Howdy all, just a quick question- some time ago now there was a discussion on C&F about wood seasoning and related topics, and the idea of some form of plasticised wood was mentioned, impregnated using some sort of vacuum process. Ive tried to find the thread again but with no results. Any ideas?
cheers.
The only resin product I know about is Dymondwood. Follow this link for previous discussion:
http://chiffboard.mati.ca/viewtopic.php?t=17598&highlight=dymondwood&sid=e1dc386865415d5b14ab02c2bb7f71a5
Most of the blanks available (on the internet) are for small parts like knife handles or pen turnings.
This link may have larger sizes available:
http://www.rutply.com/dymond.htm
I’d be concerned about the splinters … 
djm
if memory serves the process involved vacuum impregnating actual wood blanks of about chanter size rather than pulverised wood or veneers.. looks like where on the right track though.
djm, are you joking?
The Dymondwood is layers of baltic birch soaked with resin. I would think splintering wouldn’t be a problem.
I know of one pipemaker who uses it for prototyping… hope he makes a comment here.
Ralph Sweet uses it on some of his whistles:
http://www.sweetheartflute.com/whistles.html
Marcus, I don’t remember resin treated billets. There was talk of PEG impregnated wood blanks on the Heatnet board a while back. David Daye was doing experiments, but I think he stopped the project.
This came around the time of working cane with PEG to lock-in humidity levels and improve stability.
Cheers Tony, I’d be interested to find out more on this subject - the prospect of using wood blanks with the stability of plastic would be worth looking into, providing the tonal qualities where retained.
The Wee Piper, Michael MacHarg, made some pipes about 20 years ago out of polymer impregnated maple. He used a vacuum process to treat the wood. I have the literature somewhere on how to do it, but am in the middle of moving so I can’t lay my hands on it right now.
Ted
Tony, yes, I am joking. The reference was to concerns of getting splinters while trying to impregnate wood.
(God, I never thought I would have to explain these things!) :roll:
djm
That’s why you should play safe. NO Glove No love DJM
I’ll never understand the reasoning behind obsessions with finding an alternate wood. I think it’s great to experiment, don’t get me wrong. Pink Ivory’s pretty fascinating to work with and has a pretty “different” appearance at the end. But synthetics like epoxy/whatever impregnated maple? You might as well be turning an epoxy rod.
If you have the equipment already to be working on turning/reaming/&c pipes, it’s likely that the difference between a $5 piece of impregnated maple and a $20 piece of properly seasoned african blackwood or ebony isn’t that much.
Dionys
P.s. Someone recently put a dyamondwood chanter up for sale on ebay, so someone’s using it.
Hey all,
Yeah Tony, that’s me using the diamondwood for prototyping. I’ll tell you what I know.
It comes from Rutland Plywood co. in Rutland, VT. It is birch laminates, dyed to a variety of colors. They will even custom color it for a fee. The laminates are compressed in a phenolic resin. They sell it in sheets and dowels. I bought a bunch of thier “Cocobolo” colored 1 1/2" dowels, some years back. I think they have a minimum order af about $250 US. So, it was a lot. About 3 dozen 25" (or so) lengths. I do use the stuff for prototyping. But I don’t want to use it for commercial product. It is abrasive and nasty. Wear a mask if you ever use the stuff. Speaking of splinters, cutting it on a lathe makes thousands of little spears that are quite uncomfortable if they get in your clothes or shoes. I do use it for the bored piece for inside the bass regulator separator. It makes a good one, and it is better than using a tropical hardwood where it will not be seen.
It is dimensionally stable. It makes good regulators and drones, and it will make a good keyless/mountless chanter. But keymounts tend to break off along the grain. You can make a regulator with the grain situated along the length of all the mounts. But, you can’t do that with a chanter made of it.
Cheers,
BC
Ya hear that djm ???
Splinters man… splinters.
Bruce, have you done any chanters or parts in Delrin ?
Hello,
I purchased a dyamondwood narrow bore D chanter from Robert May and I’m starting to like it. Now I’m a beginner (somewhere between rank and stink) so I wouldn’t trust my judgement but it seems well made and is alot more mellow than my O’Grady. Wish it had thumb rest.
Here’s something called AcryliWood, found in a web search:
Our Stabil-Thru? resin stabilization process forces polymer resins into the wood with pressure and heat. This process resin stabilizes the cells of the wood. It also fills most of the small natural voids (such as bark inclusions) often hidden within burls and some figured woods.
Maybe N.Whistler will lend you his glove. 
djm
None of this will work. If you impregnate wood with anything then the impregnation is merely superficial, and will cease to be relevant as soon as wood is removed from the workpiece. I could explain further, but my own experience is based on high level violin making, and is thus removed from the present discussion.
Mike
Well done BoneQuint thats the site i was looking for! cheers everyone for input and advice (especialy concerning splinters) incidently i’m not trying to find a replacement for using wood, just curious as to the process involved.
Mike if you could climb down from the dizzying heights of mountain violin making to explain more to us mortals, i’m sure we’d all appriciate it 
Basically the wood of the chanter does little except contain a vibrating column of air. Because of its’ shape there is little end grain exposed for any substance to impregnate to any great distance - if you tried this after the chanter was turned. If you tried it while the chanter was “in the rough” you would eventually turn most of the outer part of the wood away, and this would have contained your impregnating substance.
I have tried numerous ways of stiffening violin plates over the years; impregnating the wood with silicates (tiny rocks), rosin oil (a polymer), glue, Liquin (an acrylic) and various other things. None were anything more than moderately successful, and I came to the conclusion that this was a blind alley.
I did try baking some maple and then impregnating the wood while the grain was still open. While this allowed the fluid to go deeper into the wood structure, after some of the hemi-cellulose was displaced/destroyed, it unfortunately affected the lignin bonds within the wood, weakening the whole. If you go around the tonewood suppliers in the Balkans or Germany you will see that they air dry the wood rather than kiln dry it; they maintain that heating the wood simply degrades it or shortens its’ life.
I would be concerned that you could not verify what would happen to the wood of the chanter years down the road. If you want something that will remain inert after being finished then why not simply use Polyacetyl as some makers are doing?
I would be very interested in knowing whether anyone has had any success in stiffening up wood, as this would have great relevance to my own field of work.
Mike