Putting a finish on a whistle.

The Ultimate On-Line Whistle Community. If you find one more ultimater, let us know.
User avatar
brewerpaul
Posts: 7300
Joined: Wed Jun 27, 2001 6:00 pm
antispam: No
Please enter the next number in sequence: 10
Location: Clifton Park, NY
Contact:

Re: Putting a finish on a whistle.

Post by brewerpaul »

Nanohedron wrote:
oleorezinator wrote:
Mr.Gumby wrote:I thought those were for making flat chanters.
Multiple uses. Very versatile.
Right you are. It's a banjo tuner, too. :twisted:
I've seen those advertised as a banjo mute.
Got wood?
http://www.Busmanwhistles.com
Let me custom make one for you!
User avatar
brewerpaul
Posts: 7300
Joined: Wed Jun 27, 2001 6:00 pm
antispam: No
Please enter the next number in sequence: 10
Location: Clifton Park, NY
Contact:

Re: Putting a finish on a whistle.

Post by brewerpaul »

Steve Bliven wrote:Maybe Paul Busman could add a thought or two also...

Or Tommy, Whistles of Wood.

Best wishes,

Steve
Glad to oblige. If you want a friction polish to be applied while the piece is spinning on the lathe, this is the one I use:

https://www.woodturnerscatalog.com/p/14 ... ystal-Coat

It's easy to apply and is pretty durable. For very hard, smooth textured wood I don't use any undercoat. For wood that has a high oil content,if very fibrous or has a very opengrain, I use a wood sealer first, like this:

https://www.woodturnerscatalog.com/p/42 ... ing-Sealer

This dries very fast. I usually use several/many coats, letting them dry in between, and lightly sanding with 400grit. Then the Crystal-Coat.

Just before shipping, I apply a coat of Minwax paste finishing wax.

Some woodturners in our local club use Cyanoacrylate glue as a finish. You can get a terrific shine and it's tough as heck, but all those fumes make me leery.
Got wood?
http://www.Busmanwhistles.com
Let me custom make one for you!
User avatar
OBrien
Posts: 523
Joined: Wed May 12, 2004 3:22 pm
antispam: No
Please enter the next number in sequence: 8
Location: Campbell River, BC Canada
Contact:

Re: Putting a finish on a whistle.

Post by OBrien »

I use 100% tung oil. It’s food-safe and as well as penetrating the wood, it hardens on the outside, giving a nice shine.
nicx66
Posts: 132
Joined: Mon Jul 18, 2016 9:02 am
antispam: No
Please enter the next number in sequence: 8
Tell us something.: Hi, I have been playing whistle for 3 years. I made my first whistle 2 years ago and my first tin whistle last year in a tinsmithing class.

Re: Putting a finish on a whistle.

Post by nicx66 »

I don't like speaking for others, especially those with experience in lathe-turned instruments, of which I have none. However, I bought a whistle from Paul Busman and he told me, in person, that he uses almond oil. His fipple plugs, however, are made from delrin and as such do not require oil finish. I remember asking him, because he made the whistle out of some walnut stock that I gave him. He was very accommodating and informed me (before he started work) that walnut is not ideal due to its porous nature, and so required multiple applications of oil. This is a tricky business with a thin-walled instrument like a whistle (even a wooden one).
Dan A.
Posts: 453
Joined: Thu Nov 30, 2017 8:19 pm
antispam: No
Please enter the next number in sequence: 8
Tell us something.: I can only hope that my proficiency with the whistle is steadily improving. A few of my whistles get a workout on an almost daily basis. And I'm almost certainly afflicted with WhOAD.
Location: Detroit Metro

Re: Putting a finish on a whistle.

Post by Dan A. »

brewerpaul wrote:Some woodturners in our local club use Cyanoacrylate glue as a finish. You can get a terrific shine and it's tough as heck, but all those fumes make me leery.
And cyanoacrylate bonds nearly anything to nearly anything else (including skin) very quickly. If you're going to use that stuff, have a debonder handy. Acetone works great for that purpose.
Tunborough
Posts: 1419
Joined: Sun Dec 05, 2010 2:59 pm
antispam: No
Please enter the next number in sequence: 10
Location: Southwestern Ontario

Re: Putting a finish on a whistle.

Post by Tunborough »

O'Brien wrote:I use 100% tung oil. It’s food-safe and as well as penetrating the wood, it hardens on the outside, giving a nice shine.
Nice stuff to work with. My experience is that it takes several thin coats, buffing after each, to get that nice shine. Let one too-thick coat dry, and you get a matte finish and have to start the coat counter over again.
Tommy
Posts: 2951
Joined: Tue Feb 22, 2005 2:39 pm
antispam: No
Location: Yes

Re: Putting a finish on a whistle.

