Hi folks,
I got a questions. I’ve been playing a Thin Weasel (my first wooden whistle) since last summer, now the weather is getting wet and cold and I find the sound of the whistle less lively than before. Also more difficult to play in the high register (A-B especially). Is this normal, and does this whistle need special care now, other than oiling since I have been doing that already?
Cheers
What timber is your Thin Weasel made of?
Stuart
As long as you care properly for your TW (drying it after playing it, occasional oiling of the bore), it shouldn’t be a humidity issue.
It may be a temperature issue – I find that I need to warm up my TW’s in cooler weather because of the stainless steel of the mouthpiece. I get condensation quickly, which affects the highest notes first. When the high notes begin giving you difficulty, try sucking quickly through the mouthpiece, then wiping it off.
On 2002-10-06 19:14, sturob wrote:
What timber is your Thin Weasel made of?Stuart
The whistle is made of bloodwood
My 2p - given that the whistle is of wood, it might be possible to prevent dimensional changes due to weather (to some extent) by first allowing the whistle to dry thoroughly to a point where it’s playing properly then swabbing the bore with a very thin coat of a 50/50 thinned clear (mineral spirits based) wood sealer. Such a mix will soak in readily in most woods, and not adversely affect the surface of the interior wood (part of the tone comes from that), and will aid in preventing further intake of moisture caused by the greater condensation from the cold.
Note that I am not suggesting this as a cure-all, and I would strongly advise that you first write or call the manufacturer of your instrument and verify from him/her, that such a treatment won’t harm the whistle. I will say that I have done just that on a whistle made of mulberry wood that I made, and there was no audible change in tone.
Cheers!
Bill Whedon
I always find that my Clarke’s (the trad. wooden plug type) seem to get all tempermental when the climate changes suddenly… (they acted up something fierce when I took them on a trip to the Portland-Vancouver area this summer)
I think it has to do with the moisture/humidity in the air and the wood’s reaction to it…
Definitely be sure to warm the head of your Weasel before playing it to prevent clogging-- just hold it in your hands for a few minues. You can also do the soap in the windway trick to inhibit the formation of droplets of moisture.
I would definitely NOT recommend adding any sealant to the bore of the whistle at this stage. If any of it leaked out of the fingerholes or head joint window, it could ruin the whistle. Not a job for an amateur! I have been using a sealant on the bore of some of the more porous woods on some of my whistles, but I do it at an earlier stage of their manufacture. The results have been excellent, but I wouldn’t even try it myself on a finished whistle.
Paul is absolutely correct about leakage, but I think that can be prevented with care. That said, I don’t think the sealing should be done by anyone who has no experience working with wood.
Tips:
(1) The applicator should fit the bore loosely, not be so tight that the sealant is squeezed out.
(2) The operation should be performed only by one experienced in working with wood, who is aware of the behaviour of thinned sealer.
(3) Test what you’re planning in a drilled block of wood, so you’ll be able to see how it should go.
(4) The holes should be up, and care must be taken to not get any sealer in the fipple/blade area, or to force any out the fingerholes.
With all these cautions, it’s still possible to get stuff where it doesn’t belong, so I would only suggest it as a last resort, and then only after running the instructions by your whistlemaker. S/he may have a better idea.
This is not something for the faint of heart, the careless, or the shaky of hand. Screw it up and like Paul says, you could come out with an unusable whistle.
That said, hey, all you wooden whistlesmiths - how many of you seal the bores of all your whistles? And if not, why not? I’m really interested - not trying to start any wars, just information gathering.
By the way – I did try an alternative the other day - warmed beeswax. Don’t do it! 
Caveat Applicator
Bill Whedon
Cheers all.
On 2002-10-08 09:16, serpent wrote:
By the way – I did try an alternative the other day - warmed beeswax. Don’t do it! >
Caveat Applicator
Bill Whedon
A Native American flutemaker friend of mine uses a mix of beeswax and walnut oil on his flute bores, and the results are excellent. Of course, his flutes are made in 2 halves and he has the luxury of applying this mix BEFORE the halves are joined, enabling him to apply it nice and evenly rather than having to sneak it in on an applicator rod later.
