The bellows that I use on my pipes are a Charles Roberts set, about 25 years old as near as I can tell…The problem is that the leather on the arm strap has completely worn through and broken (just today), and the waist strap is about to go the same way. Does anyone know of a pipemaker near Colorado who could put new straps on the bellows for me, and maybe do a bit of padding on the inside as well? I’m trying to avoid sending them back to Charles in Ireland, as I have a couple of gigs coming up in the very near future and I’l like to get the bellows back as quickly as possible. Any suggestions???
Try finding a good local shoe repair guy, one that will listen to you. I had the same problem with my wrist and waist straps and this worked for me.
Depending on how the straps are attached, you might just walk down/drive to the nearest leather shop and/or tack shop (horse-tack) and find some ‘belts’ of the right length/width and attach them yourself. Padding can be made from scrap leather backed with cotton batting or foam (or any mix thereof). It’ll certainly be cheaper, may or may not be quicker, and you will know exactly how to fix them again should something go wrong, or should you need to replace them again.
Dionys
Thanks guys…I think I’ll at least try to undertake this one myself. At least there’s no shortage of tack shops in Colorado… 