Watch the complete MADE HERE
video series on YouTube.For a referee’s whistle, brass strips are cut into three
pieces—back, side, and knob—using an 80-ton press. The
trio are tied together by hand and then soldered from the inside
using an electromagnetic field from an induction coil, sealing the
joints. After that, the whistle is soaked in nickel solution, and an
electric current coats the brass with nickel.HOW
IT’S
DONE
A
WHISTLE’S SOUND IS MORE
than a noise. It’s a sound of
authority. It’s a distinctive
message, whether that’s a
warning, a penalty, a call
for help, or a sound among
an orchestra.
It’s something I never knew when
I first started at ACME Whistles in
sales in 1982. I was fortunate enough
to take over a decade later, and before
and after that time, we have always
strived for innovation in the many
markets we serve.
Today I might speak to a top ref-
eree organization. Tomorrow I might
speak with police and security peo-
ple. Then bands and orchestras. Then
dog trainers. It makes for a very inter-
esting and varied life because you get
a wide variety of products that are
essential for a person’s duty.
Because people often want new
sounds, we constantly get to inno-
vate. We made whistles for the
Titanic, we made whistles for World
War I to be heard in the trenches,
and we will continue to fashion new
whistles because there will always be
a need for an authoritative sound in
many disciplines that only a whistle
can provide. After 150 years, we’re
still reinventing the whistle.MADE HERE
88 November/December 202013
// SIMON TOPMAN, 66, MANAGING DIRECTOR OF ACME WHISTLES, BIRMINGHAM, ENGLAND //OLIVER^ HODGES/POPMECHVIDEO