How to make your own pennywhistle
Kim Fulton-Bennett
Hello out there--
I am posting this in the hope that it may bring as much joy to some of
you whistlers as it has to me. I have taken Eric Reiswig's instructions
for making pennywhistles from copper pipe, and have modified them so
that the process requires less fipple carving. Anyhow, I have posted
these instructions below in ASCII form (no pictures). If you would like
a nice HTML document with lots of pictures, see the following web
address: http://www.geocities.com/SoHo/Lofts/6611/makewhis.htm
So here are the instructions...
=======================================================
Instructions for making a copper pennywhistle
in the key of D
=======================================================
Copyright: Kim Fulton-Bennett, 1997.
Non-commercial reproduction of this document is
encouraged. Please leave author's name in the document.
If you have suggestions or improvements to this technique,
please let me know at k...@pacbell.com
*A tip of the hat to Eric Reiswig, whose online
whistle-making instructions served as an inspiration and
basis for these methods.
Last updated: 2-18-97
=======================================================
I. Before you start
------------------
(You can make a fine whistle with just simple hand tools and
materials that you can buy at any hardware store!
A. Tools:
1) A ruler marked in cm and mm, as well as inches
2) Electric hand drill or drill press
3) Drill bits in 1/32" (0.75 mm) increments
4) Sand paper (120- to 220-grit)
5) Small flat or triangular file with sides about 1/4"
(6-7 mm) wide
6) Large flat-sided metal file about 1 1/4" (3 cm) wide
7) Rat-tail (cylindrical) file about 1/4" (6-7 mm) in diameter
8) Flat-bladed screwdriver with blade about 1/4" (6-7 mm) wide
9) Sharp metal punch for setting holes for drilling
(a large pointed steel screw or bolt will also work)
10) Fine-point permanent marker
11) Steel bar with flat end about 1/4" (6-7 mm) square
12) Hack-saw with a metal-cutting blade
13) Chromatic electronic tuner or (for those with a good ear) an
electric keyboard. You can try to tune the whistle to
another wind instrument, but I don't recommend it because
you can't play both instruments at once to hear the beats
when notes are out of tune.
14) (Optional but recommended): Table vice (handy for holding
the pipe--be sure to add padding to the metal grips)
15) (Optional but recommended: Pipe cutter (an inexpensive hand
tool that gives a nice, straight end to the pipe).
B. Materials:
1) 1/2" copper plumbing pipe ("type M" in US).
You only need 12-inches (30 cm) for a whistle, but you might
want two or three times this much, just in case...
2) Copper connector (sleeve)
This is used to join two lengths of 1/2" copper pipe. Buy
the kind of connector that has a "stop" hammered into middle
of the connector; my measurements take this into account)
3) 5/8" Hardwood doweling (12-inch length is plenty)
Get 9/16" dowel if you can find it...
4) Two-part epoxy resin
Find something having a viscous consistency and which, when
dry, is safe to put in your mouth.
C. Conventions and Notes:
1) In these instructions, "up" refers to the end of the whistle
or fipple closest to your mouth (while you are playing).
"Down" refers to the end closest to your feet. "Front"
refers to the side of the whistle with the fipple and finger
holes. "Back" refers to the side without holes.
2) I sincerely apologize for the "unitary schizophrenia"
(there's an oxymoron!) in this text. My tools are all sized
in "English" units, but I prefer to use metric units for all
my measurements because it is easier to scale them up or
down to build whistles in different keys.
3) You might be able to use metric-sized pipe instead of
standard US 1/2" pipe, but all the other dimensions will
probably change a bit.
4) Whenever I file, sand, or polish copper, I wear a dust mask.
I have found that fine copper dust and powder irritates my
throat and lungs. You probably don't want to swallow it
either. However, I believe the amount of copper you ingest
from playing a whistle is minimal (please let me know me if
I'm wrong).
II. Making the fipple
-----------------
Note:The fipple is the hardest part of the pennywhistle to
make. I often make more fipples than I need, and end up
throwing out a quarter to a half of them because I'm
not happy with their sound...
A. Cutting the fipple pipe:
1) Measure and cut off a piece of pipe 6.2 cm long
(using the pipe cutter if you have one).
2) Deburr the ends (use pipe cutter deburring tool). Then
smooth both ends of the pipe using wide flat file and sand
paper.
Note:The sharp ends of the cut pipe can slice your fingers,
so caution is advised.
B. Cutting the fipple hole:
1) Measure 3.2 cm up from one end of the pipe and make a line
with the permanent marker. This will be the lower edge of
the fipple hole.
