Anyone ever thought of this???.. Has it been tried??? 
Yes, and discussed to death here several times. 
Upshot of it was cost to make a precision mold would be prohibitive. However, one fellow made a few, disappeared for a while, and has now started his own shop. http://www.uilleannpipeworks.com/
djm
I suppose the question one needs to ask is what are the benefits of a delrin chanter. I can see the benefits of delrin for the GHB’s especially when playing in a pipe band because of tonal and tuning continuity. However, I have a delrin & also a blackwood GHB chanter and although the day to day tuning is somewhat more stable on the delrin chanter the cane reed still has its “on” days and “off” days. In addition there is a difference in tonal quality. IMHO wood gives the richer sound.
In terms of Uilleann pipes I can see some benefit in having a delrin main stock and drones but the heart of the instrument (the chanter) would lose that richness of tone that only quality wood can give.
However, if one lives in an “unfriendly” climate then delrin may be the only viable alternative but again the reed dictates and I have yet to hear a quality alternative to a cane reed so some of the benefits of having a delrin chanter are minimised because of the usual problems with cane reeds.
I suppose in the final analysis it boils down to personal taste in so far tone is concerned. I listened to the sound file for the delrin/resin chanter and although it sounded ok, it is very difficult to tell what a “live” performance would sound like.
Finally, is your interest in delrin based on cost, climate & stability et cetera or just out of interest?
Joseph (the “traditional material loving” UK one)
Just a thought I had this morning… The only thing is one would have to figure out how to make the mold for a chanter..??? some research I’m guessing
Someone mentioned in an earlier posting that Peter Hunter was possibly experimenting with delrin for chanter’s. He would probably be a good source of information because when I knew him (I haven’t been in touch with him for many years) he was always very helpful and free with his advice. As he is/was a perfectionist I doubt he would produce anything that did not meet his usual very high standards.
I don’t know if he is on this list or indeed on email but someone on this list may be able to help. Beckitybeck possibly?
Joseph (the UK one).
Pretty huge difference between injection molded resin and delrin. k
Simple, just leave your chanter in a damp, dark place for a few months, then you’ll have chanter mold 
Pat Murray (of uilleann pipeworks of Boston) as has already been mentioned.
Also, Andreas Rogge makes a chanter from polyacetal as well.
Just to clarify, delrin (the Dupont tradename for polyacetal) chanters are turned and reamed, about the same way as wooden chanters.
Injection molding requires hard tooling (i.e. a metal mold) and a machine to inject the mold with plastic resin at high temperature and pressure. This requires a huge initial investment in tooling and machinery.
Cast resin chanters are most likely made using soft tooling, like silicone, filled with a liquid resin mixed with a catalyzer/hardener, then put in a vacuum chamber. Soft tooling isn’t very durable, but probably works quite well for the relatively low-volume production of pipes.
No E
This is what I’m talk’in about… 
Check this out http://www.alumilite.com/alumilite56.wmv
You need precision tollerances for pipes… therefore, a semi-rigid casting won’t do unless you plan to ream the bore to the final size.
Thats the Plan :adminok:
Yeah, that’s the process I was thinking of. The tricky part with casting a chanter will, of course, be the bore. You’ll need a three-piece mold: a form for the bore, and two halves of the outside. I’d imagine the form for the bore could be machined out of aluminum, as it wouldn’t need to be flexible. I don’t know how Patrick Murray does it, but I’d go a bit under-sized on the bore to allow clean-up with a reamer. Another question is whether the tone holes are molded-in or drilled post-op. The was an article in “The Pipers’ Review” a couple years back about a guy (not Patrick Murray) who was making cast resin chanters. It would be worth tracking down if you’re serious about proceeding with this project.
Also, I would recommend using a vacuum chamber to eliminate air bubbles in the resin. They don’t make much difference in a handicapped parking sign, but could cause all kind of havoc in a chanter bore. They’re fairly simple to make.
No E
Personally, if I were to make pipes, I think I would rather work with wood. There is something to be said for the sense of satisfaction I would feel after having spent hours in turning, drilling, waiting, waiting, waiting, turning some more, reaming, waiting, reaming and finishing… now, just what that something may be… ahhh, I got it… INSANITY! 
What ever would you do with all the time you spent waiting
What would be the advantage of molded synthetic chanters over wooden chanters? Resistence to temperature change? Better sound? More interesting choice of colours ( )?
I’t just sounded like a fun experiment… I’m not going to stop making pipes from wood and buffing them with rotten bannana peals anytime soon
I’t just sounded like a fun experiment… I’m not going to stop making pipes from wood
Why, I’d pick my nose, of course.