GaryKelly wrote:Diamond drill needed (with vacuum attachment to suck away the dust highly recommended), local cooling recommended (so that the structure doesn't delaminate through thermal breakdown) plus the usual eye protection and organic vapour mask... carbon fibre gives of practically invisible fibrils when machined. Breathing that stuff is like breathing a million razor-sharp needles (hello, silicosis) and ordinary DIY face-masks for keeping out sawdust and the like just won't protect you.
One of the other big concerns that the a/c techs were worried about (apart from contact with and inhaling the dust) was the splinters. Extracting a splinter of carbon fibre from the skin was painstaking, the medic had to make sure the fibre didn't snap beneath the surface of the skin. Apparently the shard of carbon fibre is light enough to be propelled along through the bloodstream, and sharp enough to slice through anything in its journey to the heart or other vital organs. This is probably apocryphal, but the warnings we had to print in the damage repair manuals were pretty specific about how to remove the splinters.
Working with that stuff was considered a lot worse than working with glass fibre, apparently.
I guess I should have been more accurate with my description of the material. While it is carbon based and woven. It isn't the normal laminated carbon fibre that you would see on say, pool cues and automobile hoods in the fast in the furious. I just said carbon fiber because most people KNOW what that is. The tube I ordered is an epoxy bonded carbon. I do not belive it has the same visable woven pattern that Carbon Fiber Mat has. It looks more like Gray CPVC. Not quite the same thing. I am aware that Working with new materials can have unexpected consequences. That's why I ordered small ammounts of material. IF it works yeah! If it doesn't then I'm out a lot less money than I would be if I purchased enough materials for 100 whistles and not 6.
As for why I chose Bill to send my whistle to: One he is a Whistle maker and he has been in the business longer than I have. He knows what needs to be done to get the ball rolling. He does sell whistles, so apperently some poeple like them. Especially since business is "booming."
Two, he has helped me a lot getting small and large problems figured out. He has given me a lot of pointers which I am very gratefull for.
That Said for those of you who are wondering, our whistles are almost completely different. Different tonal Qualities, Different materials, Different window, blade, windway, and fipple designs. Different finger patterns and holes sizes. They are about as different as two whistles can get and still both be whistles. Another whistle player by the name Dana Hackley has played the instrument I sent to Bill. I am not going to say if She liked it or not, that is for the people who have played it to report. He is also going to ship it off to Dan Bigamon when he gets the chance. So hopefully some more respected reviews (in some people's Honored Opinions) will be forth coming.
This thread has realy taken a life of its own
I am such a trouble maker... Bad me! Who wants to spank me first???
Cy
Justinus say guiness in hand worth two in ice-box.
Stacey has the most bodacious fipples! & Message board
"It might be a bit better to tune to one of my fiddle's open strings, like A, rather than asking me for an F#." - Martin Milner
and had to have more resin put around the holes before it could be finished 
