WTT #13 - Alternative Materials

serpent · Post by **serpent** » Tue Nov 12, 2002 9:21 am

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

Tony · Post by **Tony** » Tue Nov 12, 2002 9:32 am

What about reclaimed kevlar fiber toxic resin overflow from the boating industry? Just tink (no typo) indestructable instruments from resources costing nearly nothing.

serpent · Post by **serpent** » Tue Nov 12, 2002 9:40 am

... And they FLOAT!!! (and, possibly, glow...)

Bill Whedon

Zubivka · Post by **Zubivka** » Tue Nov 12, 2002 9:48 am

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

Zubivka · Post by **Zubivka** » Tue Nov 12, 2002 9:57 am

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 ]

Michael Sullivan · Post by **Michael Sullivan** » Tue Nov 12, 2002 10:42 am

Chocolate-flavored jerky gets my vote. Or salted and peppered cured chocolate. Either way I'll order a dozen.

serpent · Post by **serpent** » Wed Nov 13, 2002 10:10 am

Your chocolate-flavoured jerky whistles are ready at the pick-up desk, just beside the Retching Room.

Cheers,
Bill Whedon

drewcifer · Post by **drewcifer** » Wed Nov 13, 2002 7:59 pm

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.

serpent · Post by **serpent** » Thu Nov 14, 2002 7:24 am

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.

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:
<center>O'Leary's Pub Events

In 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.</center>

Cheers,

Bill Whedon

serpent · Post by **serpent** » Thu Nov 14, 2002 7:26 am

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

Zubivka · Post by **Zubivka** » Thu Nov 14, 2002 8:40 am

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.

serpent · Post by **serpent** » Thu Nov 14, 2002 9:40 am

Zoob, you da man! That one I cannot top!

Serp

LeeMarsh · Post by **LeeMarsh** » Thu Nov 14, 2002 11:04 am

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 ]

vaporlock · Post by **vaporlock** » Thu Nov 14, 2002 11:45 am

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.

serpent · Post by **serpent** » Thu Nov 14, 2002 1:07 pm

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 ]