Francis Wood wrote:
Thanks for the interesting reply, Richard.
I can see some good reasons for using synthetic materials despite my own
preference:
- Consistent accurate thickness, good for precisely engineered chanters
Funnily enough, the stuff I use is not of consistent thickness- it us
cut from a large block using a toothless blade in the bandsaw. This is
the same type of blade used by butchers apparently and the process
always makes me wince. There's no logic in that because a toothed blade
would be much more destructive to the hands!
I cut by hand rather than using a guide because the material is too soft
for anything else.
The block of foam is very depressing to look at- it's about a cubic foot
and if you translate that into key pads it's a hell of a lot of keys to
make!
- Emergency use with self adhesive materials
The adhesive stuff is fine for a genuine emergency but it's quite
different from what I use. I can't remember what it's called but it was
recommended by John Liestman. I got it from a canoe shop- it's used for
bespoke canoe seats because it moulds to the paddler's backside. Yes,
really.
- Possible vegan considerations
Your conviction that it seals much better is a powerful endorsement,
though I haven't yet found a deficiency with leather.
I just like assembling a new chanter absolutely dry and discovering that
it's 100% airtight without any adjustment or fiddling about. That's the
norm.
Some of this synthetic stuff is truly awful and my principal question
was about telling the good from the bad before using it. I have seen
some excellent chanters failing to work because of degradation of the
synthetic pads. No doubt that's because there are different kinds and
the wrong one was originally used. Further thoughts, anyone?
Wish I could remember what my stuff's called.
Cheers
Richard
--
Richard Evans
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