Water Weasel confirmation

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colomon
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Tell us something.: Whistle player, aspiring C#/D accordion and flute player, and aspiring tunesmith. Particularly interested in the music of South Sligo and Newfoundland. Inspired by the music of Peter Horan, Fred Finn, Rufus Guinchard, Emile Benoit, and Liz Carroll.

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Re: Water Weasel confirmation

Post by colomon »

Guess I'm a little late to the party here, but I can absolutely confirm that Glenn sometimes used the the brown stuff as a plug. It's on my low G and low F Water Weasels, and I think I had a C that used it as well. (Oh, on my one Thin Weasel as well.)

My impression (though I don't know if this is just what I thought or I actually had the info from him, it's been a long time) was that he used whichever one he had handy. Red is definitely more common in my experience. I've never noticed any difference in how the two materials play.
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Re: Water Weasel confirmation

Post by whistle1000 »

Nanohedron wrote:
whistle1000 wrote:[There was] a former member who offered to make my newer head fit my old set....sent them all his way and never heard from him again...
If his life wasn't cut short, then he was a scoundrel.
He was a longtime member and contributed to a lot of the posts....from his older posts, one would gather that he was elderly and in failing health...I fear he may very well have passed or is not in good health...I’ve posted about this before....someone suggested that I send a letter to the address that I sent my whistles to and inquire.., I tried to review some older messages but can only go back one year....my emails have been deleted over the years...I don’t think he had any ill intentions....it just sucks to have “lost”, essentially, 4 Water Weasels....in the overall scheme of things, they are mere bits of plastic....I have enough whistles to keep me playing.
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Re: Water Weasel confirmation

Post by Tommy »

Matthewlawson3 wrote:
busterbill wrote:Mine has the plug just like yours. Which was why in your earlier post regarding cleaning i wondered if it were some kind of wood. Or it could be a resin with a wood tone or a mix of fibers and resin. Who knows...

But it looks like you got the real deal to me.

Mine did not have a label. But mine were pretty early.
Glad to hear I got the real deal. Seems like Water Weasel whistles are hard to find.
It looks real to me also. One of my WW has the differant color head and tone tube. I think he may have used two differant brands of pipe. His tone hole pattern was unique and very precise. The head was also very neat and consitant. :thumbsup:
''Whistles of Wood'', cpvc and brass. viewtopic.php?f=1&t=69086
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Re: Water Weasel confirmation

Post by Peter Duggan »

Nanohedron wrote:The label shows a trace of dirt accumulation especially along the lower edge; that speaks to years of use. If this whistle's a forgery, someone went to a lot of trouble in the minutiae.
Does anyone seriously think anyone's going to be taking that much trouble to be forging Water Weasels?

I don't; while they're clearly quite desirable whistles, there's neither a huge market for them nor a lot of money in them and nobody's going to be putting in hours of work per forged whistle for the potential return!
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Re: Water Weasel confirmation

Post by Nanohedron »

Matthewlawson3 wrote:So just for clarification, you think it is a real Water Weasel because it does have markings that someone purposely tried to remove, which you say was often done? I guess markings at all would also indicate it being real.

And also you say it is real because the logo dirt indicates use over time that would be difficult to counterfeit easily?
Yes. Well, it could be done, but why would anyone bother? You found it lying by itself in a shop, not on some website claiming to have a hoard of Water Weasels in all states of condition.
Peter Duggan wrote:
Nanohedron wrote:The label shows a trace of dirt accumulation especially along the lower edge; that speaks to years of use. If this whistle's a forgery, someone went to a lot of trouble in the minutiae.
Does anyone seriously think anyone's going to be taking that much trouble to be forging Water Weasels?
Not I.
Peter Duggan wrote:I don't; while they're clearly quite desirable whistles, there's neither a huge market for them nor a lot of money in them and nobody's going to be putting in hours of work per forged whistle for the potential return!
Exactly. What I was doing was pointing out details that could serve to put the OP's concerns to rest. His whistle has the right-looking label and conformation, but even so, given that Water Weasels are highly attractive prizes to certain sectors of the whistle-playing world, but long out of production, not easy to come by, and the maker is no longer here to be asked, apparently the OP had enough doubt to ask others if it was the real deal. I would say that that was a misgiving of the possibility of forgery. Not that I would share those misgivings, but the question invites an examination of the evidence available to us. For my part I am convinced of the whistle's veracity, so when I said, "If it's a forgery (etc.)," that was a rhetorical statement acknowledging the OP's misgivings. It has nothing to do with any real doubt on my part.
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Matthewlawson3
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Re: Water Weasel confirmation

Post by Matthewlawson3 »

Nanohedron wrote:
Matthewlawson3 wrote:So just for clarification, you think it is a real Water Weasel because it does have markings that someone purposely tried to remove, which you say was often done? I guess markings at all would also indicate it being real.

