Chiff and Fipple Forums

I did a quick search and found Gold beaters skin appears to be animal intestine or fish skin used to repair tears in velum papers.

Another reference I found which gave it's name is the seperating material used when hammering gold into thin sheets used for gold leaf.

It's listed on a few reed makers supply websites but I didn't see any pictures or instructions on how to use it.

The gold beaters skin is made from cows intestines, or at least one layer of the membranes, and is stretched and dried. It comes in folded sheets and looks like slightly off-white tissue paper. To use it, you simply cut a little strip, dampen one end with your tongue (yup) and apply it as you would teflon tape. By wrapping it on damp, the natural proteins in the skin adhere it to itself and the reed. If you take apart a reed made with this it appears to be a sealent, not a membrane......but in use it is nicer than teflon tape as it is not slippery and the winding won't slide away on you. Email me if you can't find it locally, I think I can still get it from my suppliers.

Islandpiper,
There are different qalities in teflon tapes so you
have to try them out I'm sure if the old boys had all this modern
gear we have they certainly would not be going through all this palaver they'd be useing quickest and easiest methods the cane is the most
important part of it any how half the problem is they use to soft of cane.

stew- I am not sure what you are saying. Do you mean, in the end of your message, that "they"(the old-time reed makers?) used too soft of cane? I prefer cane that is quite soft. Pitano Perra in Sardinia supplies the hardest cane I know of.

Ted

Hi Ted,
no I'm saying that us makers of to day hear that soft cane is
best I was told soft cane was best and had nothing but trouble when
I started making reeds then a other maker told me to use a medium to
hard cane and I never had any more problems getting them to play
in tune some chanters play better with harder cane reeds than others
but I prefer to use medium hard cane for my chanters but thats me
I think it gives a cleaner note off the chanter softer cane is probably
better for regs

For budding reedmakers out there, or those who just want to be able to adjust their reeds without completely banjacksing them, you might like to know that fellow Boardmember Alan Burton is coming to our festival to take a reedmaking class.
See www.strathspeyinmay.com for more...
9th to 11th May in Grantown-on-Spey [just down the road from where Monarch of the Glen is filmed....very pretty part of the world]

Boyd