little flappy thingy

[Meghorn]

does anybody know how to make the little flappy thingy at the end of the blowstick? it's there, but it won't close over the hole at the end of the blowstick!

[FD Piper]

What is it made from? If it is leather, you could use a sharp pocketknife to make the score a little deeper so it will close over.

There are some of a rubber/plastic material with a brass hinge which goes up the inside of the hemp, this might be bent a little.

Please describe what type you have. What does it look like?
Thanks,
FD Piper

[Meghorn]

ok, 1 sec, lemme get it out,

ok, it is a black felt/leather type matieral (the part that is supposed to go over the hole feels like felt, and the other side feels like leather... ok, it comes out of the hemp and then just sticks straight up. :rolleyes:

[Dave Sanderson]

I took the advice of Jim McGillivray and replaced my Lil Mac with the orange rubber flapper. Lots of air flow, it seals well to the end of the blow stick and it's cheap to replace. I used the really sticky string it comes with to seat my drones well in place, they will not fall into the bag!

Some adjustment may be needed to have the flapper centered on the hole.

Dave

[Meghorn]

ok... do ya want a pic of my pipes?

[FD Piper]

I don't need a pic of the pipes. I pretty much know what you have.

Chew on it. That will soften it up. No, I'm not kidding... chew on it, getting it really wet with spit. You still might need to score the outside of the leather just where it should bend over the edge of the blowpipe. This will allow it to hinge over the edge.

Then, Each time you play them, suck and chew on the leather to moisten it and soften it. It will work fine. After a few months, it may start getting hard when dry, but a minute or two minutes in your mouth, and it will be just a supple as you could want it. It will be very air tight.

I used one like this for about 15 years, and they work fine. If it goes bad, cut out a new one from an old shoe tongue.

FD Piper

[Richard Mao]

yeah, chewing on it works ... but ... really... :bleh:

I'd also put a dab of petroleum jelly on the blowstick side of it... so when you squeeze the bag ... the petroleum will help make a seal...

you miiiiight have to develop a habit of sucking it shut... (According to Anna Russel the old time pipers had to develop the sequence: blow.. suck... push... twiddle... [there's a whole shtick on this])

you might benefit from positioning/twisting the blow stick around so the hinge is at the topmost part of the bag.... farthest away from your mouth (some pipers put a dab of nail polish on the projecting mount .. marking where the hinge is)... so the flap kind of naturally hangs down... ready to be sucked/pushed closed...

as opposed to potentially hanging/gaping open.

Finally, I seem to remember ... when I had a leather flap... the smooth leather side went towards the blowstick end... so it would be a smooth surface sealing against a wood surface...

and the outside was the fuzzy part... allowing me to score the flap where I wanted it to hinge... almost as deep as I want.... (would somebody else here confirm or contradict my recollection... or maybe it doesn't matter?)... so meg, based on your 2d July 8th post... you might have the flappy thingy on backwards... but like I said ... it might not matter.

Having said all that, Meg... In the long run, I would tend to get a Merrick valve... (that's the rubber flap on/cought in a copper staple strip)... it costs about $3.50 from most bagpipe supply shops. and is easily tied onto the tenon... where there is already a groove for the leather anchor... just use it for the copper staple.

Good luck

After you get the mechanics down pat…
let your heart teach you how to express the music

Richard Mao, The Peking Piper ( PekingPiper@mao.org )

[BJ NHPB]

Originally posted by Richard Mao:
I would tend to get a Merrick valve... (that's the rubber flap on/cought in a copper staple strip)... it costs about $3.50 from most bagpipe supply shops. I think that chewing on this thing is a way that you can get around spending a few bucks, but I agree that there are other (better) options. Also, I think that having to suck everytime you blow to get this thing to shut is an unnecessary annoyance. However, I would also just get one of the rubber flap/copper strip valves from a pipe shop. They are cheap and easy to install. They also last a decent amount of time.

I am also going to give you another suggestion that will cost a little bit more money. I have a Peter Crisler adjustable blowstick. The valve on this thing is excellent and it has not failed me yet. I think that it is the best valve that I have ever used and when it needs replaced (as far as I know) it just pops out and you put a new one in for a couple of bucks. I can't see it going bad any time soon though. I have not had a problem with it in a year in a half. It is going to cost you ~$60 and you can get it from Tone Czar. You can also get it with a mouthpiece that is slightly flattened to fit between your lips more comfortably! I highly recommend this item.

BJ

[Wulls]

Originally posted by FD Piper:
Chew on it. That will soften it up. No, I'm not kidding... chew on it,Egads Walt..... :eek: Do you want to play them or eat them?????

Go get a rubber valve. We sell them for £2.....
they last forever then some. No more chewing, no more leaks. :thumb: Cant be bad.......

[Don't engage Daegan with Hypocrisy]

MHorn,

I'm glad to see that you're still here :D

I'm a fan of the red/orange flaps on the metal (usually brass) stem that you can buy -- no fuss/no muss, their cheap, and easy to install. They wear out, but last long enough to make it worth while -- I say, just buy one.

D

[Randy McIntosh]

How do these flappers compare the to Little Mac valve? Better/worse?

[Wulls]

Randy,
the flap bit is made of the same material as the lil mac.....the flap is twice the diameter so there is far less restriction so blowing is easier. And the taper on the lil mac can split blowpipes.......no contest as far as I am concerned. I use the original blowpipe, unmodified, a flapper and an airstream mouthpiece and have had absolutely no trouble for years. I hemped it on with black waxed hemp........

[Meghorn]

Originally posted by Wulls:

We sell them for £2.....
whats that in regular old american dollars (i gotta get an automatic conversion on this thingy) :shrug:

[Randy McIntosh]

Thanks Wulls I will give one a try and test the difference myself.