2) Measure about 1/8" (4 mm) up above the first line and make a
dot.
3) Use the punch to set a hole at this dot and drill a 1/4"
(6mm) hole at this spot.
4) Use the small file to shape this round hole into a neat
rectangle about 1/4" (6 mm) long and no more than 5/16" (7.5
mm) wide [Add picture 1: front view]. To get a clean sound,
you must make all the edges of this hole, inside and out, as
smooth and neat as possible.
Note:For a lower whistle, such as a C, make the fipple hole
slightly longer (7 mm); for a higher whistle, make the
fipple hole slightly shorter (4-5 mm). In either case,
the lower edge of the hole should still be 3.2 cm from
the end of the pipe.
5) Place the flat-tipped metal bar on the lower edge of the
fipple hole and tap on it with a hammer to bend the copper
in about 1-2 mm. [picture 2: side view]
6) If the bent-in edge is curved rather than flat, use the
screwdriver to reach in from the end of the pipe and make
the edge as flat as possible. [picture 3: side view]
7) Use the small file to create a smooth, beveled "cutting
edge" about 2 mm wide on the outer, lower edge of the fipple
hole [picture 4: side view]. This edge must be as smooth and
straight as you can make it.
8) Use sand paper to smooth the upper edge of the pipe above
the fipple hole, inside and out. This is where your lips
will contact the metal, so you don't want a sharp edge.
C. Making the fipple plug:
1) Grind or sand the 5/8" hardwood dowel to reduce it's
diameter to fit snugly inside the copper pipe. The final
diameter should be about 9/16" (if you can get 9/16"
doweling, please let me know).
I reduce the diameter of the dowel by creating a poor-man's
lathe:
a) Screw a 1/8" wood screw about into the exact center of
one
end of the dowel until only about 15 mm is left exposed.
b) Cut off the head of the screw with the hack saw.
c) Insert the body of the screw into the chuck of an
electric
hand drill.
d) Hold the hand drill horizontally and run it while holding
coarse sand paper next to the doweling. Make sawdust
until
the dowel is thin enough so that a piece of pipe (without
burrs or lip) fits snugly over the dowel.
2) Now cut off a 1 inch (2.5 cm) piece of your (newly lathed)
9/16" dowel and smooth the ends with the flat file.
3) Decide which side of the plug should have the wind channel
cut into it (I'm not sure which side is best: cutting
parallel to the grain gives you a smoother surface, but
cutting at right angles to the grain may result in less
swelling when the wood is wet.
4) Use the large flat file to flatten the side of the dowel
where you will cut the wind channel. The flattened area
should be trapezoidal: about 1/4" wide at one end and about
5/16" wide at the other end of the dowel. [picture 5:
perspective view]
5) Use the small file to cut a channel into this flattened
surface. This channel should be about 2 mm deep at the wide
(upper) end and about 1 mm deep at the narrow (lower) end.
[picture 6: perspective view]. Make sure the surfaces and
sides of this channel are as smooth and flat as possible.
6) [optional] Seal the wind channel and lower end of the fipple
plug with epoxy or some other hard, waterproof sealant. (I'm
not sure if this helps the sound, and it may cause the
fipple to clog more frequently).
D. Mounting and Adjusting the fipple:
1) Insert the wooden plug into the end of the pipe about the
fipple hole. The narrow, shallow end of the channel should
be pointed toward the fipple hole. Sight through the channel
to make sure that that the lower end of the channel is
parallel to the lower edge of the fipple hole. Slide the
plug into the pipe until the lower end of the plug is even
with (directly underneath) the upper edge of the fipple
hole. [picture 7: side view]
2) (At this point, you need to try out the fipple to see how it
sounds when attached to a whistle, or at least a pipe cut
the correct length.) Measure and cut a 23.3 cm piece of
pipe for the body of your whistle. Deburr, file, and sand
the ends so they're not sharp.
3) Slide the fipple (with plug) into one end of a copper
connector sleeve. Slide the long length of cut pipe into the
other end of the sleeve. [picture 8: perspective view] Wipe
the dust off the fipple, then blow into the end. You should
get a clean, if slightly weak note (roughly D one octave
above middle C). The point here is not to check the tuning
of the note, but to test the timbre of the fipple--whether
it makes a clear tone or a breathy one.
4) If you're happy with the tone produced, continue to step 5
below. If you want to try adjusting the sound, here are some
suggestions (this is art, not science).
