Update: I had originally hoped to use this “Open Source” model for designing, creating and procuring the fife mouthpiece, aka “cheater.” The idea was to get 3D modelers to contribute their efforts to this project in return for promoting their expertise, and then make the resulting 3D model available online free of charge to those who wanted to have one made. Those who wanted one could download the 3D model, send it to a third-party 3D printing service like Shapeways and order the mouthpiece for themselves.
Unfortunately, after more than a year, the “Open Source” approach hasn’t proved to be viable option for several reasons—it was taking too long and proving too expensive on my part to develop a workable prototype. Also, none of the major third-party 3D services could offer a safe and affordable material for something that people would have in their mouths for prolonged periods of time. Although such material is available, most 3D printing services aren’t willing to reconfigure their equipment for one-off orders. As a result, even if a workable model had been developed, which it hasn't, there wasn’t a source for them using safe, inexpensive biocompatible materials, as was the original plan.
(After considerable research into this area, I would caution anyone who sees any kind of musical instrument mouthpiece made by 3D printing for any instrument to verify that the materials used to create it are "food safe" and "biocompatible" before putting it in your mouth!)
So, I was faced with a choice—either abandon recreating the mouthpiece altogether or take another approach. Since there is still no source for these mouthpieces, I decided to shut down the “Open Source” project and take a more commercial route. I paid a company to use their industrial-strength 3D scanner to make a 3D model of the mouthpiece. I then paid their in‑house engineer to make the necessary adjustments to the model. After paying for a series of revisions and prototypes, they created a workable 3D model. I then found a 3D printing service that is willing to produce the mouthpiece using food safe, biocompatible material. However, they will not accommodate one-off orders either, so I have to pay a substantial amount to place a bulk order.
The resulting mouthpiece w
as not created from work that anyone donated to the “Open Source” project. The mouthpieces will be made from the 3D scan that I paid for and the subsequent 3D model and design work and prototypes that I also had to pay for.
This has all cost me a lot more than I ever imagined, but in the end, it was the only way to make it happen. Even if I manage to sell the first batch, it won’t begin to recover my investment. Nevertheless, since there is no other source for them, and I had already invested all this time and effort, I wanted to see it through to the end.
I regret that the "Open Source" approach just wasn’t a viable option for designing and producing the fife mouthpiece, mostly due to its highly specialized design and the unique requirements of the materials required to produce a safe product. However, as a result of my investment in developing a workable 3D model and finding a safe, biocompatible material, there is now a fife mouthpiece available for those who need it.