Meghorn a rough conversion is around x 1.9 so £2 is ± 3.80 US dollars

[FD Piper]

Wulls,
Don't even try to tell me you don't remember starting with a leather flapper! They didn't learn to vulcanize rubber until you were out of high school!
:lol:
FD piper

[Wulls]

If they had learned to vulcanise rubber sooner we might not be here.......... :thumb:

[Meghorn]

okkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkk

[Robin Beck]

There is only one answer to any valve problem.
Go to beckvalve.com

[MacDhughaill]

Rubber Flapper Valve - Metal Stem is what you want 3 dollars. . To get a picture of this-- go to the Toneczar accessories page on the bottom.
It is a great replacement to the leather flap.

I had a little mac years ago-- I was a kid went to get my LM replace, the guy who was replacing it was shocked that I did not have any valve at all. <<GRAEMLIN_URL>>/shocked.gif Apparently my leather value fell off and I just started to use my tongue to regulate the air. He sold me a Lil mac. Today I prefer the rubber flapper-- less air constriction then the Lil mac.

[MacDhughaill]

Rubber Flapper Valve - Metal Stem is what you want 3 dollars. . To get a picture of this-- go to the Toneczar accessories page on the bottom.
It is a great replacement to the leather flap.

I had a little mac years ago-- I was a kid went to get my LM replace, the guy who was replacing it was shocked that I did not have any valve at all. <<GRAEMLIN_URL>>/shocked.gif Apparently my leather value fell off and I just started to use my tongue to regulate the air. He sold me a Lil mac. Today I prefer the rubber flapper-- less air constriction then the Lil mac.

[Adam Sanderson]

I made my own from silicon sealant about 6 years ago, and it's still going fine. Lay out a bit of clingfilm on the kitchen table, and lay out two strips of cardboard on either side, the thickness that you want flapper to be. I used cardboard from a shirt packet. Squeeze out a dob of silicon sealant, (I used the bathroom kind with an anti fungicide, but that was probably overkill), put another bit of clingfilm on top and roll it out with a roller, making sure of two things;
A) You apply an even pressure to get an even silicon thickness with no wrinkles or bubbles :thumb:
B) The missus doesn't catch you using her best roller on the kitchen surface with no newspapers laid out :mad:
Leave for a day or two to settle, then peel off the clingfilm and cut to the appropriate size and shape, leaving a "tadpole" tail to attach.
Next step is to get a pair of tin snips and cut a strip of metal about 3/4" long. I used a bit off of old brass sheet, but anything that won't rust and thats fairly rigid will do.
Using hemp or dental floss, attach this to the bottom of the blowstick in the usual place, leaving half protruding, or "stickin' oot".
Attach the tadpole tail to the protruding metal with dental floss so that the flapper fits snugly against the bottom of the blowstick WITH THE TAIL POINTING AWAY FROM THE BLOWSTICK. Fitted correctly, it's the springiness of the silicon tail that keeps the flapper held against the end of the blowstick in a firm seal, not the pressure of the air in the bag.
I got this from an early piping website years ago, (maybe David Daye's?), but I can't remember exactly. I do know it works, but it probably is more convenient nowadays to buy an inexpensive rubber/copper valve, which are widespread and just as effective.

[Wulls]

Originally posted by Robin Beck:
There is only one answer to any valve problem. Go to beckvalve.com Robin, I have absolutely no doubt that your valve works, and works well.
But is it not arrogant presumption to say it is the only answer to a valve problem :shrug:

beck valve £15.00........viton flapper $3.00

freeflow valve (http://http://www.kiltedconnections.com/) Make a very similar thing for 60p less too.

[Robin Beck]

Wulls,
1st. In order for the $3 clack valve to work efficiently there needs to be a bit of body on the blowpipe meaning a narrow bore. This reduces air flow.

2nd. The ‘Freeflow’ was a copy of the ‘Beck Valve’ before it was fully developed. I admit this was my own fault in letting folk see it at this early stage.

3rd. It is not arrogant to assume that my product is the best. It is!

4th. I quote John Ruskin;
"There is hardly anything in the world that some man cannot make a little worse and sell a little cheaper, and the people who consider price only are this man's lawful prey.
It's unwise to pay too little.

When you pay too much, you lose a little money - that is all.

When you pay too little, you sometimes lose everything, because the thing you bought was incapable of doing the thing it was bought to do.

The common law of business balance prohibits paying a little and getting a lot - it can't be done.

If you deal with the lowest bidder, it is well to add something for the risk you run. And if you do that, you will have enough to pay for something better."

[Wulls]

Originally posted by Robin Beck: Wulls,
1st. In order for the $3 clack valve to work efficiently there needs to be a bit of body on the blowpipe meaning a narrow bore. This reduces air flow.Great reply Robin........ :thumb:

Does this mean your valve needs a wider bore in the blowstick? The blowstick bore in mine is 8mm, this works fine with a viton flapper with little or no restriction.

[MacDhughaill]

1st. In order for the $3 clack valve to work efficiently there needs to be a bit of body on the blowpipe meaning a narrow bore. This reduces air flow.
If you did not have a any bit of body on the blowstick you would have a faulty blowstick. I have a wide bore-- I have the rubber flap thingie and it works very, very well.


Isn't there an announcement section for advertizing?

[Robin Beck]

Okay Wulls &amp; Corkpipes,
8mm is fine, but 10 is better and if your blowpipe is made of a quality material like ABW, then it will be strong enough. My valve does not need the 10 mm, but the clack valve needs the 8!

A shorter blowpipe also helps. I have a short blowpipe with an 11mm bore with a ‘Beck Valve’ These things are very important if you a chronic asthmatic like myself.

The less effort (no matter how little, and every little count) required to blow your pipes, the better sound you will get and the more you effort you put into your music.