The Flute Maker - My activities in making Pennywhistles

[tyiam]

Thanks Andy...
I hope the info on my web site is of value to anyone who is interested in making #Pennywhistle #flutes. It has been a learning process and I have had allot of help from Ireland to Australia... thanks to the web.

An example of solving a problem is.... “boring a hole through a 12" long billet “-- I have 12 different ways to bore a hole through wood... but only until I invested in a “gun drill” did I find the best solution.

From my experience... buy the best tools you can afford. Making a #Penny #Whistle #instrument is a very precise task and good equipment will support you.

-Ty

[tyiam]

Finding the center so that we can drill through the molds. Using a squared end mill because inside the mold is slanted near the bottom... The a drill was used to bore through the mold. A reamer was used to clean up the sides of the hole. The side pulls were slipped into place and pushed together... for a perfect alignment. When this section is pulled open a small pin pushed the fipple out and it falls down and another cycle begins. The top and bottom are slipped together... the rods are what open and close the center rod that is inside the fipple. After the mold is assembled the push pins are ground down flush... these push pin come out to eject the fipple and retract while the plastic is injected into the mold. The entire assemblage is put together and an injection plate is added to the top then it is ready to load into the injection mold machine. This is the very first run of the fipple mold. A short run of 12 Fipples are made and then minor adjustments are made to dial in a perfect piece. This takes some time depending on the result of this run will depend on what adjustments are made.

http://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Flute ... 908?ref=ts

[tyiam]

“I plan on getting a few of your whistles, before you discover you are selling them too cheap! Thanks Again - Smiles All Around  :-) Ed”
Several people have said I should raise my prices but ... money is not my motivation... I am aware that my flutes are truly a “quality/ value” but I would rather sell more Pennywhistle Flutes and have the joy and interplay with all my friends and new friends who support  me.   
Many thanks,
-Ty

[rmcraig]

Deleted by me -- too negative. Not the way I want to be.

[tyiam]

Hi Dick,
I just sent a full refund for both whistles you purchased... I am truly sorry for your bad experience with my whistles... I have had allot of positive feedback from many customers both professionally and new whistle players. I appreciate your honesty and it will make me work that much harder to improve my whistle making.

All the best,
-Ty

[tyiam]

“Ty... The pics on your site don't show off the wood detail that well. Perhaps in the future, you'll be able to rework your site to have a couple of  better, clear & sharp pics of each whistle. The pics now don't do them justice.”

Well I just received my new "Nikon AF-S MICRO NIKKOR 105mm1:2.8G ED Lens" and have replace all the photos on my web site. The #Pennywhistles look a little better but I plan on making the large picture of the whistle and > "when you click on it " > it makes an enlargement of that photo in full screen.  

Thanks for your suggestions,
-Ty

[rmcraig]

Hi Dick,
I just sent a full refund for both whistles you purchased... I am truly sorry for your bad experience with my whistles... I have had allot of positive feedback from many customers both professionally and new whistle players. I appreciate your honesty and it will make me work that much harder to improve my whistle making.

All the best,
-Ty

Tyrone,

All I can say is thank you. I wish you the best with your venture.

Dick

[tyiam]

Thank You! - Pavlos
Just sent out: #110A- Irish-Silver Fipple Verawood Whistle/Flute to PAVLOS T. in Athens, Greece + Free Shipping + Free Flute Bag

[JS]

Thanks for the whistle you sent Evan as part of your drawing. He's very pleased with it, and I'm very impressed with the workmanship, intonation, responsiveness, and nice mellow tone. Great work, Ty, and thank you for selecting Ev as one of your recipients.

Jordan

[tyiam]

Wise reminder from Chiff & Fipple...
Whistle Maker Colin Goldie (Overton) with this very sensible tip. If you buy an "Expensive" whistle, and are having some problem with it, DO NOT TRY TO FIX IT YOURSELF. SEND IT BACK TO THE MAKER OR VENDOR FOR REPAIR OR ADJUSTMENT. Before buying an Expensive whistle, by the way, you should always be clear that this is an option that will be available to you. If it isn't.. don't buy from that maker or vendor. Colin and I both have had many people tell us stories about ruining whistles by trying to "fix" them.

-- You should be able to receive a refund if you are not satisfied with your purchase.

[tyiam]

I am very excited.... I just put in an order for an Able Whistle / Standard (Key of D) , current waiting list is about three months long, as he only make whistles to order. "Chris Abell makes some of the finest whistles available. They play beautifully and they are arguably the most visually beautiful whistles on the market."

http://www.abellflute.com/

[tyiam]

Worked on improving the home page of the http://www.theflutemaker.com/ web site. Apparently two people did not know that you could “click” on the left hand section where it said 101, 102, 103, etc. and different #Whistle/ flutes would appear in the large window. I changed it to read “WHISTLE 101, WHISTLE 102, etc. and hopefully this will clear up any confusion.

[tyiam]

FREE WINE STOPPER for a sound clip or video. These wine stoppers are all custom made from exotic woods. (See Fb page photo & info) Have fun! You do not have to be a pro... the sound clip can be played by yourself, friend, or at a session. Send me a (Photo, age + sound clip) or (video) played on a Silver Fipple #Whistle/ Flute and I will send you a FREE Wine Stopper for each sound clip/ video you send... maximum of three stoppers. Please send your video or mp3 as an attachment directly to my email at tyiam@comcast.net. I look forward to hearing from you.

http://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Flute ... 908?ref=ts

[tyiam]

I purchased a new work light for the drill press. It really makes a difference when setting up the jig for drilling sound holes. After placing the flute in the jig.... I set the depth of the drill so that it would just go into the center of the flute tube. Each hole is drilled twice... the first time using one side of the jig... with a Brad Point drill bit... then after the plate is removed and turned around the same hole is drill precisely with a metal drill. Metal drill come in thousandths of an inch between sizes. After drilling the jig plate is removed and the #Pennywhistle can be taken out safely. Once all the #whistles/ #flutes are drill the holes need to be finished by hand.

http://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Flute ... 908?ref=ts

[brewerpaul]

Do you put a dowel into the bore before you drill? Helps keep the bradpoint from tearing wood out as it enters the bore. Don't know your bore size, but mine is .5% and a 1/2" dowel works perfectly. You can use the same dowel about 8 times by rotating it for each whistle, and flipping it over.