How to Make a Penny Whistle
The penny whistle is a form of fipple flute, which was first manufactured in 18th century England. Fipple flutes are a class of wind instruments named for their unique mouthpiece, called a fipple. A man named Clark began creating small whistles from tin as a means to support himself, and sold the whistles for a penny. It is from this that the name penny whistle is derived. Traditionally these whistles are made in the key of D, but their pitch can be adjusted by altering the pipe length, hole position, and hole size, or pipe diameter. You can make your own penny whistle from almost any soft metal pipe.
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Things You'll Need
- 9/16 inch dowel rod
- 12 inches of 9/16 copper, tin or brass pipe
- Flat file 1/8 inch or smaller
- Round file 1/8 inch or smaller
- 3/16 inch drill bit
- 13/64 inch drill bit
- 15/64 inch drill bit
- 17/64 inch drill bit
- Paper tape (optional)
- Sand paper
- Pen or Permanent Marker.
- Electric Drill
Instructions
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1
Begin by outlining the holes in the pipe. You can write directly on the pipe with a permanent marker, or run tape down the pipe and write on the tape. A penny whistle has 7 holes, a window and 6 fingering positions. The window is a rectangle 1/3 inch wide and 1/6 inch tall. Draw this rectangle 7/8 of an inch from the top of the pipe. The placement for the finger holes should be measured from the bottom of the pipe and spaced as follows: 42.5mm, 70.5mm, 92.5mm, 116.5mm, 140.5mm and 153.5 mm. Measurements are given in millimeters (mm), rather than fractions of an inch, to insure accuracy. Finger hole placement determines the pipe's pitch, and it is crucial that they are measured exactly.
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2
Cut away the window and drill out the holes as marked. Fingering holes do not all have the same diameter. Starting at the top of the pipe, the first finger hole should be drilled to a final diameter of 13/64 inch, the second and third hole to 15/64, the fourth hole to 3/16, and the fifth and sixth hole to 17/64.
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3
File all 7 holes to remove metal burs, and smooth the edges. Use the round file for the finger holes, and a flat file on the window.
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4
Sand the dowel rod so it will easily slide inside the pipe. You should be able to push the dowel rod into the end of the pipe with your bare hands. Do not, under any circumstances, hammer the dowel rod into the pipe. This could distort the shape of the pipe or cause it to crack.
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5
Cut a one inch length of the dowel rod, when it has been sanded down to size. This one inch section will be the plug in the end of your pipe.
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6
Sand the plug further to flatten one side. This will open an air passage for the mouthpiece. Remove approximately 3/32 of an inch from the face, or one of the rounded sides, of the plug.
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7
Cover the rounded faces of the plug with a thin coat of glue. Then push the plug into the end of the pipe until it is flush with the end of the pipe. Make sure that the plug does not cover the window. If it does it will need to be cut or sanded so that it is short enough to both stop above the window and lay flush with the top of the pipe.
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8
Cut the pipe and wooden plug to create a mouthpiece. The angle of the mouthpiece should be close to 45 degrees, but does not have to be exact. Use a rasp and sand paper to clean up the cut edge, removing all splinters, burs and irregularities to make the edge create soft and smooth.
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9
Push down the face of the pipe immediately below the window to create a lip. The upper edge of the lip should be in line with the center of the air passage in the mouthpiece. Push the edge gently down, making minor adjustments, and checking the position often. Check the angle of the lip by looking down the mouth piece in the fipple. When the lip is correctly aligned it should bisect the shaft of light entering the airway.
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