Anyone knows who (besides the Michael Dow, if anyone) is making bellows in the way so they never need any liquid inside to be airtight (including the time they are made)?
Just double layer gusset, glue and tacks/nails. Thanks!
Uilleann pipes bellows usually don’t need seasoning, if you use the right type of leather.
There aren’t many people making just bellows. Jordan McConnell in Manitoba, Canada is the only name that I can think of.
That is what I thought as well. I have been using a set of bellows, a lot, since 1986 and they are still fully airtight without any maintenance at all. Mind you I am still playing the original bag as well and while it has started loosing some air in recent years, I have seen new bags loose more air than mine does now.
My old bellows got a new leather gusset in 1980… I would not call it airtight anymore but it has been used to supply the wind for every set I have made and though it leaks a good bit these days it is still in service. It is more important that the bag is airtight, the bellows is not supposed to ‘power’ the pipes, only to replace the wind in the bag.
I get that. I used to have a set with single layer and it leaked through the skin as it was too porous. Two layers of proper skin glued together is the answer.
It looks Geoff made you an awesome bellows back then!
I agree Geoff, thank you.
Thank you all for your responses.
BUT what I meant with my question was something else - maintenance free permanent airtightness at the edges, at the valve and at the hinge areas, so you never need to put in or do anything - they stay like that. I have to learn to think in English, not only to write in it.
For example, leather flapper is something I don’t want to see ever again - it drived me crazy in the past. But it looks many pipemakers these days use silicone or man made family materials already for flapper, like for the chanters key pads as well. Rogge, Morgenbrodt, probably others…
Anyway, It looks that elements Michael incorporates - things like overlapping leather at some places and silicone rubber, delrin and metal for his valve, all described on his website, does bring him those results Bag Pipes
I used to own his bellows very briefly - a work of art for sure, but just a bit too cumbersome for my taste. Also the outlet was angled at 90 d. if I remember properly, so mybe an angle would be better. But mostly I missed the wood apperance plus nickel or stainless metal parts option. But still advanced work of art!
BTW I heard great things about Jordan’s bellows. Pricey but worth every penny I gues. Mybe he will incorporate some of the similar advanced solutions in the future. But they look just like a fine bellows should for my taste.
My question remains. Anyone else besides Michael Dow making them in the maintenance free/once in a lifetime fashion?
Using a double ply of leather is good for making it airtight, but it can make for stiff, heavy bellows. It’s always a trade-off - performance vs. weight. comfort vs. durability.
I have a set of Dow bellows and I find them to be very good (minus the 90 degree connector, which is, sometimes quite litterally, a pain). But they are big and heavy. I use them with my flat set as I tend not to travel too much with that set.
To answer your question about maintenance, apart from checking the bellows flap once in a while and adding/removing binding from the valve, I do no maintenance on the bellows (hinge, edges, etc.).
In the US - Jordan McConnell. Dirk Mewes. Mike Dow. Brian Bigley.
The US doesn’t own Manitoba … yet … 
Whoops! You’re very right. I’m ashamed of my US-centric error!
You’d think that someone who makes BORDER pipes would know of such things…
Best wishes.
Steve
I’m just a small(pipes) minded American.
Spot on! Single layer may be easier to play. I have a bellows with double layer gusset, but the maker made it so the inside layer goes only to the point where the gusset is nailed to the wood - so only top layer is nailed, which gives more flexibility. But of course this makes it more prone to leak at that area, so he must to put in his seasoning when he makes them, which isn’t ideal any more.
I know what you mean, and after seing numerous photos of different bellows, I think the answer is NO, only Michael Dow makes them that way. I do however see one or two similar ideas in Mark Donohue bellows.
I presume most makers make bellows by following traditional shapes, construction methods and standard parts without extra steps or parts you see in Dow bellows. Their goal is to be aesthetically in harmony with their pipes, straightforward enought to make and to manage affordable prices. Or mybe the idea of perpetuall maintance free bellows just isn’t best business decision. Ciao.
I believe Mike McNintch, the smallpipes player, made bellows for Seth Gallagher & still has access to his workshop in NY.
I own a Mark donohoe bellows for years now and it is totally maintenance free and as air tight as a puffer fishes asshole. I actually seen some of his gussets before being fixed to boards.. They are coated internally with a synthetic polymerized rubber which is light and stays flexible for ever. The metal hinge he uses makes for a very motion efficient bellows.visually they’re a work of art.
RORY
Work of art for sure. I gues bellows style and design is very subjective thing.
If Dow bellows were too bulky for you, you can always order his smaller and lighter version. I am not sure about the % of difference. Maybe someone else can comment on this.
And the 90 degree connector issue you can solve with something like this https://www.farmandfleet.com/products/1334896-tigre-45-degree-elbow-for-1-2-pipe.html
They come in different sizes and you can get also the brass or stainless version or Michael can make it for you.
Thanks for suggestion. I just wish he would offer a version without leather cover on the wood and nickel or stainless instead of brass. But good point. He does make a smaller one too.