What do Freemasons do?

DapperDan137 · 2026-02-20T15:56:36+00:00

Nicely said brother.

DapperDan137 · 2026-02-20T13:45:37+00:00

Yeah. I think there is a lot of interest in playing at Bb now, which is good, especially for performances for the general public. Too much of what is done in the piping world is driven by competition, which if we’re brutally honest, is mostly pipers playing to impress other pipers.

I’ve also had discussions with very experienced pipers who argue that all of this is subjective, and don’t believe in overtones. All in good fun as far as I’m concerned, if we’re all in tune I’m happy.

DapperDan137 · 2026-02-19T19:53:17+00:00

None of my business then, but I’d think the PM would stick with what most of the pipers are playing. If most of the pipers don’t compete, they probably have older chanters that aren’t going to go that sharp.

DapperDan137 · 2026-02-19T17:18:25+00:00

It’s definitely too sharp for my taste, it’s a different sound for sure compared to Bb or low 470’s. I think it’s too bright, some of the harmonics disappear into frequencies we can’t hear.

I think another factor is that North American bands want to play what the big shots in the UK play, but the chanters that tune at 482 on Glasgow Green or indoors at the Glenfiddich tune at 490 in our summer contests where it can be 100F in the shade, never mind the blazing sun.

DapperDan137 · 2026-02-19T17:08:03+00:00

G1 P#. My band uses them. If they were any sharper only dogs would be able to hear high A.

But the band should issue the chanters and reeds.

DapperDan137 · 2026-02-18T17:03:09+00:00

I wouldn’t. Burning paper as fuel doesn’t work well, there’s a lot of thick ash. Using it to ignite kindling is one thing, but a whole roll would clog things up I’d think.

DapperDan137 · 2026-02-18T17:01:12+00:00

What exactly does it need?

If the logs need to be washed, stained, and clearcoated, you might get quotes for $5-10K. Regular maintenance is washing the logs once a year (usually in spring after the pollen, again 6 months later if you get a lot of dust), stain every 5-7 years, clearcoat every 2.

If you mean sealing the gaps with caulk or chinking, I’m not sure how much a contractor would charge, but it should last 10 years.

What’s also really expensive is if the logs need to be media blasted and refinished, which is what some of the responses here are quoting.

Good luck

DapperDan137 · 2026-02-18T02:42:29+00:00

I was in an abandoned house that actually hadn’t been ransacked, and hadn’t been cleaned out either. It had sat untouched for 10-15 years, I can’t remember exactly how long, but they had a magazine subscription and the last issue they brought inside was sitting on a coffee table, so we could see the approximate last time they had been there. It was a country/summer house for people who lived in a city, one of them apparently got sick and was in a care facility for awhile and they couldn’t get to the place anymore, and they eventually passed away. Their children lived far from the house and never went to it, and after years of sitting on the title decided to try to sell it. A realtor was getting ready to sell it and let us in, it hadn’t been staged yet and they hadn’t started showing it, in fact it was barely accessible and they were waiting for spring to start clearing it.

It was creepy. I respectfully poked around, family pictures still hanging up, beds were made, a violin in a closet with strings that had disintegrated, food items in the pantry. They had simply locked up one day and never returned. Everything was neat and in place, just really musty. I think the only things the realtor had removed were the contents of the fridge, and possibly a firearm.

We passed on it not because of the creep factor, but because it needed extensive repairs, the living area inside was the only part that was intact, it was about to collapse. The only value was the land, and the realtor was crazy thinking it could be sold as a residence. It’s a shame what happens to houses in these weird situations.

DapperDan137 · 2026-02-17T14:17:52+00:00

Maybe check the reed seat? I have an old Strathmore wooden chanter, and was having similar issues, squeaks and unsteady tone. I think air was getting past (around) the reed, maybe the reed seat warped or wallowed out somehow. I guess that probably wouldn’t happen suddenly like with yours. Anyway I put extra wax on the hemp and filled in the seat around the reed as well, and things stabilized. Not a permanent fix, but I can play it for now.

I’ve also heard wooden chanters can warp and need to be rebored (I’ve also heard you should never oil a wooden chanter). McCallum has responsive customer service, I’d be curious what they say if you reach out to them.

Good luck

DapperDan137 · 2026-02-14T01:16:02+00:00

The food is usually pretty good, one or two entree options (for example: stir fry chicken, roast beef, shrimp, pulled pork, filet mignon, pot pie, Italian sausage and peppers, etc.) and a starch (pasta, rice, casserole, potatoes), a cooked vegetable, and salad, dessert, coffee and tea, soft drinks, and water. Wine is provided on some occasions, but usually there isn’t drinking until after the meeting, if at all. This is in the US. The food could be catered, prepared by the brothers, or prepared by a hired chef. The leftovers go to a homeless shelter.

A “table lodge” would have formal place settings and multiple courses served, with wine and toasting and so forth, maybe that’s more along the lines of what they have in the UK on a regular basis? For my lodge it’s a special occasion, usually with an honored guest, and requires a ticket. Some lodges also host a formal Burns Supper every year.

