Whistling while they work
Whistles await cases and lanyards.
“Of course, we don’t make one whistle, we make thousands,” says factory owner Ray Giesse as a tour group looked at the production process.
It may be heavy-duty and weigh tons, but whistle factory owner Ray Giesse describes his die press as a type of cookie cutter.
Bent brass shows a whistle in progress.
Ray Giesse, whistle factory owner with his Havanese, Lucy, says dog trainers prefer a whistle that can be heard by both canines and humans.
People have been tweeting long before there was Twitter.
The ear-splitting THWEEEEEET! of the whistle quickly gets anyone’s attention, whether on the football field, swimming pool or attempts to unsnarl a traffic jam.
Millions of those shrill alerts originate from devices made by American Whistle Corp. in Worthington, Ohio, near Columbus. Not only can a visitor tour the factory, but the tourist gets to meet the owner, Ray Giesse, an ambassador for the whistle.
Giesse doesn’t delegate factory tours to an underling. When going through American Whistle, you’re dealing with the top man, who is equipped not only with a whistle but a portable public address system.
The firm was founded in 1956 as Colsoff Manufacturing, and Giesse has been the owner since March 1988, changing the name to American Whistle Corp.
“When I bought the company, it was virtually out of business,” Giesse says. “I didn’t turn a profit for seven years. I was winging it. If I knew what I was doing, I probably wouldn’t have done it. It’s probably the craziest thing I’ve ever done in my life, but it worked out fine. It’s a fun business.”
American Whistle encapsulates a century of manufacturing from its vintage but hulking die press to its high-tech, custom-made, robotic soldering machine.
Giesse likened the press to a giant cookie cutter as it stamps the basic whistle shape from coils of brass strips. The machine produces what looks like a rectangle with Mickey Mouse ears, and that shape is soldered in eight separate places.
Then there’s a trip through the vibratory chamber, which burnishes the finish so it shines brightly. A robot, controlled by a human, goes to work.
To streamline whistle manufacturing, the designer of the soldering operation, mechanical engineer Ray Kannal, studied the process for nine months before he ordered the robot’s first part. “It took two-and-a-half years from start to finish, and he started it when he was about 72,” Giesse says.
The little ball inside the whistle doesn’t produce the tweet. Known as a “pea,” it regulates pitch. And the whistle’s not built around it. An employee compresses the ball and it slips right inside.
American Whistle Corp. employs nine people, and its blister-packaged product, sold by the world’s largest retailer and others, bears the words, “Crafted with pride in the U.S.A.”
According to the American Whistle Corp. website, “The modern era of whistle use began in 1878 when a whistle was first blown by a referee during a sporting event. An English toolmaker – who was fascinated with whistles – fashioned a brass instrument that was used in a match at the Nottingham Forest (Soccer) Club. This device was found to be superior to the usual referee’s signal of waving a handkerchief.”
American Whistle advocates them as a safety device. Besides police directing traffic, who uses whistles? Coaches, referees, boaters, lifeguards, dog trainers, scuba divers and snorkelers, campers and hikers, to name a few, because their sound carries farther than the human voice and, unlike vocal cords, doesn’t become hoarse or silenced by laryngitis.
“Carry a whistle on your key ring,” Giesse says. “Any policeman will tell you it’s a good idea.”
As to the claim that American is the only whistle made in the United States, Giesse says, “I asked the old owner before I put an offer in to buy the company.” He responded, “I’ve been doing this since 1956, and I’ve never run into another U.S. manufacturer.”
He acknowledged there are many foreign competitors, some of whom use all plastic, not brass. But at trade shows, for example, he has never come across anyone else in the United States making whistles.
American Whistle Corporation’s tours are scheduled in advance for groups of 15 or more. Those with fewer than 15 people will be added to an existing tour. To check availability and make a reservation, call 800-876-2918.