Bellows
Coming soon is our all leather bellows, solid 7.00mm thick leather boards and 3.00mm gusset, these will last a life time
Every pair of our bellows, bags are hand stitched in house, using a waxed and woven Kevlar thread, that will not rot, stretch or give way like many natural fibres do, Top quality timbers are used in their construction with the best selection and positioning of grain in mind,
The pear shape design I use for the bellows, comes from a pattern situated in the Chantry Museum in Morpeth, and carry on a superb looking design that of Robert Reid of NSP fame, but are slightly larger in size, to give an ample and even flow for the Uilleann pipes, about four full pumps to fill a bag of around 4 cubic litres.
Only top quality leather is used in their construction, giving trouble free service for the lifetime of the product, periodic seasoning may be required, you can click here for our simple recipe.
Bellows are finished with a multi layered Danish oil coating, enhancing the true beauty of the timber which can be re-applied at any time, or an optional French polished finish.
The outlet pipe is made in the traditional way, with a highly flexible and durable hand stitched leather outlet tube, which is reinforced from the inside, using a nylon coil to prevent it from kinking.
Bags and Fittings
Again our bags are hand/saddle stitched and made from top quality full grain leather, that has a tough hard wearing poly coating on the inside, which does not require seasoning and should give at least ten years trouble free service, We do not use this type of leather on the bellows however, as we have found that the constant bending and levering action that occurs in and near the hinge area, tends to crack the coating, unlike the bags which are not put under the same strain.
Bag blowpipe in the old style, without a ferrule and an interference fit on the bellows blowpipe, no whipping needed, as long as you have at least a 1/4" wall thickness on the bag stock there is no need for a ferrule to be fitted, it also looks really nice.
Above showing hand stitched solid Madagascan Rosewood bellows, this timber was rescued from some German WW2 packing crates, that I salvaged from and old shed that was being dismantled by a friend.
A set made from wind blown root burl Elm, from our farm in the Lake District.
Also made from a wind blown branch of English elm, from our farm.
Above are some bellows from an end of life Laburnum from our orchard, grain display at its best.
Showing Bellows hinge Straps and outlet plates on a pinned set of bellows.
Above and Below Showing a set of French polished Brazilian mahogany Bellows, with traditional hand stitch leather outlet pipe, not a rubber tube in sight.
In the style of Robert Reid of old, solid flamed Honduran Rosewood, the timber was rescued from part of an old Victorian wardrobe, that somebody was throwing away.
English Walnut Bellows, we now have an endless supply of this timber which should last us for over twenty years.
My own bellows made from solid Madagascan Rosewood.
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