I would appreciate some feedback on chanter mount preferences. Do you prefer a more traditional look, does it matter, material etc… Specifics on your particular taste/flavor would be wonderful.
Slainte,
CJ
Hi Chris
My particular preference is brass at the bell end of the chanter and no other mounting, simple is best, to show off the qualities of the wood the chanter is turned from.
David
Thanks David. So no additional mounts, just mounts turned from the chanter itself.
All the best,
CJ
I like lots of mounts. Don’t like plain chanters without mounts.
Boxwood mounts go well with brass ferrules, especially on lighter coloured woods, and imitation ivory needs to have some texture, ie, some grain to it so it doesn’t look like plastic.
I don’t like shiny sets in silver with blackwood and plain plastic-looking mounts- too sterile looking, can make a good set look like it was picked off the shelf at Toys R Us. Andreas Rogge’s photo of his set with Boxwood and Brass trimmings is what I like. Such character.
In essencence the timber AND the mounts need to have some grain/texture to them and the ferrules a nice patina.
Cheers,
DavidG
Hi Chris
Brass at the bottom and everything else turned on the chanter is good for me. In fact if you have a particularly nice piece of wood then even the brass is un-necessary. The look of well polished wood with a well defined grain doesn’t need anything more to make it look nice.
David
I’ve admired the holly mounts on chanters of dark wood. Not too chunky though.
Like BigDavy, I like chanters with a little brass and not much else. However, some of Seth Hamon’s recent stuff appeals to me. I like the way he uses ABW and brass.
http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y59/texasbagpiper/cocochbk.jpg
I’ve a question, though about using wood for mounts. Do different types of wood expand at different rates? If so, is there a risk that a wooden mount might expand slower than the wood of the chanter body, causing the mount to crack - like the tuning slide on many wooden flutes.
Boxwood or Mamoth ivory for me.
I’m another fan of a whole lot of stuff on a chanter. I think it gives a sense of class and further compexity (like it needs any more) to the instrument. Materials: Mammoth, Boxwood, or just plain ol’ Artificial ivory work for me. As far as the style of the mounts, you can either go back to the old master’s ways of doing it, or use them as a base and try and come up with your own defining style of mount turning.
I’ve been making smallpipes mostly, but I like to make mounts with a bit of art about them. I made some originals with celtic knot work in jeweler’s wax and the used an alumalite mold to make plastic/resin reproductions. Silver (cast or rolled) looks nice too. I tried some hematite rings. They were beautiful with blood wood, but a bit too fragile.
I want my sets to look like my work; not like all the old masters.
I’ll also be making some new inlaymounts of the teeth of the next bastard who tries telling everybody “spoilers” from the new Harry Potter book. 
Small pipes with bastard ivory has a nice ring to it.
Marc
Different rates/degrees of shrinkage may be a bigger threat. Boxwood seems reasonably flexible in this regard, and over ebony it seems to be safe enough because ebony will probably shrink even more. Older makers used to use thread-bound joints for mounts, i.e. there is a small layer of thread packing between the mount and the wood beneath, which is likely to provide some room for expansion/contraction.
Plastic mounts often crack on contact with flagstone floors, etc. - the polyester resin used can be brittle, so even if you go for synthetics, cracking may occur. In practice I haven’t seen more than one or two examples of a cracked wooden mount, while cracked/missing plastic, bone, or ivory mounts seem commonplace.
Bill
I have to strongly second Bill’s comments on the fragility of ivory/faux ivory mounts, but I much prefer them all the same to wood mounts or the unadorned look.
djm
djm wrote:
I have to strongly second Bill’s comments on the fragility of ivory/faux ivory mounts
I don’t seem to have an issue with this. The imitation ivory that I currnetly use I have tested and can litterally use it as a boucing ball off my cement shop floor with not even a mark. I am sure that the degree of frailty would vary however, from source to source.
Thank you all for the great feedback. We have touched on the amount of mounts, different material preferences and have slightly touched styles… could I receive a little more information on your preference of shapes of mounts please.
Cheers,
CJ
I prefer contrast, whether it be lighter on darker woods or faux ivory. Some detail work is nice too, like having the ivory broken up with a brass band or stepped turning, but still the mounts shouldn’t be so large that they stick way out from the sides of the chanter body. Detail with some restraint.
I use www.ivoryalternative.com
Hi CJ:
For concert pitch “classic” looks, the article by David Quinn in the Summer 1999 Iris na bPiobairi “Five Example of Leo Rowsome’s Decorative Turnings” gives some nice examples to work from. Traditionalists would probably like any of the choices there.
(you can get backissues from charm at seanet dot com)
Bill
heres an old Rowsome
http://www.unionpipes.co.uk/images/workshop_5.jpg
Don’t forget to check out the Diary pages at UilleannObsession. Lots n lots of great photos of both new and vintage sets, including close-ups of mounts from many makers and in many styles. http://www.uilleannobsession.com/
djm
FWIW I second the praise of Seth Hamon’s recent chanter work. I really like the darker mounts.
oops… double post.