Note:Some of these adjustments are irreversible--if you
adjust too far, you will have to create an entirely new
fipple:
a) If the note is too breathy, some air is missing the lower
edge of the fipple hole. Try one of the following:
1- Slide the fipple plug about 0.5 mm toward the fipple
hole.
(If you go too far, use the screwdriver to push the
plug
back out and try again.)
2- Look down through the wind channel. The lower end of
the
channel should line up with the bent-in edge of the
fipple
hole. If you can see a wide gap between the two, you
can try
bending the lower edge of the fipple hole down
*slightly*--this is not easy to do. (You could also
try
making a new plug with a shallower channel).
b) If the note tends to "break" and go into the upper octave
rather than the lower octave, try one of the following:
1- Slide the fipple plug up about 0.5 mm (away from the
fipple
hole).
2- Try deepening the entire wind channel slightly
(say, 0.5 mm).
3- Try bending the lower edge of the fipple hole up
slightly
with a screwdriver, then resmooth the edge as
necessary.
c) If the note has good tone, but is not loud enough, try
one
of the following:
1- Deepen and/or widen the upper end of the wind channel.
Make
sure all surfaces are smooth and even.
2- Widen the fipple hole slightly with a small file
(widen it
evenly on both sides). Be careful not to make the hole
too
wide or the whistle will become breathy.
5) When you are happy with the sound of the fipple and you are
sure that the fipple plug is in the correct location, secure
the plug by denting the copper pipe around the plug using a
punch. I usually make three dents: two dents 5 mm above and
to either side of the fipple hole and the third dent on the
back of the fipple, about 5 mm above the end of the plug
[picture 9: perspective].
Note:This method works much better than glue, which will not
stand up to differential expansion and contraction of
the wood and copper.
E. Shaping the mouthpiece:
(the part of the fipple that goes in your mouth)
1) Place the fipple in a vice and cut the exposed end of the
dowel off flush with the end of the copper pipe.
2) Clean out the upper end of the wind channel so that you can
clearly see the shape of its upper edge.
3) Use a hacksaw to cut off a triangular section of the pipe
and dowel. Start the cut at the end of the fipple, with the
hacksaw blade parallel to and about 1-2 mm below the lower
edge of the wind channel. As soon as you have cut a small
slot that will keep the blade from slipping, tilt the
hacksaw blade to cut downward at about 45 degrees. [picture
10: side view]
4) Smooth the cut surface (wood and copper) and the outer edge
of the pipe using first the large flat file, then the
sandpaper.
5) Blow off all loose dust and clean out the wind channel.
6) Mix a good two-part epoxy and spread it carefully over the
exposed wooden end of the fipple and the exposed edges of
the copper pipe. In choosing the epoxy, remember that this
stuff (when hardened) will be going into your mouth. It
should be about the consistency of honey (which is not very
easy to control). You want to apply enough so that it will
mound up, creating a nice, smooth surface, but not so much
that it will flow off the wood into the wind channel or down
the sides of the fipple. Set the fipple so that that the
wooden surface is level as possible and let the epoxy harden
overnight. If a little epoxy flows onto the sides of the
fipple you may be able to flake it off with a screwdriver.
7) Attach the copper connector sleeve permanently to the
fipple: Use the punch to make dents in either side of the
sleeve, where it contacts the lower end of the fipple.
8) Your fipple is now complete! (except for the polishing).
III. Tuning the whistle
------------------
A. If you haven't already done so, cut a 23.3 cm length of
copper pipe (better to be slightly too long than too short!)
and smooth the ends.
B. Slide your fipple onto one end of the 23.3 cm pipe. Now blow
gently and steadily into the fipple. After the copper pipe
has warmed up to your breath, check the note you get using a
tuner or electronic keyboard. (It should be a "D", one
octave above "middle C.")
C. If your D is in tune, great! Continue to step D below.
1) If the whistle is a bit flat, you need to shorten the main
tube, a little bit at a time, until it comes into tune
(better to cut off too little than too much).
2) If the whistle is just a little bit sharp, try pulling the
fipple out slightly. If you can bring the note into tune
without pulling the fipple out too far (no more than 3 mm),
make a mark on the main tube showing how far out the fipple
should be for correct tuning. **Important: Each time you
check the tuning of a note, make sure the fipple is slid out
to this same spot.
Note:If the fipple won't stay in one place because the
connector is loose, cover the connector with a cloth
and tap on it with a hammer to put it slightly out of
round. This should make it hold more tightly onto the
main pipe.
