Hermit Hill Folk Instruments & Bijouterie

05/30/2026

Here's the video sample of the Alto Brass Session whistle set:

This is a video demonstration of a newly completed Alto Brass Session Tinwhistle set made here at Hermit Hill Folk Instruments. It features a brass mouthpiec...

05/29/2026

Friday finish for the Alto Brass Session whistle set:

The order is all finished up now. The HHFI logo is etched in, the key signatures stamped in, backgrounds blacked, and tge brass is all polished up. Also sewed up a custom 3 pocket case to store the whistle set unassembled. Will try and get a video made tomorrow for it.

05/29/2026

Thursday update for tge Alto Brass Session whistle set:

Didn't have a lot of time today to work on this order since one thing kept coming up after another. I did get the plug turned down and cut to size and have the mouthpiece tube engraving done. Also staked and ground down the curved beaks on the mouthpiece. Hopefully will be able to wrap the rest of this one up tomorrow.

05/27/2026

Hopefully everyone had a great memorial day. Started up work on a few of the back orders, one being a Phantom high D that was finished up and sent out yesterday and started up work on a custom Brass Session Alto Whistle set today.

This one will be an Alto G with an extra Alto B body tube, a brass mouthpiece tube with Celtic knot engraving, and per request a more curved beaks instead of my standard straight angle.

Have the metal pieces all cut, the head piece bored out for the tuning slide, the windway and ramp milled out, and the toneholes for both body tubes drilled out and deburred. Will be getting the plug turned down and the engravingvdone for the mouthpiece tube next, and can work on getting all the final assembly done from there.

05/23/2026

Wishing everyone a Happy Memorial Day weekend. Here's an appropriate tune for the occasion marking the completion of the preop order set!

This is a video demonstration of a recently completed set of whistles that a customer ordered. It includes two Phantom Pro whistles in Low E and High E, and ...

05/22/2026

Thursday update for the preop order:

Have the whistles mostly finished now after milling out the windways and ramps, drilling and deburring the toneholes, and prepping and gluing all the fittings. All that is left to do now is to stake and cut the beak on the mouthpiece, polish up all the plastic, add on some new key signatures decals, and sew up the cases.

05/20/2026

Wednesday update for the preop order:

Have all the tuning slides bored out, all the fipple/mouthpiece tube steps cut in, and all the steps for the ferrules cut into all the pieces. Will be able to start all the mill work next for the windways next.

05/19/2026

Tuesday update for the preop order:

Have all the remaining pieces ready for the four tunable PVC whistles. The ring ferrules in the two sizes are all formed, separated, deburred, and polished. Turned down and cut the fipple plugs all to length. Last but not least cut the tuning slides to length, etched in the HHFI logos, and polished them up.

Will be getting the remaining lathe and mill work going next.

05/18/2026

Continuing on the pre-operation order:

Have 3 of the 7 whistles finished now: the bass A, Phantom Pro High E, and Phantom Pro Low E.

The PVC pieces are all cut out to length for the Low C, Low C #, Alto G, and Alto F # whistles along with getting the mouthpiece tubes bored out for each. Need to get the brass ringvferrules for the lot formed and cut out, the tuning slides cut out, and remaining lathe and millwork next.

05/02/2026

May 18th update:

I'm back up and running again more or less. Recovery definitely took a bit longer since I had a fairly severe reaction between the pain killers and muscle relaxants thst were prescribed and then had a heck of a rebound after I stopped taking them...

That said I'm still on light lifting duty only for about the next month (no more than 10lbs). I had tried to set everything up in the shop before the surgery so I wouldn't to move much or bug family for help, so orders can start up again.

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Saturday update:

I'm out of the hospital now, the hernia operation is done but not without turning into a much bigger one than originally anticipated. Had to spend the night at the hospital afterwards and going to be laid up for a little while longer on recovery. Probably going to be a week or so before I can continue on orders.