How long for smell to go away on a Freeman Tweaked whistle?

[David G Barnes]

Yes i would hope no one would take a shot of non-food grade linseed oil.

I just ordered a few whistles from Jerry. My first ones from him. I love the Idea of a woody smell from a whistle.

I have a camphor wood flute to clear up a cold if need.

But I have some hard core wood workers around here who will eat shellac flakes.

info on shellac if you want to know -
Shellac is a resin secreted by the female lac bug, on trees in the forests of India and Thailand. It is processed and sold as dry flakes, which are dissolved in ethyl alcohol to make liquid shellac, which is used as a brush-on colorant, food glaze and wood finish. Shellac functions as a tough natural primer, sanding sealant, tannin-blocker, odour-blocker, stain, and high-gloss varnish. Shellac was once used in electrical applications as it possesses good insulation qualities and it seals out moisture. Phonograph (gramophone) records were also made of it during the pre-1950s, 78-rpm recording era.
From the time it replaced oil and wax finishes in the 19th century, shellac was one of the dominant wood finishes in the western world until it was largely replaced by nitrocellulose lacquer in the 1920s and 1930s.

[tin tin]

I initially experienced a strong chemical/plastic smell on my Mellow Dog but not on several Bluebirds or on a friend's tweaked Generation. A couple of soapy rinses of the Mellow Dog pretty much got rid of any odor.

[hoopy mike]

I'm sure it's just a bizare coincidence, but my bottle of linseed oil smells like a tin whistle.

[Airgead]

Some people are more sensitive to smells than others. The putty under the windway is certified safe for food preparation areas, but contains linseed oil, which does have a characteristic smell, which once in awhile someone comments about (less than five times in the eight years I've used it, but it does come up from time to time). In any case, I can substitute a silicone material that's used for malleable earplugs, which is more odorless and has worked for another individual with a high sensitivity to odors. "Chemical fumes" and "cancer" are a bit strong words to use here. If you would like me to change the material used to fill under the windway, I'll be happy to do that.

Best wishes,
Jerry

And Jerry is probably truly using the most natural materials he can get a hold of. I've made a few of my own tweaked whistles using Oatey's plumber's putty. To my knowledge, it isn't rated for food prep/handling but it'd ingredients are non-toxic. Talc, limestone, clay, and various oils. It is made for sealing the chrome drain assembly at the bottom of sinks, so the manufacturer wouldn't be using any ingredients that could potentially harm someone through repeated dish washing or teeth brushing. Otherwise there would be huge legal liability. I can say, though, that it sure does have a strong and distinctive odor when it's fresh out of that little tub it comes in. This odor seems to dissipate slowly over a few weeks..... but I certainly smell it early on and would say I maybe even taste it through the fipple when I'm breathing in between phrases. I can completely understand the sentiment of being precautious. I'm vegan and get a little nervous eating at restaurants because I can't see what's going on in the kitchen and never know what may end up in my food! However, Mr. Freeman is a highly respected craftsman in this community (and rightfully so) and I might suggest that in posting topics for discussion and shared learning..... steering away from such strong words as "cancer" would minimize potential for scaring other people or damaging reputations. Just my thoughts. But as I said, the sentiment of concern and sharing with others to find answers is always a good thing. We should all just do it with caution and respect for others.

[sackbut]

Received a new Bluebird yesterday & gave it a good workout in a pub session the same evening. I certainly noticed the smell & taste (reminded me of plasticene in childhood days), but didn't find it unpleasant or scary or toxic-seeming - just part of the newness, like the smell of a new car/carpet/paperback. It seemed the sort of smell one would expect to wear off, in about the same time as it would take to truly get to know & love the whistle. I can't quite say I love it yet, though I'm really impressed with its true intonation and responsiveness, and can see situations where it will be the first choice whistle for reasons of confidence. I'm sure it will grow on me even more - every whistle improves with being played (and might lose the smell quicker from being played plenty?)

[hoopy mike]

Oh and who can forget these beauties? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PX_HljAELcA Why stop at smell when you can have taste as well. I should point out to our American readers that Dick Van Dyke wasn't actually born a Cockney.

[MTGuru]

I should point out to our American readers that Dick Van Dyke wasn't actually born a Cockney.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/3032052.stm
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/7509572.stm

[Randalf the Red]

Are you definitely using your mouth to blow it with?

Hahaha! Oh man, that made me laugh. Again no disrespect to the OP-er.

[Randalf the Red]

AngelicBeaver, out of curiosity, are any of your tweaked Gens the brass ones with the red fipple? Because, those brass Generations have a really strong chemical smell before Jerry Freeman ever gets a hold of them. I have a box of little brass Gens (not Jerry Freeman tweaked) in the key of F that I just bought to teach a class of small children, and they have a powerful smell right out of the box. I wonder if it's the clear-coat on the tubes themselves... (I've noticed some kind of coating peeling off the brass ones when they are scratched or soaked in hot water-which I do to the mouthpiece end to remove the fipples and make them tunable). I don't notice the smell so much on the fipple, but the barrels are really strong-smelling. And I don't notice the smell on the 3 nickel plated Generation D's or Bb (all with blue fipples) that came in that same order. I do own several Jerry Freeman tweaked Gens from Bb down to Eb in both brass and nickel but the fipples on those have a different smell, and not an unpleasant one to me. I assume that's the linseed oil Jerry described. To be honest I never noticed a weird smell on any of my whistles until I opened that box of brass Gens. I may be chasing a rabbit here, so correct me if I'm wrong!

Randy

[hoopy mike]

I have a box of little brass Gens (not Jerry Freeman tweaked) in the key of F that I just bought to teach a class of small children, and they have a powerful smell right out of the box.

I've had a class of children like that too.

[Randalf the Red]

I have a box of little brass Gens (not Jerry Freeman tweaked) in the key of F that I just bought to teach a class of small children, and they have a powerful smell right out of the box.

I've had a class of children like that too.

I feel for you! I've already got my earplugs ready.

[AngelicBeaver]

All are the brass/red plastic generations except the Mellow Dog. The smell is strongest on the Generation whistles. Maybe it's a combination of the linseed oil putty and whatever Generation does in the manufacturing process.

[Randalf the Red]

All are the brass/red plastic generations except the Mellow Dog. The smell is strongest on the Generation whistles. Maybe it's a combination of the linseed oil putty and whatever Generation does in the manufacturing process.

Yes! I think you found your culprit. It's the clear-coat or whatever it is on the original Generation brass tubes. I bet if you took your fipple off and took it to another room and smelled just the fipple you would find the smell a lot more pleasant than with the tube. So, I don't think it's Jerry Freeman's tweakmanship at all, but rather the original Generations that carry that smell. The good news is that smell on the tubes is a good deal less noticeable after a while. I just smelled the little brass Gen in the key of high G that I got for my little boy. It came with that order a few days ago, and it hardly smells like chemicals at all because he's been playing with it for a few days (it smells more like graham crackers and baby spit ) Got any babies around your house?

I love my Freeman tweaked brass Gen in D. It has a different tonal color, a little darker sounding than the tweaked nickel Gen in D, which I love too, but in a different way.

Take care,
Randy

[WhistlingRufus]

Yes, all 3 of the Freemans I purchased this year a have a very strong linseed oil smell.

[Makar]

I've been away from here for a while and it's good to see that the level of whistle discussion is still as detailed as ever. Only here could you peruse the benefits of linseed oil putty fipples. Pity Hoopy Mikes Brit humour still hasn't caught on across the pond...must be somewhere that gets it? Hmm maybe not.