Hemping joints

[margaretc]

Way back when, bagpipes were put together with waxed hemp string wrapped around where the different pieces fit together. The string has been switched to cotton or cotton/poly, but the practice of wrapping string around the various joint pieces is still called 'hemping'. It is about my least-favourite bagpipe chore, so I tend to put it off until

Comments

[hugh_mannity]

Could you use waxed linen thread for that? Instead of the cotton poly? And would it either last longer or sound better?

[margaretc]

It wouldn't affect the sound. I'll have to think about linen, it's definitely a better hemp substitute than cotton. The issue is that the fibres compress over time, and also that they dry out. This is a very small amount of dampness, but it affects how the joints stay in the stocks.

I seem to recall thinking at one time that linen would work better than cotton.

[hugh_mannity]

Linen, hemp and nettle all produce virtually identical bast fibers. Absent DNA analysis (assuming that there's DNA in the fiber to begin with, which I doubt as it's mostly the long cell walls of the stems) it's very hard to tell what fiber made the "linen".

There's a boatload of stuff in museums labelled "linen" which could well be hemp or nettle. Especially nettle since it's a very profligate weed and it takes a lot of fiber to make a shirt.

[lady_guenievre]

Isn't linen somewhat hygroscopic? So maybe it wouldn't dry out as quickly....

[thedreya]

Two questions:
1. Is modern hemp string unsuitable for the task?

2. When can we hear you play? I LOVE the sound of bagpipes.

[margaretc]

1. No, it'd be fine, but you have to a) pay a lot for it, b) live a charmed life in order to find it and c) not want to use it for other things.

2. So who is 'we'? I play all the time, but usually only at work or at events. Occasionally I play at home. I used to go out on Franklin St. and busk, but I haven't done that in years. If you want to hear me play...
hmm. I dunno what to tell you. If you happen to be at Duke during lunch some day, I'll play for you. Or catch me at an event.

[thedreya]

1. Ah, I kinda wondered if the hemp cord they have for sale at craft stores everywhere wasn't the appropriate stuff. Should have known that if it was, you'd be using it already!

2. 'We'= anybody who wants to hear you play! Or the voices in my head, depending on who you ask. If indeed I am ever at Duke during lunch I'll cock my ear. Will you be at the Grande Tournoi in April?

[margaretc]

These are smallpipes I'm playing right now - much smaller blast radius. You'd have to call ahead to find out where I'll be.

I'm not going to the Grande Tournoi because I'm going to my cousin's wedding. In all probability my next event will be Rapier Academie.