Besides being new to the pipes I am also on the aged side(62) and I have a health condition that gives me a little arthritis in my hands, elbows, and shoulders. On top of that, because of the condition that I have I have to take TONS of antihistamines which really drys my old hands out. I think because of this I am having to put a little more pressure on the chanter than most people need to to get a good seal. That and the arthritis and my stamina is only a tune or two before I have to relax and stretch my hands. I came to this conclusion after I noticed that after I put hand lotion (eucerin daily replenishing) on my fingers and rubbed it in my hands till they were not greasy, I found that I could just lay my finger on the chanter and got a good seal. But that does not seem to last for more than about 5-10 minutes. I saw one piper, forgot his name, and he licked his fingers. So as gross as that sounds I tried that. That works the best but you almost have to do it after every tune. I have to imagine my chanter would start to smell after a while.
Anyhow, anyone else have an issue like this and did you come up with a good solution?
I spend a lot of time outdoors on my little farmlet so my hands are atrocious. I find that Bag Balm (an udder moisturizer for dairy cows) works wonderfully. You may have to reapply after a while, but hey, at that point it’s probably time to make another mug of tea anyway.
Ran out to Walgreens and got myself a tin. Wow!!! This is totally the answer. And it has a nice MANLY scent, like I have ben changing tires all day long or working on leather… strange smell but not bad. Its a nice combo of keeping my skin soft and adding a slight stiction. Just played for a bit and its like someone gave me new fingers.
DO NOT LICK YOUR FINGERS. I know some respected and famous pipers out there who do this, but it dries your skin even more and gives you what ever is going around.
Bag balm, as has been said here, is all you need to know. My dry winter fingers have to work much too hard to cover the holes without it.
And no: I am not a major stockholder in the company that makes bagbalm.
Burt’s Bees hand salve. Similar to the bag balm but with bees wax and eucalyptus oil plus other oils. The smell is better than the bag balm and I don’t mind leaving it on the chanter.
I saw this a while back and have been thinking about Bag Balm ever since. I used it every day in the winter back when I lived in Chicago and know how well it works for dry, cracking skin on the hands. I went and got a tin of it yesterday and am trying it now and am amazed at the grip it provides. I’ve had stuff like Neutragena on my hands in the past while playing and it is slippery so it’s not a good solution. Bag Balm is perfect for this. Thanks all for reminding me!
I think that the shamrocks on the tin suggest more than just cow fodder!
Since 1899, a few thousand dairy farmers have probably shared that sentiment.
You know, that was the original line: “I love the smell of Bag Balm in the morning!”
