I have recently bought a Shaw whistle. I would be interested in the opinion of members about this type of whistle. I find the upper octave difficult to play without squeaks. I also have noticed the wood in the mouth piece can be mouldy if I don't dry it out with some heat. I now put it on a radiator. thanks to all who reply. Allan

Welcome and hello.
I've never owned a Shaw.
Be careful not to dry wood too quickly. Try storing it vertically near the radiator, not directly on.
Its typical for beginners to have issues with breath control till they dial their skill in.
Practice, practice, practice.
Have fun, and whistle on.

Hi and welcome.

There's a handy search option - if you use it, you'll find over 2,000 posts containing the word "Shaw".

Haven't played the Shaw, but the Clarke is similar with a wood plug/block.

Not sure what you mean by "squeaks". If you mean there's a kind of chirpiness to the upper notes, that's a desirable characteristic of the whistle. It's a feature, not a bug.

If you mean that you're a first-time whistle player and you're haven't yet learned proper breath control, that's normal. The squeaks will go away when you learn to play it. I believe the Shaw is like the Clark, and requires quite a bit of air toward the top end.

But if there is a problem with the whistle, you might have an experienced player check it to be sure.

As for the wood block ... It shouldn't require special care or drying. Only the inside windway surface should become really damp with condensation in the course of playing. It should air-dry at room temperature after playing, unless the entire block is becoming too wet. Which means 1. you're slobbering into the whistle, and/or 2. you're taking too much of the whistle into your mouth.

In case #1, excessive salivation is a problem which corrects itself as you play more. It takes some brains a while to stop triggering the food reflex when you put a whistle to your mouth. It also helps not to eat or drink for a few minutes before playing.

In case #2, be sure you're not taking too much of the whistle into your mouth. The whistle tip should just touch the outside of your lips, just a millimeter or two in. The wood block is mostly outside, high and dry. If you like, you could coat the outer surface of the block with some clear nail varnish to waterproof it. Just be sure not to get any in the windway.

Good luck!

On my Clarke I spread beeswax salad-bowl finish on the back face of the wood block, to keep it from accumulating gunk. (Left the windway totally alone.) It doesn't seem to have hurt -- only the Clarke takes a lot more wind than I have. For now I'm sticking almost exclusively to the Gens and Megs.

You can reduce that wind requirement by pressing the metal top of the windway down, narrowing the space. Do this very gradually-- thumb pressure should be sufficient. Press a tiny bit, then play for a while, repeat until it plays the way you want. It's still a pretty airy whistle, but you can probably improve it significantly.