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Whistle instrument care

Brass Tuning Slide Tension Adjustment

0 CommentsFriday • May 27, 2022 • by Mk Admin

Note: this applies only to brass tuning slides.

If you find that your brass tuning slide is a little loose you can tension it to exactly how you would like it…

To adjust tuning slide tension you are looking to gently squeeze the brass slide at the end.

If you have access to a vice, this is usually the best way of doing this (with some folded paper or paper towel to protect the brass/slide from the vice jaws).  It doesn’t have to be a vice but it is the most precise method, so we would suggest visiting a friend with a vice before trying to make do with an old set of pliers, although wide jawed pliers should work also.

We usually recommend squeezing the sides rather than top and bottom – top and bottom would loosen it if you happened to over tension it.  Best to start gently and try the slide after each squeeze to check tension.  The first few times there may be no difference – but that’s fine – better to under-do it and build up than over-do it.  You should be able to get it really nice and some slide grease should help make the seal at the end.

On mk pro whistles the brass tenon protudes from the bodytube on D, E, F and F# whistles, and from the head of mk pro G whistles.

mk whistle tuning slide being gently squeezed in vice to adjust tension

mk whistle tuning slide being gently squeezed in vice to adjust tension.

 

 

 

Posted in: MK DESIGN BLOG, MK MUSIC BLOG, Whistle instrument care

Tagged with: brass, instrument care, Low Whistle, tuning slide, whistle care

Low Whistle Clogging

0 CommentsFriday • September 10, 2021 • by Mk Admin

Clogging can be an issue for some whistle players.  Because of this we have spent a lot of time creating whistles that are as ‘clog-free’ as possible.  Even still, it can occasionally be an issue for some people – please get in touch with us if this is you! Everyone carries moisture in their breath, but some more than others, and this can condense in the airway forming moisture droplets which interrupt the air-stream and cause air noise.

How do I know the issue is clogging?

Usually it develops over the course of  a few minutes after starting to play.  So if the whistle plays fine when you first pick it up, but then you start getting air-noise after a few minutes, then this is almost certainly because the moisture has been building up.  Temperature may also have an affect.  If the airnoise is more consistent i.e present every time you blow from the moment you pick-up the whistle, then the source of the issue may lie with something else.

What can I do about it?  

The good news is that there are a few things you can try.  A watery solution that we can provide, called ‘anticondense’, can be sprayed onto the surfaces at the end of airway (please see photo).  We don’t have this available to buy at the moment but please get in touch ( info @ mkwhistles.com) if you would like some.    This causes the moisture to form in a thin layer, rather than a droplet (for those with technical know-how this is releases the ‘surface tension’).  It should be applied when the instrument is dry and then allowed to dry before playing.  In most cases this does help a good deal, and it is worth experimenting with.

The problem may improve over time

Do bear in mind that some whistle makes are better than others for clogging – so it may be with experimenting.  It’s also true that players tend to push more moisture through the airway when they are in the early stages of learning.    We have worked very hard to make mk whistles free from clogging – with clever design of the airway.   If you do still get clogging issues then please get in touch !  It is so rarely we come across someone with clogging issues that we’d love to hear from you and work with you to resolve the issue.

 

Posted in: MK MUSIC BLOG, tips & tricks, Whistle instrument care

Tagged with: anticondense, antikondense, clog, clogging, Low Whistle, moisture, penny whistle, tin whistle, whistle

Cleaning kit

0 CommentsSaturday • February 20, 2021 • by Mk Admin

We have recently released a new cleaning kit designed specifically for low whistles which is available to buy through Amazon in the UK, EU and US.  If you are visiting this page, it’s very likely you have already purchased one!

 

Shows a cleaning kit for a tunable or non-tunable low whistle.

 

Here’s a brief summary of the contents of the kit and its uses:-

Modular cleaning mop – this is a unique extendable cleaning mop developed by us for cleaning tunable and non-tunable low whistles.  The head is replaceable and the handle should last a life-time.

Wistol cleaning and sterilising solution – a spray-on solution for cleaning and sterilising.  Generally we would recommended using a spray on solution like this, which can be applied to the cleaning mop, cotton buds, or directly to a surface, instead of submerging ant part of a whistle in a liquid (e.g. soapy water).   Water can promote biological growth, whereas a sterilising solution has the opposite effect.

