I’m sure this has been tried before in the quest to eliminate whistle windway clogging, but just in case …
I have a nice little Hoover Narrow Bore whistle that seemed to clog after every song. I read about the soap trick, but I didn’t really want to taste Palmolive or Ivory. The concept got me thinking, though, that a little Vaseline or Chapstick should do just as well. So, I took a thin bag tie, put a little chapstick on each side, and carefully ran it through the whistle windway. Then, making sure I didn’t leave any clumps of chapstick in there, I started playing.
I played it off and on all afternoon without any further clogging. Not only is there no soapy taste, but I think the film of chapstick or Vaseline should remain in the windway a little longer than liquid soap would and so provide longer benefit. However, I don’t have any scientific evidence to prove that.
Great idea! And hey, those of us who use the whistle mute could swab them with the vaseline first, so we’re lubing the whistle every time we use the mute.
One caution: on whistles with wooden fipples or wooden blocks, use caution. I suspect this treatment might cause the block to swell over time and permanently alter the voicing of the whistle.
If any maker would care to step in and either confirm this caution or alleviate the concern, I’d be grateful.
On 2002-09-01 00:13, clarinetwhistler wrote:
So, I took a thin bag tie, put a little chapstick on each side, and carefully ran it through the whistle windway.
Those thin plastic stirring thingies, that come with take-away coffee might work, too. Especially with Low whistles (wider wind way), and might be a bit sturdier than bag ties. I haven’t tried it yet, so it’s strictly a theory!
Also, I had a piper in my shop complaining about clogging on a Low whistle he bought from a well-known maker (that I don’t stock).
Does anyone have a view that clogging is prone to some whistles more than others, or is it likely to be the player rather than the whistle that has the problem?
Clogging can also manifest as a voicing problem and minor adjustments to the blade,window area and airway can work wonders.I cured my soprano susato D by lighly sanding back the fipple plug(its removeable)at the airway exit and its never clogged once since. Peace, Mike
Hey, the Vicks idea might just help my cold! Afterall, if it’s good enough for a clogged nose … I think, on reflection, however, I’ll just stick with the chapstick or Vaseline
I don’t think I’d try this on a wood whistle. On the one hand, it’s just providing a slight seal over the surface so the water shouldn’t penetrate the wood at those points as much. However, it will still get in and I’d certainly not want to risk excessive swelling in a wood windway.
I wonder, does the pressure treating of the wood that various makers use make a difference in clogging? I have a Ralph Sweet Cherry whistle in D, one of his newer voiced models (not the current design I understand he has out, though). I really don’t have many clogging problems with it and it’s not that big of a deal to blow it out once in a while. For me, clogging is only a problem when it occurs every song or earlier
Glad this seems to help! I’m REALLY enjoying my Hoover now–even more than before! And, my boys don’t have to constantly ask, “Dad, will you please stop playing your whistle? I can’t hear Elmo!”
Funny, but throughout the 100 or so different whistles I’ve played, I’ve never experienced any real distracting clogging problems. I attribute this to three things:
Luck
Bill Ochs’ admonition “Don’t spit into the whistle, lad”
The cover top of blow hole (ok, that’s in whale talk, right?), blow and shake method as required. I find myself doing this every so often whether or needed anyway out of habit. Aside from two fights (one emanating from wetting someone and the other from striking with a flying metal object), some broken glass, and a lost whistle, this works efficiently and consistently. I’d suggest some resin on the hands to prevent slippage and tieing a large baggy on the end of the whistle to catch the spittle.
Seriously, after playing the Copeland soprano D for an hour and a half non-stop yesterday, clogging only became a problem in that it changed or stopped up the tone after about an hour; even then above method no. 3 (without resin and baggie)worked well and easily.
Can someone help claify this for me? When you run the bag tie thru the mouthpiece, do you mean you push it in and then pull it out of the end of the fipple (where your mouth goes) or do you put it in one place and pull it out another (like the windway hole)? Sorry, I don’t know technical terms, I hope my question is clear. Does it go IN & OUT or THROUGH?
I’m with Philo on this one. I put my finger on the fipple hole and blow before every song. It doesn’t mean my whistle never cloggs up, but for the most part it stays clear. It also helps to keep the M&M’s from clogging up my mouthpiece.
What I did was take the thin bag tie and gently insert it into the mouthpiece end of the windway. I moved it back and forth, again very gently, to coat the windway, and pulled it through the fipple end. Individual techniques may vary, but the result of adding a thin coating of Vaseline or chapstick should help with moisture for those of us who have Excessive Whistle Windway Water syndrome, or EWWW.
I’ve only ever had this problem with a couple of whistles that are narrow bore with very narrow windways. None of my other whistles seem to be subject to it and, funny, I’ve never had this issue with my bass clarinet …
