Bagpipe Cobbler's Wax - Black (In Stock)
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0.06 poundsBagpipe Cobblers Black Wax - Place the cobbler's wax inside the leather applicator provided and apply to the first 12" of hemp you are going to apply to the bagpipe joint. It will help adhere the hemp to the wood and prevent the hemp from turning. This hemp has been specially formulated not to melt in your pipe case.
What supplies do I need to hemp my bagpipes?
Supplies - Waxed
hemp yellow or black , and double sided sticky tape, OR; unwaxed
hemp , beeswax and cobbler's waxand a small (4" X 4") piece of leather. You may
choose to use the traditional method with unwaxed hemp, cobbler's wax and
beeswax, or the modern way, with waxed hemp, and double sided sticky
tape. Both approaches work well, if done properly.
How do I hemp my bagpipes?
If you choose the traditional route, you
must first prepare the unwaxed hemp to make it adhere to the raw wood (using
cobbler's wax) and to be moisture resistant (using beeswax). Place the cobbler's
wax in the middle of a strip of leather; then hold a match or lighter to the wax
for a short time in order to soften the wax. Unravel a two foot length of hemp
from the roll and tie one end to a door handle or place it under your foot. Pull
the length of hemp till it is taut then rub the cobbler's wax back and forth on
the hemp till it has a good coating of the cobbler's wax. Now unravel another
eight to ten feet from the roll and apply the beeswax by rubbing it back and
forth on the stretched hemp till the hemp is well coated with beeswax.
Caution on the cobbler's wax! Do not apply cobbler's wax to more
than the first two feet of hemp. If the cobbler's wax bleeds through to the
outer layer of the wrapping you can end up with joints stuck together. Always
keep the cobbler's wax in a sealed plastic bag when it is in your pipe case, as
on a warm day the cobbler's wax can melt and make a mess of anything near it.
The next step is to fasten the hemp to the bare wood - The cobbler's wax
is used to stick the hemp to the wood, or you can wrap a layer of double sided
sticky tape around the wooden joint to be hemped. Both methods will adhere the
hemp to the wood. If you neglect this first step you will end up with a spinning
hemped joint, which is when all the hemp on a joint spins as one solid piece and
makes removal or adjustment of the part very difficult.
For the first
wrap, lay a tail of the hemp across (perpendicular to) the groves of the joint
to be hemped. Place your thumb on the tail, then with pressure, start to wind
the hemp around the joint covering the tail as you go. It is important to keep
the hemp tight and in the groves of the joint, follow the groves all the way
down the joint.
After the first layer of hemp is wrapped, retrace your
way back filling in the groves made by the first layer. Continue this process
and check the fit of the joint against the part you are mating it to. When you
have a snug fit, add one last layer of hemp, but this time as you wrap, leave a
space between each wrap, like the threads on a screw. Once a good fit has been
achieved, finish the hemping by tying the end with a half hitch. After a few
days, no matter how good a job you do, the hemp will compress and the joint will
be a little loose, so repeat the final wrap to reachieve the proper tightness.
Tightness - The hemp on the tuning slides should be tight enough
to prevent the top section from slipping, but loose enough that you can adjust
the slides with one hand. The stocks should be airtight but care must be taken
not to over-hemp them, as this will result in cracked stocks. If you are using
the pre-waxed hemps, the black-waxed hemp is slightly thicker than the
yellow-waxed hemp and works best for the first and layering wraps. For a tighter
fit, the final wrap should be done with the yellow-waxed hemp. If you have been
following along with these articles you should now have an airtight pipe bag,
stocks without leaks, a blowpipe that is non-restrictive with a good one-way
valve and properly hemped joints. You are well on the way to effortless bagpipe
playing.