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Most bagpipes today are made from African Blackwood, but it wasn't always that way. In the past, bagpipes were made from a variety of woods including ebony, ironwood, cocus, and cocobolo. More recently, some pipe makers have started making pipes from plastic — the acetal polymer known to most pipers as delrin or polypenco. It's the same black stuff your mouthpiece or plastic chanter is made from. In today's post, we'll take a close up look at my new set of all-plastic pipes from R.G. Hardie. Whatever your expectations might be, prepare to be surprised. Clear advantages of plastic pipes are: -zero variability of the material, unlike wood which is a natural product -zero chance of cracking or warping or changing shape over time -extremely thermodynamically stable — meaning the pipes don't change with changes in temperature -zero moisture absorption, once the pipes dry out they are dry — no residual moisture in the wood ...