Cotton buds – for cleaning the inside of the mouthpiece in conjunction with the cleaning solution

A tube of tuning slide grease to keep the tuning slide lubricated and moving freely.

A simple yet innovative tapered felt pull-through for clearing the airway.  After playing for a little while, the narrower end of the pull-through should be threaded through the airway, and run backwards and forwards along the length of the felt.  A little Wistol cleaning solution may also be used – apply by spraying at a close distance onto the felt.

If you’d like to see a video of us demonstrating how to use the different parts of the cleaning kit, then let us know by leaving a comment below.    We also welcome feedback to info@mkwhistles.com.

Posted in: Whistle instrument care

Faulty Wistol Container

0 CommentsSunday • February 14, 2021 • by Mk Admin

For those that have purchased one of the new cleaning kits, a small number of the bottles of Wistol are defective.  If you are one of the unlucky people to happen to have received one of these, please don’t hesitate to get in touch to get a replacement!

Posted in: Whistle instrument care

New roll bag on it’s way!

0 CommentsFriday • September 28, 2012 • by Mk Admin

image

Posted in: Mk developments, MK MUSIC BLOG, New Developments in Whistle Making, Toob, Whistle instrument care

Stuck low whistle tuning slide

0 CommentsSunday • June 10, 2012 • by Mk Admin

How to fix a seized whistle tuning slide

(please note this applies to metal tin whistles and low whistles -not wooden ones).

A seized tuning slide has long been a problem on many woodwind instruments.  I thought I’d take the time to talk through the ins and outs of seized tuning slides – an age old curse of woodwind musicians including low whistle players.

First I feel it’s worth mentioning that the best solution is to prevent the tuning slide seizing in the first place – as obvious as it might be to say so!   Contrary to popular belief tuning slides rarely, if ever, seize as a result of dirt getting trapped in the slide.  The two parts actually get stuck because the surface of metals corrodes as it reacts with air – in a similar process to steel rusting.  This reaction on the surface of the two adjacent and touching parts causes the parts to fuse together.  Some metals suffer more from this phenomenon than others.  Aluminium or steel are quite reactive in air and therefore fuse relatively quickly.  Brass and titanium are relatively stable (or ‘inert’) in air and will therefore take much longer to react.

The simplest way of stopping the two parts seizing together is to stop the reaction at the surface of the metal.  This is where tuning slide grease (or cork grease) comes in very useful – it coats the surface of the parts and creates a barrier between them and the air, hence stopping the reaction.  The handy thing is that putting a little on can last for long time.

So you have a seized tuning slide?

The tuning slide on your prized music instrument is seized – what should you do?  The first thing to remember is don’t panic!  …or start twisting it with massive pliers or hitting it off things in a blind rage!  The trick is to break the bond which has developed from the corrosion.

Rather than reaching straight for a huge wrench, it’s best to try more gentle methods first and build up from there.

One of the first things to try is a little lubricant like WD40.   Leave it for a while to penetrate after dropping a few drips down between the two brass parts of the slide.  Any excess can be cleaned off with a alcohol based cleaner – e.g. IPA or Meths – before trying to rotate the parts.

If this hasn’t worked then applying some heat may work.  By far the best way of applying heat is with a heat gun, but this should be done very gently so as to avoid any damage.  It can be better to start with a hair dryer which will be a more gentle source of heat, and work up from there.  In any case care should be taken not to burn your hands.   We really only want to heat the outside tube so that it expands and breaks the seal.   The seal can be checked by rotating, using fabric or gloves to protect your hands.

In extreme cases, where you don’t have access to a heat gun, using a blowtorch at a distance and sparingly will break the seal, though many would prefer to send the instrument to an instrument maker before reaching this point!

Of course once you’ve unstuck the tuning slide, make sure to keep some grease on it so it doesn’t happen again!

 

Posted in: MK DESIGN BLOG, MK MUSIC BLOG, Notes from the workshop, Whistle instrument care

Tagged with: cork grease, grease, low, sieze, siezed, slide, slide grease, stuck, tin whistles, tunable, tune, tuning, tuning slide, tuning slides, unstick, whistle, whistle players, whistle tuning slide, woodwind instruments, woodwind musicians




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