WTT #12 - Whistle Case Ideas

Whistle
1

I recently sent off some high whistles and I have great concern due to their size and about them being destroyed in shipment.

I cut a piece of 1/2" PVC pipe and turn a delrin stopper on one end and another longer stopper on the other end (has a handle). I can then slide the whistle inside it and not worry as much about its demise.

I’ve thought about a wide diameter piece of PVC pipe that could be cut down the middle and hinged as a low whistle case. It could then be painted or even covered with vinyl like many Flute and Clarinet cases.

Whistles need cases for shipping and just carrying around. There are various whistle bags that you can buy.

Some have used Gun bags, pool cue carriers.
Let’s hear about your whistle case ideas.

2

I use my pool cue carrier for the low D or C. It’s a soft-padded tube thing, with a sling so it’s convenient on a bicycle. Pretty big, though.

Since me whistles are aluminum, I consider padding a gray PVC tube contraption. I’d like a lighter-fuel pocket warmer in it (my armpits aren’t long enough to warm up a Low D :slight_smile:). Have to check if the warmer doesn’t get to hot, though the idea is mostly to lit the furnace when arrived on location ; then the case can stay open for ventilation.
Anyone tried something in this direction ?

3

I bought a cheapie low-D from eBay a few weeks ago. They shipped it in a piece of 1-1/2" white PVC with duct-taped ends. It got here fine. I plan on using the same idea myself. The pipe is cheaper than the cardboard, crushable tubes the USPS sells for a buck or so each. I’ll prolly invest in pipe caps, though! :slight_smile:

I like your hinged case idea. You could do that pretty simply by using leather hinges and “Gorilla Glue”, available at most hardware stores. That stuff rocks! A little bit of thong glued thru under the hinges, and you’ve got a rustic case with tie-type closures, and even a leather handle, if you wish. Be sure to glue the pipe caps on before you saw it in two! :slight_smile:

I’m going to take a shot at a leather holster-style case for my main carry-around whistle. It’s coated, so probably won’t be attacked by the tanning leftovers.

What a cool thread! :smiley:
Thanks!
Bill Whedon

4

On 2002-11-10 12:10, Zubivka wrote:
I use my pool cue carrier for the low D or C. It’s a soft-padded tube thing, with a sling so it’s convenient on a bicycle. Pretty big, though.

Since me whistles are aluminum, I consider padding a gray PVC tube contraption. I’d like a lighter-fuel pocket warmer in it (my armpits aren’t long enough to warm up a Low D > :slight_smile:> ). Have to check if the warmer doesn’t get to hot, though the idea is mostly to lit the furnace when arrived on location ; then the case can stay open for ventilation.
Anyone tried something in this direction ?

Yikes! Don’t use the lighter-fluid heaters in a space with your whistle! They produce exhaust, mostly CO, that might attack the metal or finish. Those chemical handwarmers they sell at about every filling station in the Civilized World, are totally sealed, reach a comfy 140F, and won’t leak combustion products into your whistle case. You can still ventilate the case if you think the whistle is too hot. (I wouldn’t do it with whistles of plastic, or held together by glue).

Nifty idea about pre-heating your whistle in transit, Zub! :slight_smile:
Cheers,
Bill Whedon

5

I mentioned once before in a different post - I use hot water pipe insulation tubing. Depending on the whistle I use: 5/8 ID X 3/8 Nominal Wall NP-77 - works great for the high D; 7/8 ID X 3/8 Nominal wall for my F; I’m still shopping for a larger one for the low D. I like this stuff because it is flexible and its great for packing. A cap could be made for either end but it works just fine without one.

It comes in may lengths so you can cut off whatever is needed for the particular whistle. If a whistle is slightly larger than one size or the mouthpiece is slightly larger, slice the tubing where needed.

BillG

6

Cool idea! Get hard plastic waterpipe large enough ID to fit the foam, and do a cut-and-hinge job on it. You’ll have a padded case!
Cheers, :smiley:
Bill Whedon

7

On 2002-11-10 12:19, serpent wrote:
Yikes! Don’t use the lighter-fluid heaters in a space with your whistle! They produce exhaust, mostly CO, that might attack the metal or finish. Those chemical handwarmers they sell at about every filling station in the Civilized World, are totally sealed, reach a comfy 140F, and won’t leak combustion products into your whistle case. You can still ventilate the case if you think the whistle is too hot. (I wouldn’t do it with whistles of plastic, or held together by glue).

Thanks for the warning : I’ll forget the gaming supplies stores. Here, they only carry the lighter-fuel gizmos, and are the only one to. See, I’m not exactly in Civilized world, just beside in The County like Far East (from you). What are these purely chemical heaters ? We don’t have them in petrol stations, maybe I should enquire in novely shops, or maybe the W3.

Nifty idea about pre-heating your whistle in transit, Zub! > :slight_smile:
Cheers,
Bill Whedon

Dat’s the idea. Can’t get used to the thought of hatching (incubating ?) whistles, especially low ones. Everyone his hangups, I guess. :frowning:

8

I just gutted an old flute case and cleaned it out. It works pretty well. I can fit about 9 high whistles.

9

Hi Folks,
On the flute forum someone suggested using a hardshell pistol case. I suppose it depends on what size whistle you have, it’s unlikley that you would get anything to fit a low D. There was a link which showed different cases, try searching “flute cases”

Cheers, Mac

10

PVC pipe will make a good, strong case. Do be careful if you try to cut it lengthwise. I have cut PVC on a table saw and band saw and I want to warn you that it can be very dangerous. The PVC pipe draws in towards itself and clamps tightly on the blade. Tight enough to shatter on my table saw (7 & 1/2 HP W/ 14" dia blade) and tight enough to break a 1/2" 6tpi hook tooth on a 120" band saw.

