World of Bagpipes : Making Bagpipes

Leather
 

 

 Leather for Bags and Bellows should be airtight and a simple check if collecting direct from the Tannery or Dealer is to try to such air through it. Personally I try to use hides that have been processed using Alum as this shrinks the skin closing the pores and rendering the hide perfectly airtight.

Saddle stitching is carried out using a purpose made thread where the wire used to pull the thread through the stitching hole is around a third the diameter of the thread ensuring the there are no leaks.

Prior to stitching  the leather is treated with a proprietary compound such as Saddle Soap to help keep the hide supple and fill any remaining pores that are still open.

Over time the bag will dry out and may become porous and will need dressing. Various methods are given in the books on pipemaking and in the internet forums. Because of the way my bags are constructed only oil-wax mixture or similar will work. The use of Copydex and water should  be avoided as it will just cause more problems than it cures as there is nothing for it to adhere to. Copydex is simply rubber dissolved in a solvent (liquid ammonia) and all the water does is serve to help spread it making it suitable for use in schools or the home where the correct thinning agent would be far to dangerous. The other point is that water and bellows pipe reeds do NOT mix !

The Photographs below show the effects of using this highly unsuitable mixture in a bag

 

  

Index

Tooling

Materials

  • Wood

  • Plastic

  • Metal

  • Other

    •

    Making

  • Bag

  • Turning

  • Boring

  • Reaming

  • Metalwork

  • Decoration

  • Finishing

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    Last Revised: 13/03/2005
    Copyright © July 2000 Christopher Bayley. All rights reserved.
    Contact me: Christopher Bayley