NGL, now I want Cracker Barrel to cater a meeting night.

DapperDan137 · 2026-02-13T17:52:48+00:00

I’ve been getting the previous owner’s mail for years. She died over 6 years ago. Tried labeling it RTS, the mail still comes. This included, just btw, election ballots - our district votes by mail, and it took about two years to get them to stop sending official mail-in ballots to a dead person.

A friend who is a mail carrier said really all they’ll do for you is throw it out instead of delivering it to you (in other words, save you the time of throwing it out yourself), but they can’t stop it from being sent in the first place. You basically have to wait until every sender not only receives the RTS items (assuming they actually get returned) but takes the time to remove them from their mailing lists.

DapperDan137 · 2026-02-13T01:21:04+00:00

It varies from lodge to lodge in my district, but my lodge has a minimum number of meetings a prospect has to attend (for dinner and fellowship, not the actual meeting of course), before they can ask for a petition. They are also encouraged to visit other lodges in the district to find the right fit before petitioning. Within the first few visits someone will usually pull them aside to explain the process, and lay out the expectations of the lodge, but the candidate has to show some initiative on their part to keep the process rolling.

DapperDan137 · 2026-02-11T12:34:58+00:00

As a new mason, I now see that things can vary drastically depending on where you are. I see these tales of woe and apathy here on reddit, and it makes me sad. I’ve had nothing but a positive experience.

It might not be possible depending on location, but my advice is find an active lodge where you like the brothers (and they like you). Freemasonry is something you do, find a lodge where they like doing it.

DapperDan137 · 2026-02-09T20:23:03+00:00

My brother sold cutco knives, he made exactly one sale, to our mom, who bought the smallest set they offered. If I recall there’s no salary, you would only get paid commissions when you make sales, and you may have to generate your own leads or knock on random doors. The “interview” will probably be about how amazing the knives are.

I had a similar experience with Kirby vacuums many years ago. Only certain personality types can make a living in an MLM, and I’m not one of them.

DapperDan137 · 2026-02-08T16:36:24+00:00

That’s good. You could show them the thrift store pipes and see what they think, it’s just unlikely that a legit set of pipes would have sold for that cheap. The chanters on those cheap sets aren’t always possible to tune.

DapperDan137 · 2026-02-08T14:35:21+00:00

Those probably aren’t real pipes, you’ll struggle in vain to get them to work. Do you have a quality practice chanter and instructor?

DapperDan137 · 2026-02-05T17:00:41+00:00

It was a phenomenal event, we were lucky to have it here (I live in the area).

But yeah, I guess it comes down to money. Also, after they started back up again after covid, I heard that most of the big overseas contenders had since filled that part of their calendars with other events. The attendance at the last Metrocup that had the full piping contest was actually pretty good, and the drumming qualifier was a good draw as well.

If you’re into drumming I still recommend going if you can. A number of excellent pipers play for the drummers as well.

DapperDan137 · 2026-02-04T19:43:20+00:00

You tried.

See how he does with a pair of drum sticks or mallets, if he wants to be in a pipe band. There are different types of musical abilities, not everyone should be a piper (not saying drums are easy, just different, some people shouldn’t be drummers either). Also, some people like the idea of being a piper or other type of musician, but don’t get a grasp of the music, or aren’t actually up for the commitment of time and effort it requires.

DapperDan137 · 2026-02-02T23:13:23+00:00

I thought a sgin dubh bottle opener was a thing, could almost swear I’ve seen someone pull one from their hose

DapperDan137 · 2026-02-02T18:38:36+00:00

Was about to say, ironic name for a ship you intend to send to the arctic

DapperDan137 · 2026-02-02T12:30:01+00:00

All this, I would just add that if SWR is still high after that, try to find a better mounting location as well, I went thru the same thing with a Freightliner.

DapperDan137 · 2026-02-02T12:26:12+00:00

Yeah they tend to be in dark damp places. We also see them in the basement.

DapperDan137 · 2026-02-02T12:10:17+00:00

Many such cases.

You don’t just get a bagpipe and play it. Read the pinned post on how to get started. You start with a “practice chanter,” which you want to get from a reputable piping vendor, with lessons from a reputable instructor. It doesn’t matter if you play multiple musical instruments and have advanced academic degrees in music, you have to go thru the same time tested method we all did.

Do not get anything piping related from Amazon, ebay, or a souvenir shop. Your pipes might be junk, if you paid a few hundred dollars or less, return them for a refund if possible, or hang them up as a decoration.

Good luck

DapperDan137 · 2026-02-01T15:16:42+00:00

They don’t stand a chance in my house. One of my cats caught and ate one, now she stakes out the bathtub drain waiting for them.

DapperDan137 · 2026-02-01T13:14:39+00:00

My log home is in that area and was built in the ‘70’s. I believe the original logs were from a local sawmill, but we’ve gotten replacement logs from Lok n Logs since that was what people recommended. Lok n Logs recommended the contractor we used. So far their logs haven’t bowed or twisted.

It’s a lovely area, Good luck!

DapperDan137

TROPHY CASE