What's in your whistle kit?

[MTGuru]

I mean your basic tweaking and maintenance kit, specifically for whistle. I don't carry all of this all the time, but generally keep it together for handy access. I don't play wood whistles, so no need for oiling gear. Anyway, here's mine, with purposes:

Assorted O-rings: Don't ask.
A440 tuning fork: The obvious.
Soft cloth: Anti-roll table pad, cleaning.
Latex gloves: Tuning and beheading stubborn whistles.
Teflon/PTFE tape: Sealing joints, Overton slides.
Black electrician's tape: Sealing joints, cracked heads, intonation.
Blue Tack putty: Putty tweaks, bell chokes, intonation, muting.
Bamboo skewer: Tamping and removing putty.
Twist ties: Tuning rushes.
Susato cork grease: Lubricating slides.
Duponol, 2oz bottle: Anti-clog.
Gem paper clips: Whistle mutes!
Cleaning rod and cloth: The other obvious.
Scotch Brite pad: Cleaning whistle bores.
Book matches: Clearing windways (torn end), starting fires*.
Toothpicks: Cleaning gunk around windway, window, blade.
Waxed dental floss: Clearing and de-clogging windways.
Q-Tips: Assorted cleaning (but not your ears!).
Treated polishing cloth: Touch-ups.
Simichrome polish: Major bling treatment.
Alcohol swabs: Trading whistles with germy friends.
Alkohol-Tupfer: Trading whistles with German friends.
Small scissors: Cutting tape and stuff.
Leatherman Squirt multitool: Multistuff.

* You never know when you'll need to distract people from your whistle playing.

[Tim2723]

My 'kit' consists of a cleaning rod, a bottle of mineral oil, and anything that I can scrounge from the bar I'm playing at. Cocktail napkins, toothpicks (with or without fuzzy cellophane ends), little plastic swords, matchbooks, swizzle sticks, that sort of stuff.

[MTGuru]

anything that I can scrounge from the bar I'm playing at.

Don't forget that ketchup, salt, and cocktail napkins are perfect for polishing brass whistles (and guitar strings).

[hoopy mike]

MT - don't ever try and take that kit through customs!

[MTGuru]

MT - don't ever try and take that kit through customs!

Yes ... the dental floss will get you into trouble every time.

[brewerpaul]

I don't carry anything with me-- just whistles. Oh, a cotton bandana to use as a swab, but that's it.
Any oiling, I do at home.

[pancelticpiper]

Wow MT- that's a lot of stuff.

I don't carry anything but my whistles, a swab, a thing of corkgrease, a notepad and pencil, and an electronic tuner.

Even with my uilleann pipes I don't carry any stuff around except for an electronic tuner.

Highland pipes are a different thing: with those I carry
electronic tuner
Gaffer's tape
teflon tape
beeswax
50-50 beeswax/Thermowax blend
yellow hemp
small scissors with blunt point and DayGlo handles (you don't want to accidentaly stab your bag, and you sometimes need to find the scissors in near-total darkness)
extra chanter reeds
extra chanter set at 466 (the pipes usually play at 452 but sometimes you need to play at concert pitch)
extra O-rings for the drone reeds (they can suddenly transform themselves into C-rings at the most inopportune times)
sun block (Highland Games are invariably hot and sunny around here)
bandaids
notepad and pencil
business cards
foam earplugs (no it's not what you think, they're for quickly shutting off a drone that suddenly decides not to cooperate)...

[MTGuru]

OK, I don't really carry most of this around, just throw whistles in my bag like everyone else. But I do give out O-rings, do putty tweaks for friends, etc. And the table pad has saved many a whistle from rolling death. So some of it comes along sometimes.

Honestly, the most important item for me are the alcohol swabs. Ever since becoming deathly ill with flu after whistle-swapping at a session. Now I religiously wipe down all whistle heads before and after trading, and haven't caught any whistle critters since. Yes, my friends think I'm crazy. My sick friends ...

Alcohol swabs: Trading whistles with germy friends.
Alkohol-Tupfer: Trading whistles with German friends.

C'mon, I thought this was funny!

I usually carry my guitar with me, too, and that's the real accessory hog: strap, picks, capos, strings, winder, saddles, tuner, stand, cloths, pickup ...

[rhulsey]

I mean your basic tweaking and maintenance kit, specifically for whistle. I don't carry all of this all the time, but generally keep it together for handy access. I don't play wood whistles, so no need for oiling gear. Anyway, here's mine, with purposes:

Assorted O-rings: Don't ask.
Latex gloves: Tuning and beheading stubborn whistles.
Susato cork grease: Lubricating slides.
Duponol, 2oz bottle: Anti-clog.
Cleaning rod and cloth: The other obvious.
Scotch Brite pad: Cleaning whistle bores.
Waxed dental floss: Clearing and de-clogging windways.
Q-Tips: Assorted cleaning (but not your ears!).
Alcohol swabs: Trading whistles with germy friends.
Leatherman Squirt multitool: Multistuff.

* You never know when you'll need to distract people from your whistle playing.

I don't know. This still sounds like a nite on the town, from what I recall of CA!

Reg

[Bill Reeder]

Alcohol swabs: Trading whistles with germy friends.
Alkohol-Tupfer: Trading whistles with German friends.

C'mon, I thought this was funny!

...[/quote]


Hey! I thought it was a good one, too.

[MTGuru]

I don't know. This still sounds like a nite on the town, from what I recall of CA!

Oops, you're right, Reg. I got my whistle kit mixed up with my West Hollywood Club Party kit. And I forgot to include the bungee cords.

[walrii]

To tamping Blu-Tac/poster putty into whistle heads. I use a brand new #2 lead pencil with an unused eraser. The eraser tamps the poster putty nicely. Don't sharpen the pencil or the eraser will get rounded off before you can say "Oops."

[jkrazy52]

Twist ties: Tuning rushes.

Just can't picture what this does or how it works. Would you mind explaining this one, MT?

[MTGuru]

Just can't picture what this does or how it works. Would you mind explaining this one, MT?

Sure ... There's a brief explanation here in this other thread: viewtopic.php?f=20&t=68916

[jkrazy52]

AH! Thanks, MT. I've got a whistle I need to try that on.