Bloomfields tweak - Windcutter Replacement Advice

boomerang · Post by **boomerang** » Wed Oct 06, 2004 3:55 am

I tend to be working out of town a fair bit latey, and as it happens i also tend to pick up a few new whistles along the way,

So along comes a greentop generation D, i already possess a great greentop model at home that is a lovely whistle .
so i had no hesitation buying a second whilst away on my trip.
but egads.......

it was a shocker,

i performed all my regular tweaking tricks ( the cleanup, stickytac, fipple dulling / reshaping etc) to try to transform this whistle into something playable, but alas to no avail, a real blow to my ego.
not to be beaten i decided to replace the cutting edge with a new material,
I wouldnt even attempt the Jerry method of laminating a new blade underneath the present cutting blade , instead i opted to file away the hump atop of the blade so as to laminate on top, (easier to size that way)
To date i have tryed various household plastics shaped and temporarily held in place with sticky tac, with variable results,

the best result i had was with a piece of galvanised tin, and raised to a slightly higher angle then the current manufactured exit ramp with the cutting edge sharpened
i did a search of this website to see what had already been posted on this subject, and found ideas for guitar picks (torex red) held by superglue plastix,
this post was some time back and i am interested to know of any and all experiences of laminating material, glues and experiences
the tin worked fine and the end result was a very playable whistle, but before i make it permanent, i would love to hear of different ideas
regards
David

brewerpaul · Post by **brewerpaul** » Wed Oct 06, 2004 6:09 am

I played one that Bloomie had tweaked with a piece of guitar pick, and it was terrific. If he reads this thread, maybe he will reply and tell you exactly how he did it.

Bloomfield · Post by **Bloomfield** » Wed Oct 06, 2004 7:16 am

brewerpaul wrote:I played one that Bloomie had tweaked with a piece of guitar pick, and it was terrific. If he reads this thread, maybe he will reply and tell you exactly how he did it.

Maybe he will, maybe he won't.

Seriously, here is what you do: Take your red tortex pic and cut a piece that fits snugly in the windway. Depending on how long or short you make it, you can either notch it at the top to accomodate the bump or cut the bump off (don't injure yourself, now).

Take your exacto knife and mark on the sides of windway to where the blade comes. This is just for reference, but very helpful.

Then file or cut the blade and ram down. You don't have to take that much off and I usually do this on a whim, sometimes more sometimes less. It really only matters if you want to alter the blade angle.

Next bevel the guitar pic edge that will be the blade. You want a sharp edge at that bottom. Not like < but like / if that's at all intelligible.

take a tiny weensy eensy leeeeettle bit of blu tac and put it on the ramp. Stick the new pic-plade on there, sharp edge down, bevel up. Align it with your marks on the windway sides.

Now try the whistle. Move the pick around until you've got it optimally. You want the edge of the blade to line up with the bottom of the windway.

Take your time. Once your satisfied, glue the blade in place, either with superglue (not so great b/c you have to move the blade to get the glue in), or with 5 min epoxy (my choice).

Happy tooting.

The whistle Paul played btw was a Susato with a straight guitar-pic blade. Highly recommended.

toughknot · Post by **toughknot** » Wed Oct 06, 2004 10:08 am

I have tweaked a Waltons and a Gen using one of those fake credit cards you get in the mail that say your name here on them.I cut the piece to size and put it in place on top of the ramp ( after paring the hump to level on the Gen) using Elmer's rubber cement as the adheisive.The rubber cement has enough open drying time to allow for adjustment and holds it in place well after drying, yet can be pried off without any trouble if you want .I didn't file or alter the new plastic in anyway. I used blue Silly Putty to fill the interior cavity as I couldn't find blue tack.The SP shrinks over time and turns as hard as a rock and falls out so I need to get the blue tack. The whistles are both now mellower,a tad quieter,require less air and the Gen doesn't squeek or squak at all and both are less chiffy. The walton is a little rougher than the gen but has what sounds to me like that pure drop sound.They were prior to this unplayable in the upper octave as I had removed way too much material.

boomerang · Post by **boomerang** » Fri Oct 08, 2004 12:15 am

many thanks bloom and tough
i will delve into the shed this weekend amd see if i can create my frankenstein whistle,
will let you know how it goes

regards
David

Koss · Post by **Koss** » Fri Oct 08, 2004 12:41 am

frankenstein whistle

.....cool

boomerang · Post by **boomerang** » Tue Oct 19, 2004 6:43 pm

Posted: Wed Oct 06, 2004 1:16 pm Post subject:

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

brewerpaul wrote:
I played one that Bloomie had tweaked with a piece of guitar pick, and it was terrific. If he reads this thread, maybe he will reply and tell you exactly how he did it.

Maybe he will, maybe he won't.

Seriously, here is what you do: Take your red tortex pic and cut a piece that fits snugly in the windway. Depending on how long or short you make it, you can either notch it at the top to accomodate the bump or cut the bump off (don't injure yourself, now).

Take your exacto knife and mark on the sides of windway to where the blade comes. This is just for reference, but very helpful.

Then file or cut the blade and ram down. You don't have to take that much off and I usually do this on a whim, sometimes more sometimes less. It really only matters if you want to alter the blade angle.

Next bevel the guitar pic edge that will be the blade. You want a sharp edge at that bottom. Not like < but like / if that's at all intelligible.

take a tiny weensy eensy leeeeettle bit of blu tac and put it on the ramp. Stick the new pic-plade on there, sharp edge down, bevel up. Align it with your marks on the windway sides.

Now try the whistle. Move the pick around until you've got it optimally. You want the edge of the blade to line up with the bottom of the windway.

Take your time. Once your satisfied, glue the blade in place, either with superglue (not so great b/c you have to move the blade to get the glue in), or with 5 min epoxy (my choice).

Happy tooting.

The whistle Paul played btw was a Susato with a straight guitar-pic blade. Highly recommended.

well I tryed bloomies method, to the letter,
and the result.........drum roll please.........

absolutely freakin wonderful, a complete transformation, the guitar pick (torex red) was perfect for the job easy to work with and fit,
my whistle is now clear and precise throughout the range, its even easier to play, requires even less breath, without sacrificing too much loudness,

I am as happy as a pig in sh.... um oops whistle heaven,
the only downside is that i now have a green whistle head with what looks like a red tongue, a unique look, but who cares the result was definitely worth the effort, and cheap too.
thanks bloom !!
Regards David

Bloomfield · Post by **Bloomfield** » Tue Oct 19, 2004 9:10 pm

Glad it worked! I got it from mike.r btw, especially the recommendation for the tortex guitar pics.