3) If the whistle is very sharp, it probably wants to be an
E-flat whistle instead of a D whistle. If you want a D
whistle, cut a new (longer!) piece of copper pipe.
Note.If you want an E-flat whistle, keep cutting off short
pieces of pipe until you get a low note of E-flat. Then
use the hole distance ratios below to figure out where
the holes should go (the hole sizes will change also...
remember to start small).
D. Use a ruler and permanent marker to make marks at the
following distances from one end (the bottom) of the
whistle. My apologies for the mixed unit systems.
Note Hole Distance Proportion Diam.
==================================================
E Hole 1: 4.7 cm 0.177 3/16"
F Hole 2: 7.2 cm 0.272 9/32"
G Hole 3: 8.6 cm 0.324 1/8"
A Hole 4: 11.2 cm 0.423 7/32"
B Hole 5: 13.1 cm 0.494 1/4"
C Hole 6: 15.0 cm 0.566 1/4"
Notes:
1) The ratio labeled "Proportion" in this table is the
distance from the bottom of the whistle to the center
of the finger hole divided by the total acoustic length
of the whistle (the distance from the bottom of the
whistle to the lower edge of the fipple hole--in this
case, 26.5 cm).
2) This table lists just one possible set of hole
positions and sizes. Many different position/size
combinations are possible. See the "Notes on
Tuning" below for suggestions on how to adjust
these factors to create your own hole
arrangements.
E. Use a punch to make pilot "dents" to guide the drill bit at
each of the distances listed in the table above.
F. Starting with Hole 1 (the mark closest to the bottom of the
whistle), drill a hole 1/16" smaller than the diameter shown
in the table above. Use the rattail file to clean up any
large burrs from inside and outside of the hole.
G. Blow into the whistle with the hole covered. This should
give you your low D (in tune). Now lift your finger and play
the new note (low E). Check it against your tuning standard.
It will probably be a bit flat. If so, choose a drill bit
1/32" larger and open up the hole slightly. Check the note
again. Remember that if you open the hole too wide (creating
a note that is too sharp), there is no easy way to make the
hole smaller again. See "Some notes on tuning" for details
H. When the first note is in tune, play the same note in the
upper octave, and check the tuning of this note as well.
I. Repeat this process for each of the holes, starting at the
lower end of the whistle and working your way up to the top.
Some notes on tuning:
---------------------
1) Always warm up the whistle before tuning it by blowing
through it for a few minutes.
2) Try to use the same breath pressure for all notes, so that a
note does not seem sharper or flatter just because you are
blowing differently. This is especially tricky for the
highest notes (high A and above), which often have to be
blown harder to keep from being flat.
3) Try each note in both the low and high octave. In some cases
you may have to compromise on hole size and placement.
4) For the higher notes (A and B especially), you will have to
work out a compromise because they will play rather flat in
the high octave unless you open them up a bit wider than
would be optimum for the lower octave. This may be something
that might be solved by optimizing the hole placement, but I
have not yet found any placement that will completely
eliminate the problem.
General Principles of Tuning:
-----------------------------
1) The tone of any given note is controlled primarily by the
size of the uppermost open hole and it's position on the
whistle. It is also affected by all the open (or closed)
holes below it. This is why you always drill holes and tune
the notes starting at the bottom of the whistle.
2) If you want to make a hole slightly larger, but don't have a
drill bit of the next size up, you can use your existing bit
to widen the hole (sideways or up the whistle). However, the
resulting holes won't look as neat, and you need to make
sure you can still easily cover them with your fingers.
3) The larger the hole, the sharper the note. Thus, enlarging a
hole makes the note sharper. Making a hole smaller yields a
flatter note.
4) The higher up the whistle a hole is, the sharper the note
will be. Thus, moving a hole up the whistle makes it
sharper. Moving a hole down the whistle makes a flatter
note.
5) Given the above, if you want to make a whistle with
larger holes, you will have to move all the holes down
a bit. This applies to individual holes as well--if you
move a hole down, you have to make it larger to get the
correct note.
6) Also given the above, if you want to make a whistle with
smaller holes, you will have to move all the holes down a
bit. This applies to individual holes as well--if you move a
hole down, you have to make it larger to get the correct
note.
7) There is no way to use hole size and placement (alone) to
compensate for a whistle that is cut too short or too
long--the tonic note will always be off.
8) Smaller finger holes make for a more quick, responsive
whistle, but they also make a quieter whistle. Conversely,
larger finger holes make a louder whistle (and perhaps one
with a mellower tone), but it won't feel as "quick" or
"lively."