And also you say it is real because the logo dirt indicates use over time that would be difficult to counterfeit easily?
Yes. Well, it could be done, but why would anyone bother? You found it lying by itself in a shop, not on some website claiming to have a hoard of Water Weasels in all states of condition.
Peter Duggan wrote:
Nanohedron wrote:The label shows a trace of dirt accumulation especially along the lower edge; that speaks to years of use. If this whistle's a forgery, someone went to a lot of trouble in the minutiae.
Does anyone seriously think anyone's going to be taking that much trouble to be forging Water Weasels?
Not I.
Peter Duggan wrote:I don't; while they're clearly quite desirable whistles, there's neither a huge market for them nor a lot of money in them and nobody's going to be putting in hours of work per forged whistle for the potential return!
Exactly. What I was doing was pointing out details that could serve to put the OP's concerns to rest. His whistle has the right-looking label and conformation, but even so, given that Water Weasels are highly attractive prizes to certain sectors of the whistle-playing world, but long out of production, not easy to come by, and the maker is no longer here to be asked, apparently the OP had enough doubt to ask others if it was the real deal. I would say that that was a misgiving of the possibility of forgery. Not that I would share those misgivings, but the question invites an examination of the evidence available to us. For my part I am convinced of the whistle's veracity, so when I said, "If it's a forgery (etc.)," that was a rhetorical statement acknowledging the OP's misgivings. It has nothing to do with any real doubt on my part.
I believe it is the real deal too, but it never hurts to make sure. Thanks for your help guys!
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Re: Water Weasel confirmation

Post by Peter Duggan »

Nanohedron wrote:For my part I am convinced of the whistle's veracity, so when I said, "If it's a forgery (etc.)," that was a rhetorical statement acknowledging the OP's misgivings. It has nothing to do with any real doubt on my part.
Never doubted it, Nano... so intended my reply as a general comment about the thread taking a quote (any suitable quote) chiming with my own thoughts as a starting point!
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Re: Water Weasel confirmation

Post by Nanohedron »

Peter Duggan wrote:
Nanohedron wrote:For my part I am convinced of the whistle's veracity, so when I said, "If it's a forgery (etc.)," that was a rhetorical statement acknowledging the OP's misgivings. It has nothing to do with any real doubt on my part.
Never doubted it, Nano... so intended my reply as a general comment about the thread taking a quote (any suitable quote) chiming with my own thoughts as a starting point!
Ah. Got it. Alas, the murk and mire of abstract communication...

What I really want to know is the gauche stuff - like how much Matthewlawson3 paid for it. :wink:
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Re: Water Weasel confirmation

Post by Matthewlawson3 »

Nanohedron wrote:
Peter Duggan wrote:
Nanohedron wrote:For my part I am convinced of the whistle's veracity, so when I said, "If it's a forgery (etc.)," that was a rhetorical statement acknowledging the OP's misgivings. It has nothing to do with any real doubt on my part.
Never doubted it, Nano... so intended my reply as a general comment about the thread taking a quote (any suitable quote) chiming with my own thoughts as a starting point!
Ah. Got it. Alas, the murk and mire of abstract communication...

What I really want to know is the gauche stuff - like how much Matthewlawson3 paid for it. :wink:
Probably too much! Haha.

Do you guys know how to get ahold of John Sindt? I emailed him at sindtwhistles@aol.com and sindtwhistle@aol.com the address with the "s" bounced back to me and the other one went through but some are saying his address has the "s".
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Re: Water Weasel confirmation

Post by Nanohedron »

Matthewlawson3 wrote:Do you guys know how to get ahold of John Sindt? I emailed him at sindtwhistles@aol.com and sindtwhistle@aol.com the address with the "s" bounced back to me and the other one went through but some are saying his address has the "s".
This would be a wonderful opportunity for a new thread.
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Re: Water Weasel confirmation

Post by Peter Duggan »

Nanohedron wrote:This would be a wonderful opportunity for a new thread.
There was already an old one:
viewtopic.php?f=1&t=109846#p1226852
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Re: Water Weasel confirmation

Post by ytliek »

Nanohedron wrote:
Matthewlawson3 wrote:Do you guys know how to get ahold of John Sindt? I emailed him at sindtwhistles@aol.com and sindtwhistle@aol.com the address with the "s" bounced back to me and the other one went through but some are saying his address has the "s".
This would be a wonderful opportunity for a new thread.
:D

viewtopic.php?f=1&t=109854
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Re: Water Weasel confirmation

Post by Matthewlawson3 »

Nanohedron wrote:
Peter Duggan wrote:
Nanohedron wrote:For my part I am convinced of the whistle's veracity, so when I said, "If it's a forgery (etc.)," that was a rhetorical statement acknowledging the OP's misgivings. It has nothing to do with any real doubt on my part.
Never doubted it, Nano... so intended my reply as a general comment about the thread taking a quote (any suitable quote) chiming with my own thoughts as a starting point!
Ah. Got it. Alas, the murk and mire of abstract communication...

What I really want to know is the gauche stuff - like how much Matthewlawson3 paid for it. :wink:
Just curious if there is anyway to remove the discoloration of the Water Weasel and restore the white. It is no longer Ivory white as it would if been when it was "young!"
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Re: Water Weasel confirmation

Post by Nanohedron »

Matthewlawson3 wrote:Just curious if there is anyway to remove the discoloration of the Water Weasel and restore the white. It is no longer Ivory white as it would if been when it was "young!"
I rather doubt it. It may be that the color change goes deep, too, in which case the effort will do more damage than good.

In any case, as with any vintage piece, I would embrace such signs of age as don't affect its function. On a rarity like a Water Weasel, signs of age are street cred, so making it look new would probably decrease its market value, if that matters to you. I would recommend only simple, gentle soap-and-water cleaning - and that as seldom as possible, for we are not talking about pooper scoopers, here - and leave it at that.
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Re: Water Weasel confirmation

Post by David Parkhurst »

I recognize the material, this is most probably a Water Weasel. I studied under Glenn and he gave me some of it. It's a modeling polymer used by GM to make prototypes, he used to grab it when they cut up prototypes for disposal. I've made some of my copper whistles using this. It colors nicely with a Magic Marker and is a dream to shape. Very water resistant, doesn't swell at all when wet or warm. It's made by 3M I believe. He used this stuff off and on, more so on his Thin Weasel wooden ones. I would feel comfortable buying the whistle regarding it's authenticity.

Cheers,
David Parkhurst
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