I’ve heard that in the past that some pipemakers made chanters out of old policemen’s truncheon’s .Is that so they could make knock-out chanters ?
RORY
Perhaps…or maybe to get the tuning Bang-on.
Yes. They also used draftsmen’s rulers. Very good wood and well seasoned too!
Patrick.
My understanding is that during “The Emergency” (often referred to as World War II) it was impossible to import exotic hardwoods (including ebony and African blackwood) into Ireland. So, pipmakers had to use whatever they could find, with police batons making a pretty good substitute. I think a few table legs were drafted for the cause as well.
No E
I had heard that Matt Kiernan ( former Garda) used truncheons for chanters.
regarding truncheons ,according to Rodney King there is a lovely ringing tone off them
RORY
Apparently it’s all in the seasoning of the wood - 20 years of blood, sweat and tears. The truncheon chanters are particularly nice for playing laments. 
and furiously fast reels 
rodneys party[/img]
You know Rory, I fail to see the humor in somebody being savagely beaten by law enforcement. :roll:
A Policeman friend of mine made himself a Northumbrian Pipe Chanter from an old truncheon several years back,after doing a nightclass tutored by Colin Ross.
Who’s laughing ? not me !!!
Sometimes it does no harm to be reminded what goes on in this world of ours , ugly as it may be . Least we forget and all that
RORY
Rory, I thought it was immensely funny. More power to your elbow!
djm
Saint Joe’s going to be on your back now any minute
RORY
They just wanted to join the club.
I have to admit I never heard of “billy club” chanters, but I have heard of these long,round (1 1/2" to 2" diameter, hard wood RULERS, that were used in British office work, on those huge Victorian desk ledgers, with pages that clerks had to underline. These rulers were used by Northumbrian Small Pipe makers. As a joke, I have told people (for years), that I could fight my way out of a bar brawl, by unhitching my D bass regulator, and swinging it around as a club,to clear a path of escape. Thank the deity, that I have never had to…but if you’re worried, always play the pipes with your back to the wall, so you can see the ruffians coming, and SAVE THE PIPES, get them out of harm’s way as fast as you can! Sean Folsom
A Chieftain Low D also works.
Last year Ian Mackenzie sent me a prototype B chanter to sample that was very light and played very lively. When I inquired what kind of wood it was made from he replied:
"The wood is black bean (castanospermum) from Queensland and is better known as a furniture timber. I Just used this wood because it was an odd expendable piece.
If you actually wanted a chanter made from this stuff,I may have some difficulty in finding some but could make some enquiries in Sydney. It seems to have about the same characteristics as brazil rosewood."
He once told me (on the phone) he’s turned many a chanter from old table legs.
I think Emer mentioned about pipes made from reclaimed greenheart. This is lumber that is highly water resistant. They used to make docks with the stuff.
Doesn’t Allan Ginsburg still make pipes from greenheart?
… in order for me to become a saint, I gotta die first, and then after a century or so they’ll put it to a vote… but as far as gettin’ on djm’s back… I suppose I could, but he’ll have to wait… it’s one hell of a long walk from Central Florida to his neck of the woods. It’s also in the high 90’s down here so the first month is going to be a little slower.
Rodney King was beaten with PR-24 metal batons. To confirm that, you can go to this website:
http://www.law.umkc.edu/faculty/projects/ftrials/lapd/kingforce.html
This is what they look like:
This is a technical description of the PR-24. Keep in mind that it was the aluminum PR-24AL that was in use by the LAPD.
"The PR-24 baton is a multi-purpose police instrument constructed of 100% virgin Monpac ™ plastic. It is 24 inches long, 1 1/4 inches in diameter, and weighs 27 ounces. A handle is form-fitted at right angles to the long extended portion and helf in place with a hardened steel bolt. There are two variants—the PR-24AL, the short and long extended portions of which are constructed of aircraft aluminum, and the PR-24S, which is a single molded piece of extra strong polycarbonate material. "
http://thediagram.com/2_4/pr24_nom.html
The use of PR-24 batons is the fifth out of six steps in the LAPD Use of Force policy, the sixth step being the use of deadly force. (http://www.law.umkc.edu/faculty/projects/ftrials/lapd/kingforce.html)
I don’t think it would make a very good chanter, but I could be wrong. I don’t think Rodney King heard “lovely ringing tone[s] off them”. I don’t know why that film strip rorybbellows posted says “rodneys party” under it. That is actually disgusting. “Least [sic] we forget and all that” disappeared pretty quickly, didn’t it, once djm said he thought it was “immensely funny”.
There are a lot of people, in addition to St. Joe, who didn’t and don’t find much humor in the Rodney King beating and riots, in which 53 people were killed. I doubt that it is funny to get hit with one of these things, and I think it would be very few policemen who would think it was funny to hit someone with one of these. Without expressing any opinion at all about why it all happened and degrees of culpability, I think one can at least say that it was not funny.
Don’t worry. I’ve no intention of continuing this. Carry on.
At the risk of getting on-topic, any other examples of innovative pipemakers making pipes from interesting objects - batons, table legs, etc.
Denis Leary has a very funny line about the problem with cannabis isn’t that it leads to harder drugs - it leads to carpentry. People want to make bongs out of everything. It’s probably an indication that a piper/pipemaker is getting a little too obsessed with piping when he/she starts sizing up everyday objects and thinking “That’d make a lovely flat chanter”.