Re: Polyester thread instead of hemp = game changer!
 

If it works and you like it, why change to something different?

A lot of it comes down to care and maintenance.

I went back to all waxed hemp after some years using Teflon tape as well.

The Teflon tape turned out to be a bad idea. After a while it breaks down, and there were other issues. I keep a roll in my pipe case for emergencies only.

Either way, hemp (with applied beeswax) has worked well for thousands of pipers over the years. I think the key is the care and maintenance, and that would probably apply to any material used.

Re: Polyester thread instead of hemp = game changer!
 

I've been hemping pipes with dental floss since at least 2000. I have found no difficulties by doing it; only advantages. For it to be abrasive is pish unless you're torquing your drones at 1200 rpm. I recently inspected the drones of my 2005 Gibsons and have found no evidence of abrasive damage from dental floss, and I haven't had to add to, subtract from or otherwise monkey about with them in years.
Go for it. Use it. Spread the news. Piping advances and myths fade one funeral at a time.

Re: Polyester thread instead of hemp = game changer!
 

Do you all regularly play in the shower? Or maybe in pouring rain? Just curious. :grin::grin:

If your drone slides are getting that wet under normal conditions, I think you've got a serious moisture control problem.

I agree that the cane reeds change more than the instruments themselves (the physics is pretty self-explanatory). My (anecdotal) experience suggests that wood is a better insulator than plastic. That means that it resists heating better in the summer and cools more slowly in the winter. There's a sane explanation for that, too: wood is porous, containing more air spaces than an equivalent volume of plastic (it's the air that is the effective insulator). I'm not really interested in devising an experiment to prove this theory, but doing so wouldn't be especially difficult.

Re: Polyester thread instead of hemp = game changer!
 

If you play outdoors in the Pacific NW it can happen, but I suspect some pipers have a second set for those kinds of band environments. I do not and it's partly why I'm interested in acetyl pipes this time around.

One thing is that I like the idea of this material Matt's shown us for hemping (and have some in my Amazon cart right now as soon as I need other stuff to make a larger order). I know what is old is new and these types of threads rehash every so often with the same amount for and against arguments. I've used tie in cord on my practice chanter and on my drones and mouthpiece where they met the stocks to great effect. Worked very well and never rotted or bunched up like clumpy waxed linen can.

I personally think it's great to try new things and not get hung up on what's been done in the past especially when it comes to smaller items.

Re: Polyester thread instead of hemp = game changer!
 

Many years ago I was heavily into archery. Made my own bow strings, arrows, etc. I use the waxed bow string on my pipe joints and have not had any problems.
One spool would last a lifetime, just another option.

Re: Polyester thread instead of hemp = game changer!
 

That's interesting. To me at least, because I still do recurve archery and I've thought of using bow string material just like you say. But I'd thought it was a bit of an overkill and have never tried. Overkill because the thing about these string materials is their high breaking strength (in excess of 50lbs if memory serves). I have used them to tie in a chanter stock - works very well. Should be way superior to the standard bag tie-in cord (and low-stretch too which is what the archer wants). The Brownell B-50 is quite economical - $10+ for a whole spool (others would be $20-50 and more):

http://www.lancasterarchery.com/brow...erial-1-4.html

Re: Polyester thread instead of hemp = game changer!
 

I started with o-rings, switched to hemp, then came back to O-rings. They are always exactly the correct size, never shrink/swell, and are almost 100% maintenance free. Once a year I may have to lubricate my lower bass drone (from putting it on/removing it from the case).


-Matthew

Re: Polyester thread instead of hemp = game changer!
 

I feel like the stretch is a crucial point of tie in cord I believe. When tying in a bag the 'give' of standard tie in cord is what allows you to get balanced wraps around your stock while simultaneously helping to pull or contract the bag material into your stocks in an even fashion (sometimes it's hard to maintain a certain pull on the cord as you're flipping your pipe bag around). The tacky grip of the wax also helps a lot. Personal preference I suppose.



O-rings on a set that came intended to be used with O-rings (such as older Dunbars) or removing hemping and adding O-rings to any old set of pipes?

If the latter, how did you find the correct size, type of ring material (so it's not overly grippy or tearing apart) and did you buy a lot so they could be stacked up the end of the tuning pin or does 2-3 evenly spaced work? Seems like they would roll themselves with the top sections.

Re: Polyester thread instead of hemp = game changer!
 

I'd love to know the answer to this question as well. I am a very new player, and have myself a McCallum practice chanter that uses hemp. I just bought my son a Dunbar practice chanter and it uses o-rings. I really like the o-ring idea as it seems like an almost lifetime solution. I put a very light layer of silicone grease on the o-rings, and disassembly of the chanter is just so easy. The o-rings always fit the same (the hemp on my PC swells and shrinks with moisture).

All in all, being a new piper I really don't have the knowledge to comment, but the o-rings just seem to make so much more sense than hemp.

Re: Polyester thread instead of hemp = game changer!
 

Me too for waxed dental floss - but on the blowsticks and chanters only. No downside that I've found. It's been on one of my chanters for over 20 years, though I wasn't playing it for a 10 ten year stretch in the middle.