Post by Tommy »

nicx66 wrote: those with experience in lathe-turned instruments,
This is a tricky business with a thin-walled instrument like a whistle (even a wooden one).
I don't think it is tricky to turn thin walled wood instruments. The first thing to learn is how make a sharp edge on the cutting tools. If they are are sharp enough and the lathe runs at the right speed and feed, then the wood will be cut right off into pretty little curls. When the tool starts to go dull it will grab the wood and ''POW'' there is a bunch of splinters that were almost a tube.
''Whistles of Wood'', cpvc and brass. viewtopic.php?f=1&t=69086
User avatar
Loren
Posts: 8387
Joined: Fri Jun 29, 2001 6:00 pm
antispam: No
Please enter the next number in sequence: 8
Tell us something.: You just slip out the back, Jack
Make a new plan, Stan
You don't need to be coy, Roy
Just get yourself free
Hop on the bus, Gus
You don't need to discuss much
Just drop off the key, Lee
And get yourself free
Location: Loren has left the building.

Re: Putting a finish on a whistle.

Post by Loren »

brewerpaul wrote:
Some woodturners in our local club use Cyanoacrylate glue as a finish. You can get a terrific shine and it's tough as heck, but all those fumes make me leery.
Yeah, can be very bad for your lungs, I know from (unfortunate) experience. Wear a proper mask that is rated for that material, if you value your future health.
Countrypiper
Posts: 8
Joined: Mon Jan 29, 2018 6:57 pm
antispam: No
Please enter the next number in sequence: 8
Tell us something.: I am here because this forum is a wealth of information, and I have questions that I have not been able to get answers to on flute making.
Location: Central Arizona

Re: Putting a finish on a whistle.

Post by Countrypiper »

Thanks everyone for the input, I haven't been on in a few day, so i'm sorry about not replying before now. That gives me some good stuff to look at.: )
User avatar
tompipes
Posts: 1328
Joined: Wed Jan 28, 2004 12:50 am
antispam: No
Please enter the next number in sequence: 8
Location: St. Louis via Dublin
Contact:

Re: Putting a finish on a whistle.

Post by tompipes »

https://www.amazon.com/Renaissance-Micr ... B001DSZWEM

I use this stuff on most woods.

I'll apply 2 to 4 coats depending on the wood and then polish it on a buffing wheel.


Tommy
User avatar
brewerpaul
Posts: 7300
Joined: Wed Jun 27, 2001 6:00 pm
antispam: No
Please enter the next number in sequence: 10
Location: Clifton Park, NY
Contact:

Re: Putting a finish on a whistle.

Post by brewerpaul »

nicx66 wrote:I don't like speaking for others, especially those with experience in lathe-turned instruments, of which I have none. However, I bought a whistle from Paul Busman and he told me, in person, that he uses almond oil. His fipple plugs, however, are made from delrin and as such do not require oil finish. I remember asking him, because he made the whistle out of some walnut stock that I gave him. He was very accommodating and informed me (before he started work) that walnut is not ideal due to its porous nature, and so required multiple applications of oil. This is a tricky business with a thin-walled instrument like a whistle (even a wooden one).
Just to clarify, I use the sweet almond oil to oil the inside of the whistle. I used wood sealer and that friction polish for the outside. Some people like to oil the outside of finished
wooden whistles with almond oil for maintenance, but it's really not needed.
Got wood?
http://www.Busmanwhistles.com
Let me custom make one for you!
DaveVisi
Posts: 15
Joined: Tue Feb 06, 2018 5:18 pm
antispam: No
Please enter the next number in sequence: 8
Tell us something.: I'm a member of a medieval recreation group, interested in period and Irish music. Current play Hammered Dulcimer, and working on Bodhran and whistle.

Re: Putting a finish on a whistle.

Post by DaveVisi »

That was going to be my next question. I would think sealing the inside would be more important than how the outside looks. As a pen turner, CA works great to give things a hard, plastic-like finish. I prefer the natural wood look, so for me I'd use a friction polish on the outside.

So, what about the inside?
High D's: Freeman Mellow Dog, Tweaked Clarke original, Chris Wall tunable
Low whistles: Kerry Optima D, Whistlesmith Low D & G
Tony Dixon D flute
Bodhran; 16" Bridget
Post Reply