Brass drone reeds, very similar to mouth-organ reeds in size and material, but beating reeds as in a pipe-organ. A blank reed-body of .032 wall brass tubing is shown in the foreground.
Two drones, the high 'g' and low 'G' were over-bored; I turned a 1/8 in OD, liner of cocobolo around a 3/32 in hole and pressed into the top. The larger drone is too long for such treatment, and the solution was to insert a 5/32 OD, .014-wall brass tube; this gives a bore slightly small, as it...
I have been fortunate; McMaster-Carr carries the odd size of brass tubing at 1-3/8 inches (this size is used on the overflow drains on old claw-foot tubs; perhaps that's why it is still available), and only $15.20 (plus S&H) for a one-foot length. I stuffed and re-drilled the stock holes at a...
My original thread has been closed, so I've opened a new one. Since I've retrieved my band-saw and drill press I've been able to return to work on the bagpipe project. I mounted a piece of mammoth ivory to the chanter, though I made errors on selection when I made the bass drone and switched...
Finger holes marked with dial caliper, drilling with brad-point bit. Backing inserted in bore is bamboo skewer wrapped in paper to a snug but sliding fit to prevent breakout.
I've returned to my English Northumbrian Small Pipes project, after putting it aside more than a year ago. First, a view of the "workshop" while working on the project:
Here's the state of the project as of a few days ago:
And here's the pipe-chanter after boring and partly...