Glass Whistle?

Tyghress · Post by **Tyghress** » Tue Feb 05, 2002 7:07 am

I got a response from Hall!:

Greetings from the head of the research department (also Production manager,
Production crew, and sweeper of the shop floor.)

I have been thinking about making penny whistles for quite awhile. The main
problem is making the fipple out of glass. It is hard to get glass to hold
an edge with out rounding when you put a torch to it.

One option is to make the body out of glass and use a black plastic mouth
piece. Do you think that it would sell if it was not completely made out of
glass?
--------------------------------------

I responded that I believed a plastic fipple wouldn't detract from the saleability. Wonder what will come of it! (Still haven't heard from Yamaha!

RosieJ · Post by **RosieJ** » Tue Feb 05, 2002 7:54 am

What about a clear plastic mouthpiece, in keeping with the clear glass body? Is black plastic any stronger or easier to work with?

DrRichard · Post by **DrRichard** » Tue Feb 05, 2002 9:56 am

Okay, I have located a source of drills which will let me make the holes as described in the Bloody Hand whistle instruction thingy. Yes, I could melt them (the holes, not the plans), but my plan is to drill them out and use a blowtorch to increase their size to tune.

Now, all I have to do is locate a local source of pyrex tube, plus check my life insurance. I'm trying to find a local supplier as I may have a crack at this this weekend.

Good idea about the clear plastic headpiece btw...

Richard

Patrick · Post by **Patrick** » Tue Feb 05, 2002 11:42 am

If all else fails, look for pyrex tube with a beadmaking materials supplier. I use Franz Bead for my supplies. The tubing is used for bracelets and some fancy tube beads.

-Patrick

paulsdad · Post by **paulsdad** » Tue Feb 05, 2002 12:45 pm

Drill bits for glass should be available from a stained glass supplier. Glass hobbyists (which should be recognized as different from Hobbits or Crystal People) use them when making glass windchimes.

You may have to keep the bit wet, (with water, not spit)when drilling. Working with glass is a little tricky because of the tiny shards of glass. I used an old paintbrush to clean them off my hands and the work when making stained-glass projects.

Happy whistlin'

brownja · Post by **brownja** » Tue Feb 05, 2002 12:49 pm

Just a reminder, Pyrex is NOT glass. It is a transparent ceramic. Don't be surprised/disappointed if it does not respond well to glassworking techniques.
Cheers,
jb

<font size=-1>[ This Message was edited by: brownja on 2002-02-05 13:50 ]</font>

DrRichard · Post by **DrRichard** » Tue Feb 05, 2002 1:37 pm

In danger of getting *hugely* off topic, it depends how you define it. Corning (who makes Pyrex) treats it as a glass, but even as a glass it does have unusual properties... anyway, I have a source for the tubing now, will be here (God willing) 2/14.

Richard

Thomas-Hastay · Post by **Thomas-Hastay** » Tue Feb 05, 2002 4:07 pm

Glass is made up of pure fused Silica,the most common element on the planet. This substance is just as much a ceramic as any type of clay. Potters clay is made up of Silica,Alumina and Ferrous Oxide(iron)with other impurities that make it opaque.

Clear alumina(aluminum)can be made with silica resulting in a more "plastic" glass. I suspect this is the origin of Pyrex-Glass.

All a Hall Crystal Flute needs is an attached windway,sometimes seen on fifes,to become a sideblown whistle.

(Tyghress): The tone of the acrylic flute is a great deal like a hardened copper or aluminum flute,in my opinion(modern marbles are made of this stuff). I use automotive anti-fog coating on the inside but human spit is a good anti-fog agent as well(eeeuuuwww).

Extruded glass tube can be found at Glass Blower supply sites and Lab Supplies sites too.

Tyghress · Post by **Tyghress** » Tue Feb 05, 2002 5:08 pm

Thomas, thanks for the info, and for reminding me of saliva and its anti-fogging. As a scuba diver, I should have thought of that!

jackorion · Post by **jackorion** » Tue Feb 05, 2002 8:48 pm

Anyone out there know about a fellow named Pete Fountain. He uses a crytal mouthpiece on his clarinet. Thats why I thought it might sound shrill. He gets a more trebly thin, almost transparent tone out of the ol licorice stick.

I just did a search on yahoo "Clarinet crystal mouthpiece" and got a bunch of pages to check out. The ones I did look at all raved about the characterists of a crystal mouthpiece. A common thread was it being very responsive and greatly improving the tone. So there you have it. You folks just might be onto something great.

One more thing, if a clarinet mouthpiece can be made out of glass, surley a whistle mouthpiece can as well. A clarinet mouthpiece has some very sharp edges.

Jack

PS what about a crystal mouthpiece with a metal tube, to cut down the chances of breaking.

NicoMoreno · Post by **NicoMoreno** » Thu Feb 07, 2002 3:34 pm

Just to add my two cents in here...

Material on a whistle body is very evidently secondary as far as sound is concerned.
The part of the whistle that determines most of the sound is the mouthpiece area, and specifically the fipple (windway) and labium (the ramp thing...). This means that if you want the sound of a crystal clarinet or flute, you really need the mouthpiece to be made out of glass/pyrex/whatever.
Even more important is the design of themouthpiece, its smoothness and so forth.
Last comes the body... But on whistles this part doesn't matter nearly as much as on instruments like the clarinet of trumpet.

Nico

Grannymouse · Post by **Grannymouse** » Thu Feb 07, 2002 10:44 pm

Hey Thomas H - does that anti fog stuff work on the Hall's flutes....do you think? I haven't tried the Jet Dry on them. They seem to cloud up with condensation right away which seems more unsightly than anything. Gm