DIY - Clarke Original Tin Whistle - wax fix

[MorrigansMuse]

Hi all,

Been playing tin whistle for about 2 months now; my first was a Clarke Original in C, followed by Clarke Meg (D) and Generation (D). (The Generation is on the "epic let-down" end of the quality spectrum).

Last week I bought a Clarke D, and was similarly disappointed. Having had excellent experiences with the C, I couldn't understand why I couldn't control pitch and tone, sometimes ending up with harsh whistling halfway through play, or if the fipple got a tiny bit mungy from saliva.

So I decided to fix it myself.

I dipped the left, right, and bottom edges of the mouthpiece in melted wax, and rubbed-down the wax with a cloth, removing the excess wax. Repeated this 2-3 times, until I was sure that the gaps between the wood and tin were sealed.

The whistle sounds fantastic now, and exactly how I'd expected it to sound!

I encourage anyone with a poorly performing Clarke and a candle to give it a go.

[Edited by moderator. - Mod.]

[Dain]

It's kinda mystery to me: why they don't seal it properly in the factory?

[hoopy mike]

It's kinda mystery to me: why they don't seal it properly in the factory?

Rustic charm?

Blue tac / White tac / poster putty works too.

[Scott McCallister]

Blue tac / White tac / poster putty works too.

I wouldn't want that in or near my mouth though. The wax is better here I think.

Glad you got your whistle to work!

[hoopy mike]

Blue tac / White tac / poster putty works too.

I wouldn't want that in or near my mouth though. The wax is better here I think.

Ok - chewing gum it is.

[Dain]

What, like Chupa Chups?
First you lick it, than you chew it. Eh?

[cavefish]

i just soak the wood in oil and it swells up , plays fine for me

[Steve Bliven]

I thought the approved soaking agent was Guinness...

Best wishes.

Steve

[crookedtune]

So, the message is clear. Go soak your head.

[cboody]

So, the message is clear. Go soak your head.

In wax.....