to give the body of a shiny nickel Howard low D a brushed finish? the shininess is driving me insane; for starters it feels like my hoover (translation - vacuum cleaner), and secondly I keep thinking it’s wet and I’m going to drop it.
Is there a pressing reason not to do it?
You’d better be pretty sure you’re going to keep it forever because I’d bet you’re not going to find many people who’d buy it after you took the sandpaper to it …and I’m guessing the few who would wouldn’t pay you much.
Other than that, it’s YOUR whistle. Do whatever you want with it.
What Jim said. An amateur job will decrease its value. Even if it’s professionally re-textured it’s no longer original, and not everyone might appreciate the alteration.
If you’re worried about slipping, try huffing a bit of breath moisture onto your fingers before grasping the whistle. The polished surface will actually stick better than a brushed surface would.
If it looks like your Hoover, that’s OK. If it sounds like your Hoover … 
i actually greatly prefer brushed finished to mirror polish as well. also, it would stand out in the whistle world, almost no one does it (cue link from lurking member…)
Goldie (Overton), MK, SZBE, Garry Somers all make brushed aluminum.
Like one of the above posts said…plan on keeping it if you do. It’s totally your call…you have to play it and live with it. Speaking for myself, I don’t think, I would mess with it.
www.tuxedomusic.com
Would there be any mileage in applying some self-adhesive tape down the back of the whistle, just where your thumbs rest, to give a bit more grip? You may need to experiment with different materials … electricians tape, sticky plasters etc., both for suitability and longevity, irrespective of cosmetics, but at least it would be reversable.
Similarly, you could try sandpapering your fingertips…
I have actually considered the tape, but it’s just as much the finish round the holes that’s bugging me; they are huge anyway, and while the stretch isn’t a problem I’m finding it challenging enough to cover the holes properly without feeling as if my fingers might slide about!
There’s a mark down the back as if the previous owner had done exactly that with some tape 
I’m not too fussed about value, I picked it up second hand for a fraction of the new price. I want to get a new head anyway to see what the change is there, I’ve heard they are pretty different; and I will give it a go shiny for a while longer. The sound is nice, but I don’t like the feel - I’ll see if I can get used to it though before I give it a different finish. I won’t do an amateur job.
I interpreted this: i actually greatly prefer brushed finished to mirror polish as well. also, it would stand out in the whistle world, almost no one does it to mean that no-one is silly enough to alter the finish on a nice whistle, rather than that brushed finishes don’t exist.
I’m not sure brushed nickel is going to look as nice as brushed aluminium, but to be honest the nickel Howards look a bit odd anyway. Sound lovely, look odd. Well, to me they do! This is about what it feels like in the hand.
hahaha, I do that regularly!
my fingers:
Honestly, it sounds like what you are experiencing are simply learning pangs. Unfamiliar instrument, unfamiliar finish. Just consider that an experienced whistler would probably not have the slip and grip troubles you’re describing.
I’m afraid my outlook makes me suspicious of the (common) beginner’s first impulse to address playing difficulties by modifying the instrument, when the most modifiable, malleable part of the whistle is the player. We’ve all had the experience of complaining about an instrument and putting it aside, then coming back to it later when we ourselves have improved, and wondering what we were fussing about.
If your grip is good and steady, there should be no problem of sliding around even on a slick finish. Are you supporting the whistle with your bottom B3 finger as you should? I’m guessing maybe you’re not. A different finish won’t help if the grip is not right.
Low Ds are fairly large, and you could try using a thumb rest or strap while getting used to things. For a while I used [u]this little thumb rest[/u] I devised, and it’s still comfortable when I’m feeling lazy. Searching the forum for “strap” and “thumb rest” will turn up other people’s solutions.
I tried the sticky tape, and even Gorilla Snot (rosin paste) on my thumbs. In the end, if your hands are supple, a bit of huffed moisture on your fingers should really be all you need. And if your hands really are as dry as they look in that photo, from working with jewelry or whatever, then a bit of hand lotion a few minutes before playing is not a bad idea. Consider it preparation to meet your instrument half-way. 
I have recently had two experiences of this. Firstly I bought a low D about a year ago and didn’t get on with it. I recently picked it up again and was much improved. Then one piece of advice came my way and it’s now very playable.
Secondly I got a Goldie high D for Christmas. With it’s high back pressure and slick brushed surface I had some problems with it, gripping it too tightly to a) stop it feeling like it was slipping out of my hands, and b) getting tense fingers as I pushed the upper octave harder.
It now feels comfortable in my hands with relaxed fingers and better embouchure now I’m used to the way it plays.
you’re right, and it is my issue rather than the whistle’s. I can play it as it is, it’s just bothering me. A rest or a strap aren’t going to help, as I’m not dropping it, and they don’t solve my holes problem. I don’t find the whistle heavy or hard to hold, as such. I just don’t like the shininess and slipperiness, though I do like the tone, so I don’t want to change to a different kind of whistle (and can’t afford to!)
Maybe I’m just expecting too much too quickly. I didn’t have issues picking up a tenor recorder for the first time, which is wider and heavier, and I don’t have issues with a shiny flute, but that’s keyed and transverse so a totally different thing (maybe I did when I first started? so long ago I can’t remember!) and I don’t have issues with other low D, which is the same diameter but matte-ish.
I’m used to holding an instrument loosely, and there’s not a lot of weight to this anyway, so it’s not that I feel as that I’m going to drop it… it’s not really thumbs so much as fingers. Also the aesthetic, but that’s kind of secondary at the moment.
Anyway, as no-one thinks it would be a good idea I will leave it for now and see if I can get myself used to the combination of slipperiness and big holes. Before my neighbours kill me 
Thank you for all the advice, it’s much appreciated.
In the end if you are bent on taming down the shine, maybe try steel wool first before resorting to a coarser medium. I’ve never actually tried this - it’s just a thought.
steel wool would make a horrible mess, I think - it’s really coarse and would give a scratched rather than a matte finish. I’ve got a lot of different grades of pumice and diamond impregnated silicone, which would work well if I decide to do it. At the moment I’m going with the advice and leaving it for a while…
Sorry - I guess that was 
a bad thought.
I mentioned it because I had thought somewhere in the past I had either read or seen someone do a nice job using steel wool. Oh well, you know how memory gets 
It comes in various grades, so it’s not that bad a thought just a bit of a blunt instrument if you use the kitchen sink variety…
Steel wool comes in many grades including some very fine ones like AAAA that I’ve used to smooth on wood without scratching. You can usually buy it in home improvement centers.
(Eh… I wrote this before I read page 2)
As does Chuck Tilbury …Chuck doesn’t get enough love around here.
I rather like the way his whistles look - bit isn’t he having a hiatus from making? or did I misunderstand that?
If he is, I haven’t heard. He was selling a new batch of whistles here just a few weeks ago.
CP: Tilbury whistles ready to go