Get the fipple off my whistle!

I whistle · Post by **I whistle** » Tue Jan 20, 2004 10:52 pm

I have been trying to remove the mouthpiece from my Generation C whistle. That sucker ain't budgin'. Any advice? I have tried soaking it in hot water over and over. I can't even make it turn slightly. Wanted to tweak it a bit to get the lower C to be a bit more solid. HELP! I even
(in desperation) took pliers wrapped in a towel and tried to move it...nothing. Has anyone else run into this?

Stephen

Darwin · Post by **Darwin** » Tue Jan 20, 2004 11:42 pm

How hot was the water?

For my Feadog, I used water from an electric hot water pot that's hot enough to make tea or drip coffee. I put it iinto a cup, waited about a minute to make sure it wasn't hot enough to melt the plastic, then submerged the entire mouthpiece and about a half-inch of the tube. After about 10 or 20 seconds, I tried it, and the mouthpiece slid off as if it were greased.

Norm · Post by **Norm** » Tue Jan 20, 2004 11:43 pm

Hi Steven,
I removed 3 fipples just a few days ago. All were done by heating hot water in a microwave, just before boiling, 1 1/2 minutes, then dropping the flipple end into the water to soak for 5 full minutes. Put on a oven mitten for the fipple hand and a rubber gripper (jar opener patch) for the metal part (this give you better purchase). Rotate in the direction of the metal fold (not against it), looking down from the top, rotate counter clockwise. pull as you rotate. Vinegar breaks down super glue, so maybe some of that into the water may help also. Thats the only "safe" way I know.

I whistle · Post by **I whistle** » Wed Jan 21, 2004 12:08 am

Darwin wrote:How hot was the water?

For my Feadog, I used water from an electric hot water pot that's hot enough to make tea or drip coffee. I put it iinto a cup, waited about a minute to make sure it wasn't hot enough to melt the plastic, then submerged the entire mouthpiece and about a half-inch of the tube. After about 10 or 20 seconds, I tried it, and the mouthpiece slid off as if it were greased.

Hey Darwin...
I did the same thing with 2 of my sweetones and my Oak. They came off without a hitch. This Generation seems to have been superglued on.

Norm wrote:Hi Steven,
Vinegar breaks down super glue, so maybe some of that into the water may help also. Thats the only "safe" way I know.

Hey Norm...
Very interesting... I'll give the vinegar a try!

Thanks to you both!

DCrom · Post by **DCrom** » Wed Jan 21, 2004 12:58 am

Generation C's are notoriously hard to remove the heads from. Which is why Jerry Freeman offers a tweeked Walton's C rather than a Generation - it was too much work for him to get the heads off a production lot of Generations.

I've heard of folks succeeding - but this is one of the reasons I bought Walton's and Oak C whistles instead.

blackhawk · Post by **blackhawk** » Wed Jan 21, 2004 5:34 am

The only way I've ever gotten a fipple off a Gen C or Bb is with a hacksaw, which really puts a damper on how it sounds later.

Jerry Freeman · Post by **Jerry Freeman** » Wed Jan 21, 2004 7:02 am

Thom Larson at The Whistle Shop used to offer some of his whistles with the heads already loosened for tunability. He told me he was never able to remove the heads from more than about one out of five key of C Generations. I have never removed one successfully.

Best wishes,
Jerry

lesl · Post by **lesl** » Wed Jan 21, 2004 7:24 am

I got the top off a friend's gen C one time, by heating it in the sink with
the washing up, several days in a row. (head down in the plug-hole,
which is not large enough to swallow the whistle.) A lot of that soapy
water maybe loosened something. The third time, with kitchen gloves on,
I twisted it off. (But after that, my friend lost the head off the whistle..)
Lesl

Jerry Freeman · Post by **Jerry Freeman** » Wed Jan 21, 2004 7:29 am

Hmmm ...

I'll have to order a couple of C Generations and do some more experimenting. I have a crockpot that I've installed a dimmer switch to for infinite temperature control (originally so I could use it to make yogurt). Somehow, I think that crockpot will prove useful here. I'll keep you posted.

Best wishes,
Jerry

FJohnSharp · Post by **FJohnSharp** » Wed Jan 21, 2004 7:40 am

I had a really hard time with my Oak once because I wasn't able to get a good enough grip, even with oven mitts and rubber jar openers. I took several rubber bands and wrapped them in series around the tube up near the mouthpiece, making a gripping surface wide enough for my hand. Then I heated it up the ususl way and the extra grip of the rubber bands (plus their insulating properties) allowed me to twist that sucker off. I didnt need rubber bands for the mouthpiece but I suppose you could put a couple on the lower end.

Jerry Freeman · Post by **Jerry Freeman** » Wed Jan 21, 2004 7:46 am

I haven't put it to use yet, but I bought a bicycle inner tube to cut into pieces for this purpose.

Best wishes,
Jerry

OutOfBreath · Post by **OutOfBreath** » Wed Jan 21, 2004 8:08 am

Removing a Gen C head? My avatar illustrates the only successful method I've found...

McHaffie · Post by **McHaffie** » Wed Jan 21, 2004 9:51 am

Just a quick tip... not for fipple removal... but to get a louder or more stable bell note real quick, yet rather oddly, without affecting pitch or play... you can simply flare the end of your tube slightly. Carefully of course, but just a little does a lot

Anyway, something to throw into the mix.

Take care,
John

Cathy Wilde · Post by **Cathy Wilde** » Wed Jan 21, 2004 1:47 pm

DISCLAIMER: THIS IS MERELY AN IDEA. WHILE TESTED ON NUMEROUS STUCK COMPUTER HARD DRIVES, IT IS ONLY A THEORY; INTENDED AS A SIMPLE PARADIGM SHIFT; IT HAS NOT BEEN TESTED ON A GENERATION C WHISTLE. HAD IT ACTUALLY BEEN TESTED ON A GENERATION C WHISTLE, THIS WOULD BE ACTUAL ADVICE INSTEAD OF SPURIOUS CONJECTURE.

What about putting it in the freezer for about 10 - 20 minutes? Since metal contracts in the cold and all ..... My ex used to do this with jammed-up computer hard drives, and it frequently worked.

I wouldn't recommend the pliers on frozen plastic fipples, though.

U2 · Post by U2 » Wed Jan 21, 2004 3:20 pm

I only have one Generation C, and it came out of a box full of whistles that were burned in fire bomb up the Shankill Road. It came cheap. I got the head loose by heating the head to expand it, and cooling the tube with dry ice to contract it. Popped loose straight away. I don't know if the shop fire affected that.

The C is merely okay, but an Eb from the same salvage box is one of those Generations that only rarely comes along. Nothing special about the look, but the pitch and tone are what makes some players buy a box to find the one.

steve

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