Hi All
I was asked an interesting question recently to which I couldn’t answer. I’m sure the combined knowledge on this forum can! The question was whether marble could be used as an alternative to ivory/fake ivory. I truly have no idea how marble would turn up, let alone stand the test of time.
Thoughts?
Wouldn’t that be one heavy set of pipes?
Mukade
What the…
sounds interesting…
mebbe we can get one of the more adventurous indiana jones type pipemakers to try it on a chanter or something.
If it doesn’t work it will make an excellent boat anchor. 
I think that you could turn marble alone with the proper tools, there are many matrerials harder than marble that can be turned.
But I don´t think that a chanter or a thinn and bored piece of wood (as many parts in the pipes are) could resist the torsion and flexion forces present when you turn a mount on it as hard as marble.
Aside of all this, IMHO, it´s too heavy for pipes.
I know (knew) a fellow who did ornamental turning on quartz crystal. Lots of fluid coolant (and a “wet lathe”) was involved - he had the lathe specially made/adapted for the purpose. It’s possible, but not too practical on most pipemakers’ lathes…
IMO most mounts benefit from being turned on something other than the timber to which they will be fitted; I never liked the “glue them on and turn them in place” approach. It allows for the traditional method of attaching mounts, i.e. with thread underneath (possibly waxed with thermoplastic “cobbler’s” wax).
I reckon I’d try soapstone first! But the question remains as to why…
Why? Cuz it would look cool.
I agree with bilh, to mount it on waxed thread. But a finely speckled dark green stone would look awesome against the wood grain. Add a touch of polished brass for ferrules and you’d have your very own billiards table to play on.
djm
Funny, I had the very same thought.
Them highland pipers have a wide range of choices when it comes to plastic mounts.
Why aren’t you offering jade, onyx, agate, malachite, turquoise, cobalt, lapis, amber, horn, briar, tortoiseshell, black marble, white marble, coral, and ivory coloured resin mounts Bill? You’ve got to get with the groove, man.
http://www.cuillinn.com/mounts.html
Mukade
I consider it to be completely absurd to use stone on a woodwind, in spite of the fact that I actually did it once! A cored 300 carat australian opal on an ivory, silver, and 18k gold chanter top. Looked pretty cool, too. Sold it to Paddy Keenan.
Why indeed, but it being a carbonate rock it ought not be that hard- nowhere near quartz family/opal or other silica-based rocks. I wouldn’t know about the turning per se (water cooled or the like), but who knows, it may be do-able. As for the weight just a quick look-up for comparison of specific gravities (in g/cm3):
Ebony - 1.12
Ivory - 1.85
Mammoth Ivory - around 2
Marble - around 2.5
Quartz (pure) - 2.65
Steel (remember that steel-mounted Williams set?) - 7.8
So perhaps it would be slightly heavier than other common mount materials, but perhaps not overwhelmingly so? But of course the prevalence of the artificial ivory and decorative woods again begs the question..why? I would also be concerned about chipping or breakage. Might look pretty though.
Rob
Marble is fairly soft, which is one of the reasons people have carved it for so long. But to make a mount, where you would bore it out and turn the outside, I think it would be too delicate to stand the test of time. I don’t think the weight would be a big deal unless you made very large mounts.
I have drilled through a lot of rock in my time, but the drill bits are rather large (like a tricone bit or air rotary percussion), since I am usually putting in a well or collecting sample.
I think it could look tasteful but I like mounts that are small, so the mounts would probably very weak.
maybe we could get a pipemaker to make an entire concert chanter out of marble… 
or aluminum. I saw a set of smallpipes made out of aluminum once. didn’t sound too bad.
I have seen marbleous chanter mounts or should that be marbleish.
Andreas Rogge had a chanter with the mounts made from synthetic
marble ( part of a synthetic marbleish kitchen worktop).
It was experimental and may have been made by his assistant Jens.
There was a language problem, I speak with a strong Liverpool dialect
and Andreas speaks English. 
I believe that it was a trial to make colourful chanters for school children.
It is good to see a maker willing to push design ideas without changing
the tradition too much. To me, aluminium would be an interesting experiment
but it would not be an Uilleann chanter.
Les.
More than 10 years ago I had a spin on an aluminium chanter that had been made (I think) by Des Seery. Apparently it took a large toll on his reamers and was therefore a once off experiment. It played well and sounded fine- bright and metallic as you would expect.
At the time it was in the possession of Mick Dooley (when he still lived in Dublin) and I think he was selling it on behalf of another piper. I remember it being very expensive, presumably because of the damaged reamers, and the aesthetics were seriously blinging.
Metal chanters have come up here several times in the past, both singles and doubles. A quick search will probably bring all the old threads up, if you’re interested. IIRC Leo Rowsome is known to have made one or more. Felix Doran is credited as having played one for a while. Kevin Henry showed up at several tionóls with old metal chanters for display.
djm
Alumuilleann?
… ouch…
What about using old Bakelite billiard balls? It’d make a hell of a bass regulator mount, anyways…
I can hear the hum of this baby already!
