Why shouldn't pipes whistle?

[DMI]

Having just finished a 3/4 bent which whistles I was wondering why or what the problems are with whistling pipes.

David.

[Sasquatch]

Here's the theory, as far as I understand it.

You get a whistling noise by trapping some air in a turbulent (read: spinning) area. I'm not sure exactly why, but there's a resonance frequency associated with that - probably a mixture of chamber size and speed of flow (some kind of cycling has to be happening to cause a harmonic).

In short, if a pipe whistles, the mechanics are turbulent somewhere. This can be as simple as having a little snag of wood where the airway hits the chamber, or it could be that you have some kind of chamber, or gap, that needs smoothing out.

Usually if you bevel the tenon end a little bit concave, it takes care of a lot of issues.

Oh, and if the next question is "what's wrong with turbulent air flow" the answer is that you are more likely to condense any liquid that the smoke is carrying or made up of (this is what the Peterson System does intentionally).

[Sasquatch]

I'll bet if you sucked really really hard you could get most pipes to whistle eventually.

[DMI]

I understand the turbulance and airflow etc bit.

The whistle must be at the airway/chamber junction as the rest of the airway is as per normal with a recessed end to the mortice and slow taper from chamber to bit (3.75mm-1.5mm) with no gaps.

I'll have a delicate play in the morning.

'I'll bet if you sucked really really hard you could get most pipes to whistle eventually.'- yes but would they be smiling?

Ta SAS.

David.

[RadDavis]

The biggest problem with it is that it's really, really annoying.

It's also a sign that something ain't right in the airway, usually at the button end.

Rad

[Sasquatch]

Maybe you should cut your stems better, Rad.

[TRS]

The biggest problem with it is that it's really, really annoying.

It's also a sign that something ain't right in the airway, usually at the button end.

Rad

Are you talking about whistling pipes or Todd?

[DMI]

So I tidied up the airway/chamber junction with a dremmel bit in a pin vice, checked the airway in the stummel and cleaned the airway in the stem with a pipe cleaner and cutting compound and opened the slot a bit more.

Still whistles.

David.

[wdteipen]

Then maybe you could sell it as a whistle. FWIW, Google Translate translates 'pipe' to 'whistle' from German to English.

[DMI]

Google Translate translates 'pipe' to 'whistle' from German to English.

And you have no idea how annoying that can be when you buy estate pipes on ebay Germany, I've got into the habit of typing pfiefe into the English version before translating.

David.

[RadDavis]

In French, the word for pipe also translates to blowjob.

Rad

[DMI]

Hence my comment to SAS.

[RadDavis]

You might try taking the stem off the pipe and drawing on both it and the shank. Then you know which part the whistle is in.

Rad

[DMI]

The stem!

[RadDavis]

Told ya!

I bet it's in the button end.

Rad

[Charl]

OK, goody2shoes!

[andrew]

I had a problem with the button whistling until I tapered my airway drill bits down more at the tip (almost to a needle point, but not quite). The factory tapered bits I was using didn't quite make it down to 1/16" and a tiny lip was created right at the point where the slot turns into the drilled airway (I guess the slot is part of the airway, but you get the idea).

[staffwalker]

I test all my stems with a 6mm cleaner (fluffy), if one won't go through then that stem will likely whistle. If you can't get one through open it up until you can and I'll bet the whistle stops. bob gilbert

[SchmidtN]

The stem!

Now cut it in half to see if it's the tenon end or the button end!

(Don't really cut the stem in half)