Whistle Tech Talk
Okay, getting the thirteenth WTT out of the way! I’m thinking of doing an article on How to Make A Low-D Whistle from Empty Toilet Rolls and Duct Tape! Thoughts?
Cheers, 
Bill Whedon
What about reclaimed kevlar fiber toxic resin overflow from the boating industry? Just tink (no typo) indestructable instruments from resources costing nearly nothing.
… And they FLOAT!!! (and, possibly, glow…)
Bill Whedon
Fax paper rolls core. Incredibly strong material. Length should suffice up to high Bb if tuneable, D if not.
Side advantage : would make a high-end craftsman whistle look cheaper than an old beaten tin ding, solving the debate on whether high end is traditionnally korrect. 
Seriously, carboard roll cores may be a neglected material.
BflatMW
On 2002-11-12 10:32, Tony wrote:
What about reclaimed kevlar fiber toxic resin overflow from the boating industry? Just tink (no typo) indestructable instruments from resources costing nearly nothing.
Or recycled plumbing tubing, cheap in Tchernobyl ?
With old syringes, you’d have half the job readily done for great kids’ Laughing Whistles. Give it a shot!
I also heard they have piles of brass howitzer shell-cases in Iraq, and expecting a new delivery from the same supplier.
BbZH
[ This Message was edited by: Zubivka on 2002-11-12 10:58 ]
Chocolate-flavored jerky gets my vote. Or salted and peppered cured chocolate. Either way I’ll order a dozen.
Your chocolate-flavoured jerky whistles are ready at the pick-up desk, just beside the Retching Room.
Cheers,
Bill Whedon
A friend and I have been toying with the idea of trying to make a whistle from synthetic sapphire tubeing that you can buy from optics catalogs.
On 2002-11-13 20:59, drewcifer wrote:
A friend and I have been toying with the idea of trying to make a whistle from synthetic sapphire tubeing that you can buy from optics catalogs.
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Fine. Just be sure you keep 'em out of bright sunlight, and above all, don’t take 'em to sessions where there’s any possibility of people with flash cameras! I can see the Announcement:
O'Leary's Pub EventsIn this pub, on February 18, 2003, drewcifer and friends discovered a new scientic advancement in laser-based whistle technology. They are also responsible for the holes burned through the next pub over, and the untimely demise of 30-odd patrons. A reception will be held at the local remand house.
Cheers,
Bill Whedon
On 2002-11-13 20:59, drewcifer wrote:
A friend and I have been toying with the idea of trying to make a whistle from synthetic sapphire tubeing that you can buy from optics catalogs.
Another Random Thought from the Serpent: Good supply of diamond drills at Harbor Freight! You’ll need a few!
Cheers,
Bill Whedon
On 2002-11-14 08:24, serpent wrote:
(…) holes burned through the next pub over, and the untimely demise of 30-odd patrons. A reception will be held at the local remand house.
After this Bombing Sapphire Shot session being mentioned as Ruby Tuesday by a Pakistanese by-stander, authorities investigate a possible link between Al-Qaida and two mysterious Irish sympathizers’ groupuscules naming themselves True Believers and/or Crystal People.
Zoob, you da man! That one I cannot top!
Serp
From the dreams of the wood be whistler …
Exotic Whistles
- Emperor’s Whistle - Jade mouth piece and white gold barrel.
- Campers’s Low-d - 440 Stainless Steel. (doubles as tent post, poacher deterent, grizzly tickler).
- Roll-up Whistle - Standard brass mouth piece with barrel made of thin ‘memory’ metal. Barrel flattens and rolls up; unrolls and springs back into tube shape.
- The Black Bird - Spun carbon mouth piece and titanium barrel.
- Sweet Whistle - (a.k.a penny candy whistle) hard chocolat toffee mouth piece, and rock sugar barrel.
- Clear Whistle - hand blown and formed glass mouth piece fused to class tubing.
- Light Whistle - PVC type whistle except plastic died with Glow-in-the-dark paints.
- Night whistle - a LBW (Little Black Whistle) that has been coated on the outside with clear glow-in-the-dark ‘invisible’ paint
No matter what it’s made of toot it to …
Enjoy Your Music,
Lee Marsh
P.S. Re: the Night Whistle - I actually have been planning to do this with an extra Dixon Whistle - black whistle under normal lights or stage light; then glowing white or pale green in the dark. It would also look normal played around the pub table but would be easy to find when the bodhran player knocks it off the table and kicks it under a bench.
[ This Message was edited by: LeeMarsh on 2002-11-14 12:14 ]
On 2002-11-14 08:26, serpent wrote:
Good supply of diamond drills at Harbor Freight!
Bill, I always thought you were a Harbor Freight kinda guy.
On the materials front, I’ve wondered what the difference in sound was between your chrome molly whistles and your whistles of a more traditional material.
I’ve tinkered with the idea of laminating a fiberglass/wood veneer sandwich around a tapered mold to create conical bore whistle bodies. It would be pretty, rugged and quick to do. Epoxy is my special friend.
