack
I should qualify my statement that acetone won’t harm wood. Wood cells contain cellulose, which is somewhat soluble in acetone. The harm will be minimal.
Ok guys good news from here ! It didn´t take the extremest solutions that some of you suggested but just the good old freezer was the clue !! After one hour in the freezer the bloody plug moved a little bit and another 30 minutes made me able to remove it completely. So this saved my week (and I really do deserve this …)!
Wizzy, thanks for your offer to repair it for free, very much appreciated but no longer needed (wait for the next time I have a problem with my Alba, which is, I have to confess, not my favourite whistle, I may get back to you soon ).
Serpent, your solution was the one favoured by my boyfriend but I rather wanted to ask you all for help first (ah no, actually he wanted to drill the plug out as I think brewerpaul or wizzy suggested).
And no, I really don´t have any idea where to get a 45 around here, ten years ago when the German Wall finally fell it would have been more easy to buy a Kalashnikov in Berlin…
Well there you go, and if I have a bit time left over and much patience as well (so that I will not make the same mistake again) I will get myself some 5min epoxy (is it the same thing I am using for my surfboards ??)and glue this thing in position !!!
All the best and a big thank you to all of you from Dagmar
On 2002-11-25 09:07, serpent wrote:
A .45cal Colt projectile fired down the barrel is absolutely guaranteed to remove the fipple!Do remember to not be holding the whistle in your hand when you do this!
Good luck! >
Or in your mouth!!!
serp