Removing the head of a Clare two-piece whistle

[ecadre]

One factor I (and I suppose "we") don't know is how hot/warm the plastic heads are when the are put onto the brass tubes.

[MadmanWithaWhistle]

I was wondering whether the expansion of the plastic head would make it grip the tube more tightly...

Best wishes.

Steve

It's a common misconception, but, no, it doesn't work like that. When you heat a ring of solid brass or ABS plastic, the diameter increases. The diameter of the ABS plastic ring/sleeve will increase when heated, and since it has a higher expansion coefficient (4 to 5 times) than brass, its grip on the brass tube will lessen.

Hmm. I recall a demonstration at school where we were challenged to determine if a slightly oversized ball could fit through a thick metal ring, if the ring was heated (when cold it could not). It was a trick question of course, all of us knew hot things expand, but the point of the question was to show us that expansion is equal interior and exterior, so the ball still could not pass through (i.e. yes, the outer diameter increases, but the interior diameter decreases). If anything, freezing it would be the better option, but the risk of cracking may not make this worthwhile.

Perhaps plastic is different, but I think the temperature of the head only affects the glue present on other whistles.

[ecadre]

I was wondering whether the expansion of the plastic head would make it grip the tube more tightly...

Best wishes.

Steve

It's a common misconception, but, no, it doesn't work like that. When you heat a ring of solid brass or ABS plastic, the diameter increases. The diameter of the ABS plastic ring/sleeve will increase when heated, and since it has a higher expansion coefficient (4 to 5 times) than brass, its grip on the brass tube will lessen.

Hmm. I recall a demonstration at school where we were challenged to determine if a slightly oversized ball could fit through a thick metal ring, if the ring was heated (when cold it could not). It was a trick question of course, all of us knew hot things expand, but the point of the question was to show us that expansion is equal interior and exterior, so the ball still could not pass through (i.e. yes, the outer diameter increases, but the interior diameter decreases). If anything, freezing it would be the better option, but the risk of cracking may not make this worthwhile.

Perhaps plastic is different, but I think the temperature of the head only affects the glue present on other whistles.

Sorry, but you're wrong. The internal diameter of a metal ring will get larger when it is heated. Every arc of the internal face of the ring will increase in length. You have misremembered the lesson, because what you propose is that metals shrink when heated, which is precisely the opposite of what actually happens. ABS plastic also expands when heated, and like metals, this does not decrease the internal diameter.

What I was wondering was how warm the heads are when put onto the tubes, if warm then they would shrink onto the tube. I know it's commonly stated, but, personally, I've never experienced Generation whistle heads being glued (tubes lacquered, yes), and I seem to remember Jerry Freeman at some point saying that they're not glued.

(Just removed a couple of heads ... lacquer, but no evidence of glue).

[an seanduine]

Fun, totally irrelevant story. We had to fit a nickel 5 inch bearing into a stainless steel housing. The bearing, about 7.5 by 18 inch outer diameter was machined to an interference fit to the housing. That is the outer bearing diameter was too large to fit into the bearing housing/sleeve. I cannot remember the exact interference, but greater, I think than 0.040 inches. We dunked the bearing in a pail filled with liquid nitrogen. We topped up the pail a couple of times as the nitrogen furiously boiled off. We slathered up the interior of the bearing-housing with Syl-Glyde lubricant and played a propane torch on it until the housing/sleeve started to smoke. Using a crane, standing well back, we lifted and then slipped the bearing into the housing. It readily slid into place. It stood in the corner of the shop, loudly 'singing' and groaning for several hours while the temperatures equalized and the two pieces 'married'.

Bob

[an seanduine]

As an update on removing the head on a Clare two-piece whistle. I just firmly grasped the head and the upper tube and twisted. Came right off. Note to Steve Bliven: You might try using 'gripper gloves' or, since I'm a geezer and have them on hand, a couple of those rubber thingies to grip and loosen stubborn twist bottle caps.
Now you must understand I am not a tremendous fan of the sound of the Clare fipple head. Just a little too unfocused and airy. But I did have a Freeman Tweaked Eb that I cut down and tweaked into an E whistle. I think it was a Blackbird whistle head, but at any rate it was black. Since it was sized to an Eb brass tube, it was a perfect fit for the upper tube of the Clare Whistle, and I now have a delightful addition to my whistle quiver: A Freeman Tweaked two piece D pocket whistle.

Bob