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Updated
06/13/2013 |
Bagpipe Materials
Ebony
Ebony
(Diospyros ebenum), also known as India Ebony or Ceylon
Ebony depending on its origin, is a tree in the genus Diospyros,
native to southern India and Sri Lanka. It is noted for its heavy black,
fine-grained heartwood. Ebony has a long history of use, with carved
pieces having been found in Ancient Egyptian tombs. The word "ebony"
derives from the Ancient Egyptian hbny, via the Greek έβενος
(ebenos), by way of Latin and Middle English. There are some older
pipes made from ebony, however modern uses are largely restricted to
small sizes, particularly in musical instrument making.
African Blackwood
Ebony has been
largely replaced by African Blackwood or Mpingo (Dalbergia
melanoxylon). Blackwood is a flowering plant in the family Fabaceae,
native to seasonally dry regions of Africa from Senegal east to Eritrea
and south to the Transvaal in South Africa. It is a small tree,
reaching 4-15 m tall, with grey bark and spiny shoots. The dense,
lustrous wood ranges from reddish to pure black. It is generally cut
into small billets or logs with its sharply demarcated bright yellow
white sapwood left on to assist in the slow drying so as to prevent
cracks developing. Good quality "A" grade African Blackwood commands
high prices on the commercial timber market.
The tonal
qualities of African Blackwood are particularly valued when used in
woodwind instruments, principally Highland pipes, clarinets, oboes and
Northumbrian pipes. Furniture makers from the time of the Egyptians have
valued this timber. A story states that it has even been used as ballast
in trading ships and that some enterprising Northumbrian pipe makers
used old discarded Blackwood ballast to great effect.
Due to overuse,
the mpingo tree is severely threatened in Kenya and needing attention in
Tanzania and Mozambique. The trees are being harvested at an
unsustainable rate, partly because of illegal smuggling of the wood into
Kenya, but also because the tree takes upwards of 60 years to mature.
Cocobolo
Some bagpipes
are available in Cocobolo. Cocobolo is a hardwood from Central
America yielded by two to four closely related species of the genus
Dalbergia. The best known and probably the species contributing most
of the wood in the trade is Dalbergia retusa, a fair-sized tree,
reported to reach 20-25 m in height. Because of its great beauty and
high value, this species has been heavily exploited and the tree is now
in danger of extinction outside of national parks, reserves and
plantations.
Cocobolo is a
very beautiful wood, known to change color after being cut. It usually
is orange in hue, with a figuring of darker irregular traces weaving
through the wood. It is fine textured and oily in look and feel, and
stands up well to repeated handling and exposure to water. Cocobolo is
also extraordinarily dense, and even a large block of the cut wood will
produce a clear musical tone if struck. Only relatively small amounts
of this prized wood reach the world market and it is expensive. Care
must be used when working this wood, as its sawdust is dangerous; many
people develop an allergy when exposed to it.
Rosewood
Because of the
expense, some pipes are being made from Rosewood. Rosewood
belongs to the family papilionaceae. The pre-eminent rosewood
appreciated in the western world is Dalbergia nigra, Brazilian
Rosewood. It is also known as Rio rosewood or Bahia rosewood. This wood
has a strong sweet smell, which persists over the years, explaining the
name "rosewood". Because of its density and strong resonance, Honduras
rosewood, Dalbergia stevensonii is a favourite choice for makers of
marimba and xylophone keys, although many such instruments are not made
of this wood for reasons of cost or durability in outdoor playing
environments. Brazilian rosewood is (was) a popular wood for musical
instruments however, due to its protected status and spiraling prices,
Indian and Madagascar rosewood are being used extensively in its place.
Lochaber Oak
Cameron
Bagpipe Company uses Lochaber Oak (oak from Lochaber, Scotland) in the
construction of their bagpipes.
The term oak
can be used as part of the common name of any of several hundred species
of trees and shrubs in the genus Quercus (from Latin "oak tree"),
and some related genera, notably Cyclobalanopsis and
Lithocarpus. Oak is not a “traditional” or widely used wood for
instrument making.
Mopane
The mopane
or mopani (Colophospermum mopane) tree grows in
hot, dry, low-lying areas, 200-1,150 m, in the far northern parts of
southern Africa, into South Africa, Zimbabwe, Mozambique, Botswana,
Zambia, Namibia, Angola and Malawi. Mopane wood is one of southern
Africa's heaviest timbers and is difficult to work because of its
hardness. However this also makes it termite resistant. For this reason
it has long been used used for building houses and fences, as railway
sleepers and as pit props. The termite-resistance and rich, reddish
colouring also make it popular for flooring. Outside Africa, mopane is
gaining popularity as a heavy, decorative wood, its uses including
aquarium ornaments and bases for lamps or sculptures.
It is also
increasingly being used in the construction of musical instruments,
particularly woodwind. Suitable quality African blackwood (Dalbergia
melanoxylon), traditionally used for bagpipes, is becoming harder to
find. Mopane is fairly oily, seasons very well with few splits or
shakes, and produces instruments of a warm, rich tone
Delrin
A modern
synthetic material used in pipe construction is Delrin.
Delrin is the brand name for an acetal resin engineering plastic
invented and sold by DuPont. Delrin was first synthesized by DuPont's
research chemists around 1952. Often marketed and used as a metal
substitute, Delrin is a lightweight, low-friction, and wear-resistant
plastic capable of operating in temperatures in excess of 90 degrees
celius (approx 200 degrees Fahrenheit). According to the material safety
data sheet from DuPont, the material has a slight odor of formaldehyde.
Delrin has also recently
found use in the manufacturing of Irish flutes (traditionally made of
wood), tin whistles (traditionally made of metal) and bagpipes
(traditionally made of wood). Delrin flutes and bagpipes sound similar
or identical to wooden version, but have none of the shrinkage or
cracking issues usually associated with wooden instruments in hot, cold,
or dry environments. |