Seasoning how often?

[Bob]

Just wondering..

Sheepskin:
In my experience would need seasoning as often as 2 times a week (summer in dry California - dumb or what?).. or as little as little as every 2+ months - cool wet winters here in the Pacific Northwest.

I have little personal experience with Elk tanned hide - but it seems to me.. season once or twice a year - needed or not?

Other hide bags? I don't know and am curious..

And the Gannaway bag?

Bob

[Dain Forsythe]

Hey Bob: I've been playing the elk tanned hide from the beginning. During my first couple of years I needed to season it about every one to two months. Now, I season it about once every three months for good measure. Alabama -- long humid summers -- two weeks of spring if you're lucky and the same for autumn -- couple of months of winter (if you want to call it that).

Cheers,

Dain

[Ken MacKenzie]

Elk tanned L&M bag, played for 18 years, never seasoned. I used this bag in Montreal for three years and played it a lot, then moved to Calgary, played it in bursts for 15 years and then laid that set of pipes aside. I finally sold them six years ago and when I tested the bag it was still airtight. Since the pipes were sold to a youngster and it was a custom made XXL bag it was replaced.

Another L&M Elk tanned bad was seasoned when I bought my present pipes and played for five years without seasoning again. This was in Coastal BC.

I replaced the above bag with a Gannaway for reasons of comfort (the L&M was HUGE) and find I need to top up the seasoning about every three to four months or I'll get too much moisture on the chanter reed after twenty minutes. I use a tube type removeable water trap and that collects a lot of moisture as well. I need to empty it every twenty minutes or it will gurgle.

I use Gannaway's own seasoning and it seems to work well, but in the beginning I had some problems with losing air right through the bag. I contacted Gannaway and they sent me another bottle of the primer they supply with the bag and told me to try the process again. I did and have had no problems since. I think I probably didn't do the job properly the first time.

Ken

[Rusty Dirk]

I use an L&M bag which I find needs to be seasoned every six months or so. I use Hardie's airtight seasoning, but might try to find something that doesn't smell so bad.

Cal Davis
Vancouver Police PB

[Eric M]

Until last year I had a L&M Elkhide bag. In Southern California I had to season it every 6 months or so. I used Airtight seasoning.

Eric

[Rojellio]

I use Hardie's airtight seasoning, but might try to find something that doesn't smell so bad.

Indeed, that is a smell that takes me back down memory lane. When I was in the Army in Korea, we set up on a not so desirable field site. The Chow hall was right next to an animal carcass dump. Hides that were not good enough for making cheap leather ended up here. It smelled exactly like Airtight Seasoning. Needless to say, after a few days the powers that be finaly got out of loopback and discovered that the chow hall being this close to such a place was not a good idea, and against regulations as well. Be that as it may, Airtight is still the best all around formalea.

[Patrick Piper]

Originally posted by Ken MacKenzie:
I replaced the above bag with a Gannaway for reasons of comfort (the L&M was HUGE) and find I need to top up the seasoning about every three to four months or I'll get too much moisture on the chanter reed after twenty minutes. I use a tube type removeable water trap and that collects a lot of moisture as well. I need to empty it every twenty minutes or it will gurgle.Ken

I would only add that I found in the 2 Gannaways I've had that the bag needed re-seasoning within a couple of weeks of the very first primer and seasoning. Thereafter is was 3 or 4 months like you said, playing here in the mid-west. It's a very comfortable bag.

Pat

[Sean A. McCartney]

I prefer a sheepskin bag from Begg but I go thru a lot of Airtight. If I can play every day or so I may add a bit once or twice a month. I use a syringe and simply shoot a few tablespoons down a drone stock and I'm in buisness. Smells awful but works like a charm.

Cheers, Sean

[Thomas]

When i bought my pipes in 1991 i had an L&M Elkhide bag put on. Around 1993 i stopped playing never seasoning the bag untill around 2000 when i dumped in about half a cup of used Airtight from the previous seasoning back when the bag was new. I just started playing again seriously the first of this year and the bag was still airtight. I would love to know what's in Hardie's Airtight. Anyone know? They don't tell you on the can, maybe it's a company secret, maybe we wouldn't want to know even if it wasn't a secret!! Tom

[Thomas]

I forgot to mention that when i started playing again, even though the bag was tight, i bought a new can of Airtight and seasoned the old bag up right! That statement has nothing to do with my wife!! When i was in the band that was a standard joke with everyone, especially the guy's that could throw back afew, if you know what i mean!

[Iain Sherwood]

I use an L&M bag which I find needs to be seasoned every six months or so. I use Hardie's airtight seasoning, but might try to find something that doesn't smell so bad.
Cal Davis
Vancouver Police PB

Cal - open the tin; remove inner liner; replace cap; immerse in hot tap water for ten minutes; empty the tin into a glass or plastic container; keep it in the fridge.

No smell. The organics (lye, tallow, glycerine - it's basically soap) in the seasoning react with the tina nd air to give it that wonderful 'paint-peeling' odour we grew up with.

Since I now use a Ross, I don't need any of it!

[Celticgurl]

I also use an L&M hide bag and season it with Hardie's Airtight seasoning about every 5-6 months or so.

[Rusty Dirk]

Thanks Iain, I'll give it a go.

[pipesofdoom]

My experience...

I bought a Gannaway bag about three years ago and have been very happy with it. I add a little seasoning probably every four months or so (but when I do I tend to "flush" out the old seasoning with water and start again). If I don't play frequently enough (and I am a dry blower) I occasionally add a little water to keep it moist.

I have been very impressed with its air-tightness. Seems to be indestructable. It doesn't loose air, even if not "slick". I have a friend who said he had trouble with keeping his air-tight, and I can only attribute this to:

1) Gannaway using variable qualities of leather (rather unlikely I think given that no-one else I know with a Gannaway bag has had this problem);
2) stocks being poorly tied (possible); or
3) that he did not apply the initial primer correctly (much more likely).

I think this is the key. Gannaway stress the importance of the initial priming and I gave mine a good go (overnight I recall) before flushing and putting in seasoning.

Been very happy with the "fit" of the bag too, and have no intention of changing any time soon. Even in fairly wet conditions I have never had problems with excessive moisture build-up, so there might be something in their claim that the bag is more effective at transferring moisture than other leather bags (but can't make this claim from personal experience).

All round, very low-maintenance.

[Chris Hamilton]

For heaven's sake, don't do this ...

Bad Horrible Piping Tricks (http://www.toneczar.com/bad_stuff.html)

Chris

[Chris Hamilton]

I'll second Bram on the Gannaway thing. I've sold a ton of these bags, and the defect rate is extremely extremely small.

The Gannaways are fanatical about their work, and it shows.

As for moisture control, three heats at The Worlds in the cold rain, and not the first problem with moisture. Works for me!

Chris

[ January 25, 2002: Message edited by: Chris Hamilton ]