Chiff and Fipple Forums

That review is around five years old. The design hasn't changed too much. I have narrowed the airway and increased its height a little, which has improved the volume and focus of the whistle. I plan to start a batch soon and would be happy to send one out for examination by a couple of competent rev...

I tried a new wood, Croatian beech, last week and it turned out rather well: http://obrienwhistles.com/sitebuilder/images/beech-179x268.jpg I also have a C,D set in granadillo that is going for a significant discount because of a flaw caused by an equipment problem. The top hole of the lower section...

A copper mouthpiece warms up faster, which should cause less clogging due to condensation. Liquid droplets form more readily when hot moist air encounters cold metal.

Does anyone have abc for this tune?

I have a few Rover pocket whistles at or nearing completion that are not yet spoken for. Please PM with an email address if you would like photos.

Acacia C,D set
Torrified tiger maple C
Osage orange C,D set
Indian ebony D

A couple of these have slight imperfections that will lower their prices.

I'd like to thank Gavin for volunteering to record this demo. It reminds me of those old Ronco infomercials for a new kitchen gadget that always had the phrase "There has to be a better way!" when the dull knife smushed the tomato. You should also check Gavin's videos playing the nyckelhar...

In my opinion, binding right below the window will affect the sound. You can experiment with a rubber band to see how far away from the window you should bind. Probably 1.5-2 cm.

The number of coats depends on the type of wood and how much oil it absorbs, but basically the same technique you mentioned: several coats, with buffing after each. For the first couple of coats, I leave a thick coating on for about half a day, wipe it off leaving it wet and apply some more. I find ...

I use pure tung oil on the outside of all of my wooden whistles, with pleasing results. Tung oil is good because it's a natural, food-safe oil that penetrates the wood and hardens. On the inside, almond oil with a little vitamin E to prevent oxidation.

If I could put in my two øre worth, have you considered not forcing the crack closed, but filling it with epoxy putty or something similar? Forcing it closed will put the wood back under the strain it had before it cracked and it will likely crack again. Filling it will leave the wood in the relaxed...

I am now offering mid-range whistles in the keys of B flat, A, G and F. They are aluminum with Delrin mouthpieces that slide for tuning. http://obrienwhistles.com/sitebuilder/images/mid2-418x288.jpg Here is the page, where you can see another photo and hear a sound sample. http://obrienwhistles.com/...

"David O'Brien makes nice whistles. They have a bore and holes."

I should hope so!

How about "feadogger" or "feadogist", based on the Irish word for whistle? I think it makes sense, because "flautist" is based on the French word for flute. Or then again, maybe not. It does lend itself to other terms though: feadogism, feadogology, feadogaphobia.

You're right- the fourth hole on a Rover doesn't get an inner chamfer. I think, in general, anything that smoothes the inside of a whistle will sweeten the tone by allowing for easier movement of the air column. It's difficult to isolate one factor, though. I have one more photo to add that shows th...

I have added the remaining photos and included brief captions.