Tuning my "tunable" Oak D

DazedinLA · Post by **DazedinLA** » Thu Apr 25, 2002 7:30 pm

I just installed G-tune v. 1.2 on my computer and confirmed my suspicions...my Oak D is way sharp. So I'm about to embark on my first attempt to tune a "tuneable" whistle.

I've read Dale's page on this (hot water method).

Is there anything else I need to know before I do this...I really really like this whistle and dont want to screw it up. It seems like it should be pretty easy, but I want to be sure.

Has anyone had any problem with a "tuneable" whistle like the Oak being too loose after having been tuned? And does vaseline allow the whistle to be tuned without reheating?

This is all ultra basic stuff, but I've never tried this and I appreciate hearing of your experiences.

Kevin

dth · Post by **dth** » Thu Apr 25, 2002 9:14 pm

Kevin, I had a really old (20+ years) and beloved Oak which for some stupid reason I decided to tweak. I got the fipple off, but when I tried to replace it, it split. Be very careful replacing the fipple--lubricate it and be very careful not to let it tilt when you push it onto the body. Keep them perfectly aligned.

To be fair, I have 2 new Oaks (neither is any good) the fipples of which fit the bodies just fine.

Debra

RCORC · Post by **RCORC** » Thu Apr 25, 2002 9:21 pm

Hi Kevin
On the Generations and Waltons I've worked on I've never had any problems with the head becoming too loose after tweaking-after I remove the head and clean the glue off the tube I rub some beeswax on the tube to lube and seal--only problem I've had was Generation C, real bear to get off.

Bob

garycrosby · Post by **garycrosby** » Thu Apr 25, 2002 9:24 pm

The head of my Oak D didn't require heating. But, I needed a bit of extra gripping power to help move it. I ripped the nylon off an old unused rubber-backed mouse pad, tore the rubber sheet in half, and then used the halves as grippers (one for the head and one for the body ... you get the picture). One good twist and the head popped off.

Rather then vaseline, I use some slide grease (stolen from my son's trumpet kit) and apply a thin layer. Vaseline will eventually harden and is harder to clean out than slide grease. On my Oak, the slide grease keeps the head free enough to be moved for tuning but takes way too much pressure to move it for it to do so while playing.

I did the same thing with my Walton LBW and had the same results. Oh, did you know the Waltons head fits the Oak body perfectly?

ChrisA · Post by **ChrisA** » Fri Apr 26, 2002 12:51 pm

I've made three oaks tuneable, with varying degrees of difficulty. The first one I just kept twisting at the head in idle moments until it started shifting... and eventually it moved noticeably, and I wormed it off by main force, and then simply put it back on, and continued tuning it by main force whenever I needed too... result: slight scalloping on the inside of the head where the end of the body has scraped the inside of the whistle-head... further damage has been prevented by applying cork grease (meant for flute joints, but hey...)

The second one was much more adamant about not moving; I made it tuneable by running hot water through the body until it was nice and steamy, and then stepped on the head and pulled on the body... ker-pop! Some scraping on the surface of the head, but the tunnel is lacking the scalloping of the first try; sound is perfect.

The last one I did by dipping in microwaved hot-water... it immediately drooped, and I panickedly reshaped it. I recommend, if you use hot water... use it from the tap to limit the upper temperature.

Fortunately, the distortion was minimal, and by holding the breath-tunnel straight, it cooled back into its original shape... the blade, etc, seemed unaffected. I then, once it was reasonably hard again, wrapped it in a dish towel and used pliers on it. I grasped the round part where it joins the whistle, and, to appearances succeeded only in putting plier-marks in the plastic even through the dish-towel... but then a hand twist popped it off. Conclusion: I was both loosening the joint, -and- holding it in place by squeezing down on the part that is over the body... if you use a pliers or other 'gripper' method, apply the force to the flattish walls on either side of the fipple blade.

Anyway, all experiments have resulted in success with only minor cosmetic damage; apply some sort of grease (slide grease, cork grease, whatever) or a tightly-fitting headpiece will be pratically as hard to remove the second time as the first (those experiences omitted to make me look less stupid... I mean, uh, that didn't happen to me, but I've heard... err, yeah.

)

Ideally, I'd use padded pliers that are designed to be padded pliers...

Also, I highly recommend washing your oak out with hot tap water from time to time anyway, even if you're not going to be loosening the head right then... it vastly improves 'spit-clog' problems. Remember to re-grease after every few washings because some of the grease will get washed out (not much, but a little each time...)

--ChrisA, and his Oak.

garycrosby · Post by **garycrosby** » Fri Apr 26, 2002 1:40 pm

I also used a Dremel tool (with a sanding disc) to slightly chamfer the outer edge of the tube end that fits into the head -- it makes it easier to get the head back on without tube without worrying about alignment and eliminates the possibility of a sharp edge of the tube scraping plastic from the inside of the head. I don't know if anyone else does this.

DazedinLA · Post by **DazedinLA** » Fri May 03, 2002 9:24 am

Thank for the info...I tried the hot water routine and the headpiece moved nicely...its now within 5 cents of sweet. It seems to have resealed once it cooled. Is everyone putting wax at the junction of the head and the tube after tweaking to reseal the connection?

Oh, and this is way off topic, but just for fun, when that space tourist returns to earth, lets everbody dress in Ape Suits.

Pass it on

Martin Milner · Post by **Martin Milner** » Fri May 03, 2002 9:34 am

I've been playing my only Oak D all week, but I wasn't 100% comfortable with the head, and replaced it with a Feadog Mk3 head.

The Oak head is slightly smaller than most other makes, & I can't get it onto any other body, though the Feadog head fits with enough grip not to slip on the Oak body. I really like the quality of the body, and it's getting a nice tarnish round the fingerholes & thumbs.

garycrosby · Post by **garycrosby** » Fri May 03, 2002 9:55 am

No, you don't want to use wax or anything else that is solid because then you wouldn't be able to tune it. Just put a thin layer of slide grease, vaseline, or whatever between the head and the tube and it will seal fine but will still allow the head to be moved for tuning.

MartinMilner, my Oak D head fits nicely on a Walton's LBD tube.

brianormond · Post by **brianormond** » Sun May 19, 2002 12:37 pm

-Warm water works fine for tuning my Oak D, and the reset grabs the tube just fine upon cooling.
-Another tack is to grip the tube (not the mouthpiece/fipple) in a small plastic Bessey woodworking vise clamped to
a table. -Laying the tube lengthwise in the angled jaw grooves
will permit a fair bit of force to be applied
without tube deformation or finish damage, and your mouthpiece can be removed easily. These small vises also have holes on top
for dowl insertion, allowing their use as a "pin" vise for gripping odd-shaped items.
-Probably not advisable for use on high-end or extremely valuable whistles, but fine for careful use with an Oak.
-Brian