New brass rings for a concert O'riordan plus something else

[iwanttotoot]

hi all,

I was hoping I could get some help here. I have a used blackwood concert d/c O'riordan that I love it was made in 2005. I bought it strictly for the D whistle and I would never part with it this amazing whistle. I have trouble for some reason covering the bottom holes of whistles with very few exceptions like my burke, shaw (conical), and tweaked clarks, a couple copelands (bought from michael copeland june 2010 the guy who bought them resold them a month later. said he wanted the money for something else going to sell the nickel for the price i paid. brand new played about a total of 3 hours) and the o'riordan so when a whistle like this comes along it's with me forever.

Anyway the bottom rings on both have specs of rust on them and I want to replace them. I'm not sure if I can do this myself or if I would have to let pat do it.

I have what might be a phone number for Mr. O'riordan but I dare not call him. He doesn't know me from a hole in the ground and I feel it's an invasion of his privacy to call without his permission. I guess i would as a last resort so I'm hoping maybe someone could help me by letting me know where I can get some new rings and maybe a little lesson on how to replace them.

I am selling the concert C body only for 300.00 plus 15.00 shipping US only. When I bought the set I just wanted the d and I even tried playing the c but my hands don't stretch and I find it impossible to play. It's a good buy for someone who already has the d and wants a c. I don't want to put it on ebay because I'm not out to make a killing or profit off it. I will keep it for a while if no one here wants it and try at another time.

thanks in advance and if anybody is interested in the concert C body only please pm me and I'll send a photo with more details. I've sold a couple whistles here on the forum when I did my whistle round up.

thanks

[Feadoggie]

Anyway the bottom rings on both have specs of rust on them and I want to replace them. I'm not sure if I can do this myself or if I would have to let pat do it.

I have what might be a phone number for Mr. O'riordan but I dare not call him. He doesn't know me from a hole in the ground and I feel it's an invasion of his privacy to call without his permission. I guess i would as a last resort so I'm hoping maybe someone could help me by letting me know where I can get some new rings and maybe a little lesson on how to replace them.

Brass can tarnish from oxidation and in some cases develop pits. I see you are living in Jacksonville (I lived just down the coast for several years.) so the humidity and sea air may contribute to that. Brass does polish up nicely but many players prefer the patina that develops naturally. It is the sign of a well used whistle. But it sounds like you want shiny brass. So first I would suggest you try a light polish of the rings and see how that turns out. Start with a polishing cloth. If that doesn't suit you, move on to a brass polish like Brasso. Don't go heavy on it though. I would personally mask the wood along side the rings before I did that. See if that does the trick.

I would not suggest that you try to replace the rings yourself. In fact I would not replace the rings in any case. It's unique. But that's just my opinion. I make whistles too and rings can surely be replaced but it is best left to the whistlemaker to do the job. Pat knows how he secured the rings originally and how best to remove and replace them. He also has the correct materials to make the replacements. Since you purchased the whistle second hand, you do not have a relationship with its maker. That's part of the joy of having a handmade instrument. This could be your opportunity to "meet your maker", so to speak. Try the polish first. Then if you are not satisfied drop Pat a note asking for his advice.

Feadoggie

[Doc Jones]

I have yet to meet the tarnish/rust on a piece of brass that wouldn't come off with Brasso and a bit of elbow grease.

Buyers of the C body should be aware that there may be a fit issue with another whistle of even the same design. Those things are put together individually with pretty tight tolerances.

You might do better to see if you can find someone that wants to swap their D whistle and some cash for your D/C set.

Doc

[iwanttotoot]

thanks for the advise. I'll definitely try to polish it and I won't replace it and just see it as having character as feadoggie suggested.

Doc I didn't know that, in that case I'll keep the C body as well. I hate it just sitting there not being used but It's not the end of the world either.