Just made a whistle!

devondancer · Post by **devondancer** » Fri Feb 15, 2008 3:46 pm

. . . and I am feeling very proud of myself! Particularly so as I am a very un-handy woman, as my husband would confirm! It is in tune! OK - it's made of a bit of plastic pipe left over from plumbing the kitchen, and the block is a chunk of coat rail, but it does play! I shan't tell you what the holes look like because they are awful, and the tone is too chiffy for my liking (a Burke and Silkstone person), but it is mine! Nasty thought suddenly occurred: I hope this isn't the beginning of another lifetime's obsession?!
I'm already looking suspiciously at other tubular items . .

emtor · Post by **emtor** » Fri Feb 15, 2008 4:10 pm

I regret to tell you this: Making your own whistle is the last and final stage in an obsession for which there is no known cure.

Feadoggie · Post by **Feadoggie** » Fri Feb 15, 2008 4:53 pm

devondancer wrote:I hope this isn't the beginning of another lifetime's obsession?

First, congratulations on the first whistle. You will however find that making whistles is a lot like eating potato chips. You can't just build one.
If, as emtor says, this is the last and final stage of the obsession, it is a long stage and could last a lifetime. You may not have the urge to buy more whistles but you could find yourself looking into lathes and milling machines instead.

No matter what path you follow with whistle making, you can have a lot of fun and learn quite a bit about your chosen instrument. There are surprises around every corner.

devondancer wrote:I'm already looking suspiciously at other tubular items . .

And that's a natural reaction too. Shower curtain rods, towel bars, lawn chairs, bicycles, mop handles - they can all be turned into whistles if you are industrious enough.

Feadoggie

narrowdog · Post by **narrowdog** » Fri Feb 15, 2008 4:55 pm

I was in our local builders merchants on Monday getting timber & paint and happened to go through the electrical department on the way out and noticed a new rack of conduit. Well you have to have a look and a measure don't you

Two hours later, no work done but I now have a lovely low D with a cherry fipple that plays slightly softer and maybe a touch breathier than my V3.
Going to have a play around with the window dimensions tomorrow maybe a bit wider and shorter to start with and see what happens.

Once you start resistance is futile

cheers

mutepointe · Post by **mutepointe** » Fri Feb 15, 2008 5:17 pm

Congratulations.

drruthless · Post by **drruthless** » Fri Feb 15, 2008 5:56 pm

devondancer wrote:. . . and I am feeling very proud of myself! Particularly so as I am a very un-handy woman, as my husband would confirm! It is in tune! OK - it's made of a bit of plastic pipe left over from plumbing the kitchen, and the block is a chunk of coat rail, but it does play! I shan't tell you what the holes look like because they are awful, and the tone is too chiffy for my liking (a Burke and Silkstone person), but it is mine! Nasty thought suddenly occurred: I hope this isn't the beginning of another lifetime's obsession?!
I'm already looking suspiciously at other tubular items . .

Congrats.. Yup, you’re hooked and there is no known cure. When things of a tubular nature start disappearing from around the house ( and trust me NOTHING is sacred )….. blame it on the dog. Along with all the other great suggestions offered, be sure to ask your husband for a lock for YOUR workroom…
_________________
One small step for man
One giant leap for manki…oh my god look what I’ve stepped in…

oregonden · Post by **oregonden** » Fri Feb 15, 2008 6:01 pm

Congratulations for your first whistle and well spoken Feadoggie and all

. Yes, late night and early morning hours filing, carving, sawing and sanding. It's great fun (even the mistakes). I work in a hardware store and it's scare-wee!

Have fun!

Dennis

emtor · Post by **emtor** » Fri Feb 15, 2008 6:19 pm

devondancer: -You know you've reached the bottom when you start scavenging trash containers at buildingsites for scraps of conduit-tubing.

Plastiman · Post by **Plastiman** » Fri Feb 15, 2008 8:23 pm

I agree to all of the above, I knew I was in serious trouble when I cut the handle off my landing net to make a low D. Then I went and messed up the measurements so it didn't work, and my only regret was that I didn't have another landing net!!!! Beware, you are in danger of aquiring a lifelong addiction for which there is no cure. There is no such thing as the perfect whistle, but the search for one becomes a kind of Grail Quest. Welcome to the Brother and Sisterhood of obsessed tubular tinkerers. See the DIY Whistle thread in this forum for a pic of one of my aluminium ones.
Cheers,
Ian

devondancer · Post by **devondancer** » Sat Feb 16, 2008 3:13 am

[quote="Feadoggie"]
You may not have the urge to buy more whistles but you could find yourself looking into lathes and milling machines instead.

Yes, I was thinking it would be good to know how to work in metal! My husband has all the tools, lathe, pillar drills etc., but how do I learn without him teaching me - bad bad move?! I shall stick to plastic for the moment . . .

Plastiman - your aluminium one is lovely. Give me time . . .

Thanks, all.

Plastiman · Post by **Plastiman** » Sat Feb 16, 2008 4:50 am

Hey mate, all you need is a tape measure, hammer, pencil, centre punch, drill, bench vice, a set of rat tail files and a piece of flat steel to make the lip. A router and polisher's good but you can do without them. I started off making PVC ones off Guido Gonzato's excellent website and progressed from there. I have a D and a C of Guido's manufacture and they are fine whistles, he sent them to me after I sent him a couple of early prototype aluminium ones. The whistlers world is a very friendly and inclusive one I have found.
Cheers,
Ian

narrowdog · Post by **narrowdog** » Sat Feb 16, 2008 6:53 am

Devondancer,
my apologes for not saying welcome & congrats on your first home brew whistle

I'd had a long day

If you haven't done so yet, check out Guido's site http://guido.gonzato.googlepages.com/whistle.html

Cheers

jlunt · Post by **jlunt** » Sat Feb 16, 2008 7:45 am

Congratulations, Devondancer, on your first whistle! There's no turning back now.

I second (or third) the suggestion to check out Guido's site. I made a low D to his specs and it has become my favorite whistle. It is still a constant source of amazement to me that such a beautiful sound came from a couple hours of work and about $3.

devondancer · Post by **devondancer** » Sat Feb 16, 2008 12:18 pm

Thanks - I'm heading for the site now! Especially as I have been eyeing up the lovely metal three piece conical handle of my carpet sweeper this afternoon. I'm sure it would be just as good in two pieces, and I really don't mind having to crouch down to use it . . .
Went for a walk earlier and I was scouring the hedgerows (lots of them in south Devon) for plastic pipe, metal etc. And when I go to work tomorrow - I work Sundays - I'm going to raid the handyman's cellar: he must have some plumbing pipe or conduit, surely.
Plastiman, I'm sure I can get all those bits together: I really want to build a metal one, but for now have a very tempting piece of ORANGE plastic pipe from our loft - no idea where it came from, but we've been using it to launch rockets (fireworks) from! I have a better idea . . .
Oh dear, I'm doomed. Still, it's probably cheaper than WHOA!
Many thanks for all the encouragement.

Feadoggie · Post by **Feadoggie** » Sat Feb 16, 2008 12:30 pm

devondancer wrote:Still, it's probably cheaper than WHOA!

I once thought that too. Yes, I did have close to 100 whistles at the point when I really started making my own whistles, but three lathes later, WHOA would have been cheaper.

I guess that's my own problem maybe it will not be yours as well.

Feadoggie

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