Just one more question, I’m still not sure if the oiling should be done the outside or inside of the whistle
Hey, Paul, I didn’t mix the warmed beeswax with anything, and it congealed rather quickly. Gave me the devil of a time trimming it out of the bore around the holes! It also changed the surface of the interior wood, and I think it’d do that even if thinned with oil. May or may not have a deleterious effect on sound, but since I was stupid and didn’t record the waveforms first, I really can’t (with my ears) tell for certain.
I think I’m going to agree with your original post, and recommend that people not mess about with the interiors of their wood whistles without some help from professionals. Just too much exposure to possible damage.
Maybe you and the other wood whistlesmiths could set up a service for “weatherizing” the bores of your whistles, or maybe even develop a way to do that during manufacture?
Cheers,
Bill Whedon (who is happy to be using metal!) 
On 2002-10-09 07:19, sweetone wrote:
Just one more question, I’m still not sure if the oiling should be done the outside or inside of the whistle
I’m pretty sure they mean the inside, Sweetone, although any part that gets dry will get brittle and might splinter. I have a beautiful looking wooden Macedonian village whistle which I don’t play—seems not to be in any particular key or mode—but I’ll keep coming back to it to see if the problem is me rather than it. I was advised to use bore oil inside and out. I get a Grinter soon so I’d better know how to maintain that when it arrives.
[ This Message was edited by: Wombat on 2002-10-09 10:01 ]
Hey Wombat,
Is your grinter whistle from the batch Michael has just finished? I am also expecting a whistle very soon from a batch he just completed.
I live in Perth WA by the way.
Simon
On 2002-10-10 02:56, Taptone wrote:
Hey Wombat,Is your grinter whistle from the batch Michael has just finished? I am also expecting a whistle very soon from a batch he just completed.
I live in Perth WA by the way.Simon
Hi Taptone. (I think they expect us to say g’day cobber but I usually resist.) Nice to hear from you. I rather doubt that he’s finished mine just yet. I ordered a couple of weeks ago and he said about 3 months I think. Mine’s a low F. I forget about precise dates actually because I have 2 Burkes, a Copeland low D, an anglo concertina, a bouzouki and a Sindt all due some time in the next few months and I get a bit confused about what’s coming next. Michael does each key in batches so, if you were expecting a low F soon, I think you’re in the batch before me. Let me know how it goes.
Wombat - Michael advises almond oil inside and out. I’ve done that with mine and she’s right. He also advised completely immersing the fipple in almond oil and then leaving a couple of days upside down to drip dry; I’m really not sure about that and haven’t done it. I spoke to a couple of other makers and they said “hmmm, I’m not sure about that”. She’s a ripper of a whistle though.
On 2002-10-10 04:32, nickt wrote:
Wombat - Michael advises almond oil inside and out. I’ve done that with mine and she’s right. He also advised completely immersing the fipple in almond oil and then leaving a couple of days upside down to drip dry; I’m really not sure about that and haven’t done it. I spoke to a couple of other makers and they said “hmmm, I’m not sure about that”. She’s a ripper of a whistle though.
Thanks Nick. It looks as though my answer to Sweetone was on the right track. But it also looks as though it’s essential to check with the maker in question about the oil, the right amount for different places and the best method of application. The reasons why whistles need oiling inside and out are a bit different so you’d expect the best approach to reflect those differences. I must say I’ve never heard of soaking though—sounds like the old approach to harmonicas. The friend who gave me the Macedonian whistle said the locals like to loosen them up first with whiskey. I can’t see how that would help.
The Weasel himself recommends oiling the inside of the whistle “whenever it looks dry” when viewed through the fingerholes. You can use commercial woodwind bore oil, or a 5:1 mix of LIGHT olive oil and almond oil, with a couple of drops of Vitamin E oil added to retard spoilage.Oil on the outside shines up the whistle a bit, but is not really necessary.
Thanks all for your good advice!!!
Cheers
Erik
Wombat(G’Day Cobber),
When I ordered mine (a high D) he was already making a batch of them and was making one or two to spare. As a result I only had to wait a month. I’ve sent the check off so should get it in a week or so. Mine is made of cocobolo. That’s an impressive range of whistles your waiting for there! Luckily I’m one of the ones whose not overly affected by WHOA (only mildly) so a Grinter is a pretty big purchase for me. I can’t afford to be affected, especially with mid to high end whistles!
I think I’ll crack open a tinny, then wrestle some crocs!)
Seeya mate,
Simon(aka Bruce)