If anyone would care for me to build them a case or stand for single or multiple whistles and/or flutes I would be glad to discuss it with them. I make my living as a cabinetmaker with a specialty in 18th century primitive and Shaker reproduction cabinetry and teaching pottery classes at the Middletown Fine Arts Center in Middletown, Ohio. I am also somewhat of a blacksmith. If you wanted a case or stand from one, or a combination of these materials, I will do my best to accommodate you. Contact me off line at elkcreek@infinet.com

John

11

I did this for my flute, but it ought to work well for whistles:

I took an old leather briefcase a friend gave me and walked into the shop of the guy who does the local custom auto upholstery.

Son looked at it and shook his head, and handed the job off to Dad, who hemmed and hawed, and said he’d try it. He made a custom padded area with sewn and fitted (not just bunched up) fabric over the three little wells for each piece of the flute (it’s a concert-style instrument). It takes up about 3/4 of the interior, leaving a well for pencils, flute stands, less-fortunate whistles, tape recorder, what-have-you.

He also riveted a couple of D-rings into each side for a shoulder strap.

I plan to do a similar treatment to an orphan fabric-and-foam laptop computer case. That ought to be lighter, but not as crush-proof.

Yes, a fun thread!

Marguerite

12

On 2002-11-10 21:20, Elkcreek wrote:
PVC pipe will make a good, strong case. Do be careful if you try to cut it lengthwise. I have cut PVC on a table saw and band saw and I want to warn you that it can be very dangerous. The PVC pipe draws in towards itself and clamps tightly on the blade. Tight enough to shatter on my table saw (7 & 1/2 HP W/ 14" dia blade) and tight enough to break a 1/2" 6tpi hook tooth on a 120" band saw.
(snip)

Hi, John! Good information. I cut the stuff on my table saw fairly frequently (for other uses), and find that if you’re cutting it all the way through in one pass, the splitter on the table saw is sufficient to keep it from binding the blade. Some folks remove the splitter because it’s a pain in the ass to line up, but it’s a necessity for stuff like this! Never tried to cut it 1/2 at a time, but I suspect it’d be the same problem. On a bandsaw, I think I’d wedge it as it came out the back-side. Best to have a helper for that!

Another possibility if you’re using a thin blade with little set to the teeth - use a set of wobble-washers on the saw, set for minimum wobble. That should take enough of a kerf to keep it from springing all the way back in.

Finally, use a wide-kerf blade with plenty of cooling slots, and feed the tubing as fast as your saw will cut it. It’s the heating and cooling of the kerf area that causes (or contributes to) the pinch!

Cheers,
Bill Whedon, who is not a cabinetmaker, but who has cut lots of exotic junk on his poor mistreated saws! :smiley:

13

It’s probably been mentioned before, but bears mentioning again-- working with PVC can be very dangerous. If you inhale the dust, it stays in your lungs forever. WEAR A MASK !

14

for my high dollar d whistle, i went to a local pawn shop and bought an old watch case. it works geat! padded on the inside and it looks really cool on the outside. cost me all of $2.

15

On 2002-11-10 16:18, BillG wrote:
I mentioned once before in a different post - I use hot water pipe insulation tubing. BillG

I think I will have to give that a try. I don’t think it would be too hard either to sew a tight drawstring bad to go around it and keep it from slipping out; and to look good :slight_smile:

I’ve been trying to come up with a design for a bag that I can use for my purse and still hold my whistle… hmmm… I think I could incorporate that!

16

maybe instead of pvc, you could use a 3 in or so piece of that hollowood they are talking about in the wood tubeing thread? Just cap the ends with wood and cut it length wise, pad the inside and add hinges.
should work

17

What’s a watch case?

18

I’ll try to describe how I built my whistle case. It’s very difficult to visualize without pictures, but if you prefer a soft case, this might be the way to go. I’ll try to draw it as best I can. (sorry, the board steadfastly insists on reformatting my drawing to remove all the spaces; I’m afraid you’ll just have to use your imagination.)

Take a good, thick piece of wool (I use the blankets you can get cheap at army surplus stores) big enough that you can put your largest whistle on it and fold the fabric in thirds with flaps over the top and bottom, overlapping in the middle. For extra protection you could use a double blanket or even sew a thin piece of leather to the wool before building the whistle roll. Whip stitch the edges to prevent their unravelling.

With me so far? Now. Fold up the bottom flap, and sew pouches into it, each wide enough to hold one whistle (I made every forth one wider to hold a low whistle). The top of the whistle should stick out of the pouch for ease of removal.

Now, sew a couple of soft leather or fabric thongs (I used deerskin; shoelaces would work beautifully if you aren’t concerned with aesthetics) to the outside of one end, top and bottom, to use as ties.

Now all you have to do is put a whistle in each pouch, fold the top flap over, roll the whole thing up, tie it with the laces, and head off the the session.

The whistles are isolated from banging against each other; they’re kept warm (a factor in this area), and they’re very well padded by the wool.

Merry Christmas, everybody. I hope this isn’t totally incomprehensible.
Tom

[ This Message was edited by: WyoBadger on 2002-12-23 21:05 ]

[ This Message was edited by: WyoBadger on 2002-12-23 21:08 ]

[ This Message was edited by: WyoBadger on 2002-12-23 21:09 ]

19

Remind me Tom, we’ll take a few pics of it at your party and I can host them when I get back to NY.

20

I’ve mentioned this before, but will repeat… Since I carry mostly low whistles, I use flute quivers from the Oregon Flute Store. Their Crow model is affordable and is long enough for an Overton Bass A, while the Eagle Five is the one I use when taking all the keys for multiple gigs. (except the Bass A - the Eagle is only 28" long…)But, their cases may give others ideas about features to add to a case: http://www.oregonflutestore.com