What hemp is good for uilleann pipes?

[DjUntzUntz]

Hey guys.

Question about hemp. Perhaps people can help me out. What kind of hemp (or even other material) is used for uilleann pipes? GHpipes basically use either black or yellow waxed hemp.

When I was at Andreas Rogge in Germany though he showed me red (waxed) hemp. Seems there is no market for red waxed hemp though. After searching a bit on the forums I found
out that people use many different ways to hemp their instrument.

my question: What do you guys use? Is there a certain hemp that is superiour to other hemps (and how to recognize them) and also waxed hemp versus none-waxed hemp?

I currently only have GHpipes waxed hemp (yellow/black) but I don't want to use it on my UP if there is a better hemp for it.

Kind regards!

[rorybbellows]

When I started playing pipes ( long time ago) everyone seemed to be useing Thai sticks ,you know the stuff thats tied to a stick. It was probably the only hemp that was available at the time. Of course once the celtic tiger kicked in all sorts of hemp arrived . The most popular was the likes of skunk and durban poison. But now that the boom is over everyone here in Ireland anyway is growing their own. I thought the reason there were so many polytunnels being erected all over the country was because everyone was growing their own vegetables but thats not the case ,emm hold on what was I writing about ,I think I was doing something else I'll be back later I think theres someone at the door aH no its alright they've gone . Anyway I feelin a bit peckish I think I'll go and get a few biscuits and some milk and maybe a few cream buns and some crisps.

RoRy

[DjUntzUntz]

thanks for your helpful advise so far Rory. i'll gladly await your return!

[Ted]

Waxed "hemp" from GHB suppliers is not suitable for uilleann pipes. Traditionally, #10 white linen shoe thread is used. The end wrapped on the pin should be coated with cobblers' wax to stick the thread to the pin. The GHB "hemp" is linen thread, dyed yellow or black and saturated with paraffin wax, is used to keep the linen from swelling when wet. UP don't get wet. The raw (un-waxed) yellow GHB hemp is OK. I sell #12 and #20 linen shoe thread and real cannabis fiber hemp as well as cobblers' wax for UP use. The cannabis hemp is a little finer in weight than the yellow GHB "hemp". Do not use plumbers' (PTFE) tape on your pipes. Raw hemp will provide the cushioning effect in your wraps and be air-tight without needing a very tight fit to do so. PM me if you want some.

[rorybbellows]

Oops my mistake ,anyway the way I see it, is that most of the stuff is good ,its how you apply it thats important. Evenly wrapped with no lumps or bumps to form an airtight and smooth joint( the joint on your set of pipes).

RORY

[CHasR]

Rory's right. I probably have about 5-6 different types of thread on my pipes. Including waxed GHB hemp, both the yellow & black kind; right down to the fine, intimate, spiderwebby, sensual stuff more frequently found in the finest boutiques. It the shoe fits wear it, i say. so long as the joint's rolled,,i mean..wound evenly

[Ted]

I'm all for even joints. The reason I like un-waxed hemp is that it can expand and contract with the timber in the pipes as the weather changes. The waxed thread is pretty in-compressible, so it doesn't provide much cushioning in the joint. I have seen all kinds of thread used; silk, wool cotton, linen and hemp. "Hemp" (linen or cannabis) is traditional and seems to work best.

[MichaelLoos]

The "hemp" Andreas Rogge uses is in fact four-strand cotton mending thread, waxed with the skin from "Babybel" cheese.

[Ceann Cromtha]

The "hemp" Andreas Rogge uses is in fact four-strand cotton mending thread, waxed with the skin from "Babybel" cheese.

Thanks for that tip! My five-year-old daughter loves "Babybel" so now I know what to do with the wax shells she leaves all over the place!

[DjUntzUntz]

The "hemp" Andreas Rogge uses is in fact four-strand cotton mending thread, waxed with the skin from "Babybel" cheese.

You're correct! That's what he told me too, haha! I kinda forgot it but thanks for remembering me.

Guess i'll get some hemp from ebay then. Probably the red one since Andreas uses that as well.

@Ted: What kind of linen thread are you using? got a link for it perhaps? the #<insert number> don't say a thing to me. Tried to look a bit on google but I have no idea to be honest .

Kind regards

[DjUntzUntz]

Waxed "hemp" from GHB suppliers is not suitable for uilleann pipes. Traditionally, #10 white linen shoe thread is used. The end wrapped on the pin should be coated with cobblers' wax to stick the thread to the pin. The GHB "hemp" is linen thread, dyed yellow or black and saturated with paraffin wax, is used to keep the linen from swelling when wet. UP don't get wet. The raw (un-waxed) yellow GHB hemp is OK. I sell #12 and #20 linen shoe thread and real cannabis fiber hemp as well as cobblers' wax for UP use. The cannabis hemp is a little finer in weight than the yellow GHB "hemp". Do not use plumbers' (PTFE) tape on your pipes. Raw hemp will provide the cushioning effect in your wraps and be air-tight without needing a very tight fit to do so. PM me if you want some.

So i've seen linen/hemp/cotton mentioned now in this thread. Of course Rory has a very good point, pointing out to hemp the intrument with care, but what material is best used?

[rorybbellows]

So i've seen linen/hemp/cotton mentioned now in this thread. Of course Rory has a very good point, pointing out to hemp the intrument with care, but what material is best used?

You'll probably get a different answer from everyone as to what is the best. I found the stuff below to be good .Its thin enough so you can build up a good wrap for a perfect sliding fit and its strong, it also takes up wax very nicely.Heres the seller,but I think it the stuff Ted sells
http://www.packerdirect.com.au/Products ... -Shoe.aspx


RORY

[Kevin L. Rietmann]

Rory beat me to all the 420 jokes, figures.

I've a big spool of cotton thread found in a secondhand shop. It wasn't good quality in the first place and then sat in a window baking in the sun for decades on end. I like it because it's thick but you can snap it with your fingers, saves me a trip to the scissors.

I need to buy another spool of that fine multistrand linen - the individual strands are thicker than sewing thread but thinner than string. It's just the right diameter for staples, touching up tenons. It smells really nice, too.

I also use two spools of sewing thread, one orange, one red - that way I can tell which is on top, in case I want to remove some if I've laid it on too thick.

[Ted]

The single shoe thread pictured above is what I recommend. I sell one like it and also sell cannabis hemp in about the same weight. I don't like cotton as it is weak due to the short fiber length of cotton. Adding wax makes it a bit stronger but in any event the "correct" way is to use hemp. It is best to avoid waxed thread in bellows pipes. Hemp is superior to cotton. All sorts of substitutes are used but I have seen none that does the job as well as hemp, linen or cannabis. The numbers on linen thread refer to the weight. #10 is common she thread. #20 is half the weight of #10 (or twice the yardage per ounce). #12 is a little finer than #10 shoe thread. Any of these weights will be fine. I recommend the cannabis hemp at #16 weight, which is about mid way between the #10, which is the weight of GHB yellow "hemp" (actually linen) and the very fine #20 weight I have.