J. When you have all made and tuned all six holes, use the
rat-tail file to clean up any remaining burrs from inside
and outside the holes. Then take a small piece of sandpaper
and wrap it into the shape of a small cone (about the size
of a pencil tip). Work this around in each of the finger
holes to smooth them out, until they feel good on your
fingers. Start with 80- or 120-grit and move up to 180- or
220-grit.
K. Congratulations! You now have your own copper pennywhistle.
It may not have the same tone of the store-bought models,
but it has your spirit in it... (And you can make others in
different keys, if you need them.)
IV. Finishing the whistle
---------------------
After you have finished all tuning and shaping, you are
ready to make the whistle shine. The trick is to keep
that shine on the copper for more than a day. I'm sure
there are other ways to do this, but here is one that I
have worked out. I highly recommend using a DUST MASK
for this stage of the process, even if you haven't used
one for previous steps. After all, a wind player's most
important asset is his or her lungs...
A. Start by buffing the entire whistle with an
extra-fine-textured green plastic scouring pad (e.g.
scotch-brite). Use this pad to work out any gouges or
sandpaper scratches and to do final smoothing around the
edge of the finger holes. Work on the fipple too, but stay
away from the epoxy-coated area, which scratches easily.
Note:You can buff either parallel to the long-dimension
of the whistle or at right angles to it (by
twisting the pipe within the pad), but not both.
You get a different sheen depending which
direction you buff, and you can decide which you
like better...)
B. Now buff the entire whistle again using extra fine (000)
steel wool. Buff in the same direction that you used with
the plastic pad, and stay away from the epoxy. When you are
done, you should have a really nice shine. While you are
doing this final polishing, wear gloves or hold the whistle
in a cloth to avoid getting fingerprints on it.
C. When you are done buffing, wipe off the entire whistle with
a clean paper towel or cloth.
D. To keep the shine for more than a day, I have found that
several coats of a hard wax finish works best. Right now I
am using Minwax wood finish. I apply at least three coats,
letting each coat dry (about 10-15 min) and then buffing it
out with a soft cloth before applying the next coat.
I generally do not wax the part of the fipple that goes in
my mouth, so the copper in this area ends up turning brown.
The wax coating eventually wears through, especially where
fingers contact the whistle. At that point, you can buff it
out again (if necessary) and wax it again.
Note:I have tried finishing copper whistles with nut
oils, lacquer, and thin epoxy, but have found that
these finishes are much more of a hassle and take
longer to dry. Furthermore, with lacquer and epoxy
I have had adhesion problems. Other waxes, such as
car waxes, may also work, but I haven't done much
long-term testing with these.
Personally, I rather like the look of copper after it
darkens, and have experimented with various compounds
to create reddish or greenish patinas...
Instructions for making a copper pennywhistle
Kim Fulton-Bennett 1997
=======================================================
END
Kim Fulton-Bennett
Kim Fulton-Bennett
Kim Fulton-Bennett
Hello out there--
I am posting this in the hope that it may bring as much joy to some of you
whistlers as it has to me. I have taken Eric Reiswig's instructions for
making pennywhistles from copper pipe, and have modified them so that the
process requires less fipple carving. Anyhow, I tried to post these
instructions here in ASCII form (no pictures), but my news server gagged.
GSC Conference
Good work! I like the nice detailed diagrams!
=chow
Roger Fulton
It looks pretty good, but there's a reference to a graphic
(http://www.geocities.com/SoHo/Lofts/6611/fipplcut.gif)
that's missing.
--
Roger Fulton
rog...@wrq.com
Charlotte A. Gilmour
Hi,
These are great instructions aren't they? But there are more pics than
just that one. We read that old bone flutes have been found in Ireland,
etc. so we are going to try to improvise these instructions to make a
whistle out of bone (the modern bone whistles are made from turkey legs!)
we will probably also experiment with the copper and other mediums.
Anyway, I didn't print it from the newsgroup, I went straight to the source
and the graphics are great, one should have no trouble making these! anyway
go here:
http://www.geocities.com/SoHo/Lofts/6611/makewhis.htm
This will get you the entire set of instructions. Also we would like to
thank the original poster of this thread, we needed this stuff!
Most Sincerely,
Charlotte and Charles
(Tearlag & Tearlach)
Roger Fulton <rog...@wrq.com> wrote in article
<5fibl1$h88$1...@wrqnews.wrq.com>...