Question about DIY whistles

[AvienMael]

I agree with Tommy. Tapering the windway affects velocity, which then pigeon-holes you into needing to be even more precise with everything - or so I have come to think. I originally made most of my whistles with tapered windways, but I have strayed away from that in the past couple of years, and I find that I have much more control over voicing the whistles now.

Tommy - your technique for dealing with the wooden fipple block was a very interesting read. I have always made metal whistles and used Delrin rod, but if I ever decide to delve into wood, I will certainly keep your instructions in mind.

[fearfeasog]

Wood is ok if it is very smooth. To make them smooth sand with 400 grit or higher.
Then wet the wood so it will swell. Let the plug dry or dry with a hair dryer. Then sand the swelling down and wet it again. After about three times most wood can be made glass smooth.

My question is "how the hell do you sand something that's smaller than the tip of your pinkie with any accuracy or consistency?"

My fat fingers can't handle this stuff. More reason to get a lathe, or move to casting blocks a la feadoggie.

But it IS amazing how much wood will swell after just blowing over it for a few minutes.

[Tommy]

Here is a soprano D of curly maple. Yes a lathe is very helpful in making an all wood whistle.
But it is best to use a sharp knife when carving an elephant from a pine 2'' X 4'' or a wolf from basswood.
I think one of the first things to learn when using a lathe is how to sharpen the tool bits. Yes there are tool bits with replaceable cutting inserts but some times there are cuts that need a special grind to it. I use an insert tool bit to bring wood tubes close to size but prefer to grind my own bits for the final smooth cut.

[megapop]

Beautiful whistle, Tommy! - And thank you for the great tip of differently beveling four corners of the fipple block, what a brilliant idea! Concerning the material, at my favourite hardware store those wooden sticks seemed to be the best suiting ones... maybe I should really look for some delrin. I haven't payed so much attention to smoothing the wood, also. 400 grit, really? I used to use 240 grit for the last finish, which seemed to make it rather smooth. Swelling hasn't been an issue so far.

And alright, no tapering.

That being said, my whistles are getting better and better, by just making more and more, changing as much variables at once as possible! Just a kind of vague experience maybe, but in the long run I should be knowing what I am doing, I guess...

[fearfeasog]

I reckon the harder the wood rod, the better, no?



but seriously.

[Feadoggie]

I reckon the harder the wood rod, the better, no?

One might think so. Recorder makers have used cedar for the plug for many, many years. It is not hard and it absorbs moisture. So what do you think? Since the position of the plug and its spatial relationship to the blade is so key to voicing I would want something that doesn't swell or shrink. There are probably ways to treat just about any material to make it appropriate to the task.

maybe I should really look for some delrin.

Delrin/Acetal is a fine material. I like machining it and use it quite a bit. It is difficult to glue if that is a concern. But in some respects it is overkill. I would also suggest that PVC/CPVC rods can be used as well. These materials tend to be more available and less expensive too. It machines well too. And it glues up nicely.

Keep in mind that no matter what material you use for your plugs it still has to fit the tube properly and carry a good smooth finish. Wooden dowels are the obvious first choice for many home builders to start out with, but the sizing may be hit or miss mostly due to swelling, shrinking and warping at the hardware store. Still, wooden dowels can be sanded easily (once you figure out how to hold the little bits). And they can be coated to make them largely impervious to moisture.

Plastics like delrin and PVC come in diameters that are more predictable at maybe + or - .005" from the nominal size. That's pretty good. But it still has to be sized to the pipe you are using for the whistle head. As an example, CTS CPVC pipe may be nominal 1/2" pipe but the bore is more like .49". A 1/2" delrin rod still has to be turned down to fit that pipe. And while it may not seem like much material to take off, delrin doesn't sand as easily as a hardwood dowel. You'd really want a lathe to do that. So think things through and anticipate the issues you will run into.

That being said, my whistles are getting better and better, by just making more and more, changing as much variables at once as possible! Just a kind of vague experience maybe, but in the long run I should be knowing what I am doing, I guess...

That's pretty much how it can go for many of us. Things do get better with the more whistles you make. I don't know that we ever get to a point where we actually "know what we are doing" but things do become more consistent and predictable, each of us with our own appraoches. It's a lot of fun too.

Feadoggie

[Thomas-Hastay]

A different direction? Try changing the bore diameter (if possible) towards the smaller side. it helps a lot with Acoustic Impedence and results in a more responsive instrument.

http://www.whistlemaker.com/pages/flute ... ulator.php
http://11wall-west.com/~ph_kosel/flutomat.html