Does someone can tell me where I can find material (ivoirine, false(imitation) horn, etc.) to make beautif and solid mounts ?
Thanks
http://www.ivoryalternative.com/
For imitation horn, you could try to find a button factory and ask for single rods.
Have you ruled out wood? Boxwood, bloodwood, and even holly are all viable materials for bagpipe mounts.
On the one hand they’re softer and at least in theory less dimensionally stable than plastics (imitation ivory et al). On the other hand, they all look terrific, and besides I’ve seen plenty of damaged plastic mounts. 
Cheers,
Mick
Michael, I have contact them, they also sell imitation horn so I think I’ll pass a command soon ! Thank’s for the link !
Mke_mick, I already use wood to make mounts, you are right, it is very beautiful, give a terrible look, but I like to try new materials on the lathe, and found that the imitation horn could look terrific !
What exactly is wrong with real horn? Or real bone/antler? (note: no ivory mentioned)
Real horn is smelly, and it can also be problematic getting hold of good material - for instance, german cattle usually don’t have good horns, the material is very unhomogenous and fibrous in structure. Years ago, I bought horn tips from a shop specialised in woodturning supplies, and they all had radial cracks inside. Argentinian and Watussi cattle have good horns, certainly others too, which I don’t know about.
More or less the same goes for antler: antlers from german deer only have a very thin layer of white material, so it is barely usable. Further south (and/or east), the white layer seems to get stronger, I have a Bulgarian Gaida with antler mounts, but still, the instrument maker needed many antlers to get enough usable material for this (and there are not many mounts on a gaida). AFAIK, some Indian deer have very suitable antlers with much white material, but it is not easy to come by, and the supply is not reliable.
So, for the reason of availability as well as workability, I do admit I prefer the synthetic stuff.
The artificial ivory listed above is very brittle and easily prone to cracking. Same with the artificial horn and tortise shell. Lots of mounts made from it have broken all too easily. There is an other material available, called Elforyn, which is much tougher. I am not so fond of wood mounts. African water buffalo horn is great for black mounts. Good cow horn is available, but takes some searching. Bone is used in lots of piping traditions. Horse bone is better than bovine bone. Lots of horses are being slaughtered due to high costs of feeding and care. It is labor intensive to dry, de-fat and prepare for use. The bone pores can be sealed with chalk and super glue. It is traditional, legal and a renewable resource. I know of some UP makers preparing their own bone now, although it would be nice if there was a supply of ready-to-use bone for sale somewhere.
I agree with Ted, but once I got the hang of it It seems to be functional. It requires a different approach than wood and a delicate touch. I dont however think its particularly attractive compared to the stuff Jon Swayne uses.
cheers
Any idea what Jon Swayne uses?
No but im in regular contact with Jon so I will ask him. Its whiter and has a lovely swirl in the ‘grain’.
Ive just been looking at elfyrin, Thanks for that recommendation, they also supply some interesting timber so thats a very useful site.
cheers
has anyone here ever worked with tagua nuts? I’ve seen them online but never ordered them, but they look like they’d fit the bill.
Tagua nuts are hollow in the center and you never really know what the inside is going to be like or how cavernous it will be. I brought back a bunch from Ecuador and got stopped and harassed by customs but they let me keep the nuts. I don’t have a lather or make pipes, but I wanted to try to make rings or other ornate objects for my zampognas. They are really dense and hard to work and I basically gave up on them. Even with a dremel tool I had difficulty. Perhaps with power saws and a lather you could do something with them but I would think you would need to go through a lot before you could get workable size chunks. They were traditionally made for making buttons before plastic came about.
I have access to a lathe , I’m sure I could work them. if I have some spare time and money ill buy some and see what they’re like firsthand and post the results
I entered this thread seeking this same answer. I saw his pipes at the Pipers’ Gathering about four years ago and it was the best imitation ivory I’ve ever seen. It has a nice grain to it and is very pleasant in its appearance. So, I am too asking: did you ever find out what he uses and where it can be obtained?
This company makes imitation ivory, mostly for pistol grips. It’s widely regarded as a very good substitute for ivory–shows grain and can be purchased with coloration approximating natural ivory aging.