Chiff and Fipple Forums

Well, many years ago, I made jewelry for a living, including the lapidary (stone cutting) work. I like doodads and tinkle-tankles, as my old Prussian friend Otto would put it.

One of the things I find most interesting in the commentary above, and from my friend Paul Busman, is the common thread of simplicity, and a desire to allow the whistle to attain the patina of age. That is totally at odds with the jeweller in me. I don't want fingerprints or tarnish. I want sparkle and snap! I don't want plain metal. I want bright colours on a high-polish background! From the consensus of the posts thus far, I am totally out of step with what the players want!

And I suppose that I shouldn't be surprised. There were few people who ordered the engraved high-polish copper whistles from me at Renaissance Faire. The Village Smithy, OTOH, was a heavy-duty seller.

Please, fellow C&F-ers, carry on. Continue to let me know what you think!

Best,
Bill Whedon

On 2002-11-26 00:02, serpent wrote:
Paul Busman, is the common thread of simplicity, and a desire to allow the whistle to attain the patina of age.

Not all of us like the tarnished look(or "patina" if you prefer). My brass whistles are all tarnished because I'm too lazy to spend time polishing up a cheap whistle. But when I had my Copleand low D, polishing was part of the regular routine. I like the look of my Burke because it's all shiny and has nice lines.

Each person has different tastes, though I'd be hard pressed to tell what the "average consumer" wanted based upon what we read in here.

Apparently someone routinely buys Copelands, tattoos them and sends them for a profit on E-bay.

Also, aren't they some shamrock-like PVC and/or plastic whistles ?

Now, Bill, what I'd really like is a high C totally covered with cloisonné enamel. Hey, you can make it simple, and solder the little walls out of German silver, not sterling.

Use same idea to make Fabergé Ocarinas, egg-shaped : Russians will buy the out for Easter. But then you have to make it's solid silver. Or gold. :roll:

Bill, I'll be dead serious this time. :razz:oker-face:

AS a jeweller you should know. How do you call the material obtained when coating sterling silver with a thin translucent gold plate ? It brings fantastic moiré-like reflections ; it definitily looks more complex than either solid metal and does not tarnish.
I was used a lot inside cups and tumblers, because of the taste interaction between silver and some beverages, but also forks and spoons.

How does one say in English ? Just "silver gilt"? Sounds awfully plain for such a nice material, eventhough it's very much out of fashion. In French we say "vermeil" which also describes a shade of red as your "vermilion".

As most here, I prefer clean surfaces, but I'd pay a premium for that surface treatment. On a very good whistle, of cause.


<font size=-1>[ This Message was edited by: Zubivka on 2002-11-26 04:32 ]</font>

Throw a couple tassels on it, and you could market to the "I want one of those flutes like Cap'n Picard played" crowd.

My thought is that visual aesthetic is kind of a niche market. Varied lines for varied customers.

There is something stiking in the beautiful woods Paul Busman uses. And Elfsong whistles also appeal to another aspect, with their elegant shape and nice colors. For those desiring more of a classic fipple flute look, the wooden whistles by Ralph Sweet and Adler are visually appealing. The symmetry and polished brass of Copelands and Hoovers are visually striking, with no embellishment.

Well, given the weight of tube I use (0.040"), you could prolly polish till Hell froze over and not wear through it. That said, use of "normal" brass polish isn't IMO a Good Idea. The gunk that's used as a carrier tends to get into cracks and crevices, maybe even the edges of the windway. Yuck! It's also pretty abrasive.

One thing I used to send out with my larger jewelry pieces, was a bit of chamois rubbed with rouge. Later, I sent cotton flannel because it seemed not to hold on to bits of grit quite so much. Assuming the owner hadn't let the piece get too nasty, all it took was a quick wipe. That would also work on the whistles.

Before the discussions I had with Paul, et al, and before I heard about allergy probs with the stuff, I was coating all my whistles with lacquer. I used the Rust-Oleum brand, which is pretty durn durable, yet easily removable with lacquer thinner for a re-coat if needed. It's not a big deal to do that - think I should offer it as an option? The whistle I just got back from Jessie is still as shiny-bright as the day I sent it.

Zoober, you are a piece of work! Your new vermeil St. Petersburg cloisonne' whistle (should I do plique a jour over the finger holes?) will be ready for Christmas. 2023 or so.

Somewhere around, I do still have some plating equipment, and could likely gold or palladium plate areas, possibly whole whistles, if people really, really wanted it. But I don't think I'll get too many things going before the New Year. Having fun keeping up with the plain ones, at the moment! When I get time to do the colour on an actual whistle, I'll post a piccie to the website and let ya know. For now, I'm holding off, mostly thanks to comments here.

Cheers, keep 'em comin'!!
Bill Whedon