On 2002-11-14 12:45, vaporlock wrote:
On 2002-11-14 08:26, serpent wrote:
Good supply of diamond drills at Harbor Freight!Bill, I always thought you were a Harbor Freight kinda guy.
On the materials front, I’ve wondered what the difference in sound was between your chrome molly whistles and your whistles of a more traditional material.
I’ve tinkered with the idea of laminating a fiberglass/wood veneer sandwich around a tapered mold to create conical bore whistle bodies. It would be pretty, rugged and quick to do. Epoxy is my special friend.
The only difference I get in overtones and resonance is between a polished barrel interior and an unpolished or otherwise perturbed one. The actual metal seems to make zero difference. That is a quantitative analysis using instrumentation. I know several people who think they can tell the difference by listening. I’m inclined to disbelief. Do you think we should propose a study at a major university? Can we get government funding for this, or perhaps an industry grant? If it’s sponsored by government, I can supply 1000 whistles at only $15,000.00 each (plus S&H, FOB Kansas City), and would only charge my standard consultant’s fee of $200,000.00/month (after taxes, guaranteed 6 month minimum), for which I would give them the same sort of valuable, if a bit useless, insights I just gave Loren on the “wooden D whistle” thread!
Cheers,
Bill Whedon
(edit) P.S. Yay, Harbor Freight! You go, HF! Where else could I buy a full set of very good end mills for the price of two?
I’m tired of my signature, so I decided to not have one any more.
[ This Message was edited by: serpent on 2002-11-14 14:10 ]
On 2002-11-14 12:45, vaporlock wrote:
On 2002-11-14 08:26, serpent wrote:
Good supply of diamond drills at Harbor Freight!Bill, I always thought you were a Harbor Freight kinda guy.
On the materials front, I’ve wondered what the difference in sound was between your chrome molly whistles and your whistles of a more traditional material.
I’ve tinkered with the idea of laminating a fiberglass/wood veneer sandwich around a tapered mold to create conical bore whistle bodies. It would be pretty, rugged and quick to do. Epoxy is my special friend.
One other question: What sort of mold did you have in mind? Do you think penicillium notatum would hold up well? You know, morels come in a pre-tapered shape. Oh, sorry, they’re fungi, not molds.
Serp
This is what I think of whistle materials…
Cardboard tube:
Pros; Cheap, Light, Abundant
COns; Weak, Flamible, Absorbant
side note, someone may snatch your whistle in a pub and light their Pipe with it. One spilt pint would be all it would take, and you’de have one harsh sounding whistle (like rectal sounds after too much taco bell). A whistle should be able to double as a Personal Protection Device aka P.P.D. in a pinch, you smack a drunkard with a cardboard tube and you’re just gonna p*ss him off.
Stainless Steel:
Pros; Cheap, Abundant, Strong, Takes a nice gloss, Painful when swiftly applied to facial area.
Cons; Heavy, Heavy, Heavy, Hard to work with.
Plutonium Rods:
Pros; Uh…, ubundant in third world counties, glows a neet color.
Cons; Very Heavy, Hard to work with, Sudden Growing Seperphilous body parts
Copper Pipe:
Pros; Cheap, Abundant, Easy to work with, Takes a Nice gloss, Can give good Tone, Can DOuble as a PPD in a pinch.
Cons; Toxisity a question, Stinky Fingers
Aluminum:
Pros; Light, Semi Strong (blows should be aimed at soft tissue) Gives Warm tone. Easy to work with, and easy to find.
Cons; Black Finger Pads, Kinda soft, not much heft so bodily harm is not as great, easily scratched.
Puff Ball Mushrooms:
Pros; Free, Tasty in spring cooked fresh with Dill and Butter, Cuts easily
Cons; Sort of smelly, Not a good PPD, Not air tight
Sheeps intestine:
Pros; Relitively cheap, easy to cut
Cons; Does not hold shape, Smelly, May be stolen to make Haggis.
Fiber Glass:
Pros; Cheap, Light, semi easy to work with
Cons; ever get a piece of fiber glass in your skin? Amgine it in your lip. Need I say more?
On 2002-11-15 01:14, Cyfiawnder wrote:
Fiber Glass:
Pros; Cheap, Light, semi easy to work with
Cons; ever get a piece of fiber glass in your skin? Amgine it in your lip. Need I say more?
This would only be an issue if you crashed your whistle into a telephone pole. A responsible whistle engineer should ALWAYS design crumple zones into their products.
On 2002-11-15 02:55, vaporlock wrote:
On 2002-11-15 01:14, Cyfiawnder wrote:
Fiber Glass:
Pros; Cheap, Light, semi easy to work with
Cons; ever get a piece of fiber glass in your skin? Amgine it in your lip. Need I say more?This would only be an issue if you crashed your whistle into a telephone pole. A responsible whistle engineer should ALWAYS design crumple zones into their products.
Do I smell a product-liability lawsuit in the making?? Vaporlock, I’m sorry, but I can’t sell you a whistle unless you sign a very detailed waiver, have it witnessed and notarized, and post a half-million dollar bond. (serpent exits hastily, mumbling something about airbags…)
Cheers,
Serp
Has anyone suggested used ski poles for non-tunable, conicle bore whistles?