HHmm, I think you’ve got a point there Rory.
Tubing certainly brings a lot of benefits to the pipemaker - availability and price. One of the ‘looks’ that is lost in that process from the 1800s is that many pieces in a set of pipes made then were tapered. My Taylor chanter top has a nice taper effect and that process is/was probably time consuming. Only was to make those ferrules fit is to do them by hand. There’s an elegance in old instruments that is quite striking.
Whether or not that look is worth seeking out is up to the individual. Those older sets did not have to sit and play with accordians, concertinas, etc (‘foreign music’ according to Francis O’Neill - not hard to imagine where he is on bouzoukis). Modern chanters have the advantage of modern tuning sensibilities.
Although I might be disregarded, as I have not been a pipe maker for long, I have been a metalsmith for twelve years. I hand roll some of my ferrules, occasionally use stock tubing(though I don’t like the color of that brass alloy as much) or cast them in brass, silver or bronze. In truth, it’s not far off from making regular jewelry. But pipes don’t swell and shrink quite as much as some of my customers fingers do on their monthly lunar freakouts. It’s more a matter of personal taste and structural need in deciding which techinque I use. Casting is my favorite because I’m a dedicated pyromaniac. I don’t like welding, so steel is right out.
Marc
Both Brad Angus and Geoff Wooff roll their own tubing. Brad works with both brass and nickel silver (a copper alloy with nickel and zinc). I think I heard that Geoff executed a set in sterling silver, too.
Hi Jim, I agree that tubing has brought lots of benefits to the pipemaker,
But if fitted correctly can look as good as hand rolled ferrules in my opinion, I have seen some lovely sets made with quality tubeing,But there again I’ve seen sets made with hand rolled ferrules that have looked a right pile of shight, it comes down the pipemaker and how they are fitted on to the turned wood, As I have said before the ferrule is only there to stop the wood spitting,Hand rooled ferrules don’t make the set play any better. all the best.
The fit achieved by pipemakers with tubing is fine but it does lock them into using one size of tubing. On my Taylor top (and you often see it on other 19th century instruments), the uppermost part of the top gently tapers down and that overall effect is ‘pleasing to the eye’. That effect is not achievable if one uses tubing at the top and bottom of the chanter top as the tubing is identical in size. The tubing fits the wood perfectly but a taper is not possible.
Geoff and Brad (and there may be others), by not using tubing, are able to replicate the old look of pipes from the 19th century by rolling his own metal. I do know that is important to them.
Many, many dozens and thousands of touches have been lost in the process of industrialization and mass production. I went through some restoration details concerning my 1920s vintage condo and it is possible to do some replacement pieces exactly but it is difficult to find craftsmen to do the work and, if you do, you cannot be concerned about cost containment and/or effectiveness. If only my condo builder had anticipated my need in the 21st century for central air.
Jim, if tradition is so important to these guys, why do pipemakers and
reedmakers and pipers use tubeing for there reeds, why dont they hand roll there staples the old way, the traditionalist tubeing for ferrules “O NO” can’t have, that but then again its all right to use for reeds making, and yes I know there are still old time fantasizers out there with aids up there bores, and they love it 
, all most pipers want today is {1} a set that plays well in tune with its self,{2}well made, {3} and looks good 
without having to pay a fortune for 
, thats all pipers want, Seamus Ennis’s set did’nt have lots of nickle or silver decor all over them. its the piper that plays the tune at the end of the day. 
all the best.
qoute: “Jim, if tradition is so important to these guys, why do pipemakers and
reedmakers and pipers use tubeing for there reeds, why dont they hand roll there staples the old way, the traditionalist tubeing for ferrules “O NO” can’t have, that but then again its all right to use for reeds making”
There are many who roll their own staples, they actually prefer it to store bought tubing. Again, a pipemaker’s input on this thread would be valuable. I honestly do not see makers like Froment, Woof, Angus, Gallagher and so forth, hiking down to the hobby shop to buy tubing, of any material, to use on their pipes.
I have not noticed that anyone who has actually made a set or 20 of pipes has chimed in yet, so allow me. First, yes some brave soles actually do use rolled staples for their UP reeds (and other pipes as well) to get the proper taper. Benedict Koehler is one for sure and few would say that he is not an incredible reed maker. If tubing works for a chanter, great, use it, but some chanters work better with a rolled staple. I do not know this from my UP experience, but am relying on Benedicts word on this.
On the tapering of ferrules I can actually speak from my own knowledge as relates to building lots of sets of Northumbrian smallpipes. Visualize a tapered ferrule as it slides onto a tapered end of a piece of wood which has been covered with adhesive. The whole ferrule “comes home” all a the same time and the whole inner surface of the ferrule is bonded to the whole surface of the wood with the adhesive. Only excess squeezes out. This joint will last a very long time yet remain removable if need be. Now visualize sliding a piece of tubing over a cylindrical piece of wood, also covered with adhesive. The sliding action means that the first section of tubing that goes over the wood pushes the adhesive along, leaving the last section of tubing that goes over the wood precious little adhesive. You get a very uneven distribution of adhesive, not as good as the tapered fit. The pipemakers of old actually made those tapers for a reason, not just to look pretty (which they do). Nothing wrong really with using tubing but don’t think for a minute that this is not a cost-saving trade off of a structural nature.
Thanks for listening.
I got a private message related to my last post, suggesting that I was criticizing sets made with tubing. That was not my intent. I was merely pointing out that there is a legitimate structural reason to use tapered ferrules. If you use tubing, you have to (or should) compensate for the structural difference. One maker who I know for a fact does this is Kirk Lynch, who makes really good pipes of course. He compensates by leaving a small (.003-.005") “bump” in the wood just before the innermost part of the wood that the tubing will slide over. This give a mechanical lock of the ferrule onto the wood and he in fact has to force the ferrule over it to achieve this. He uses epoxy both as an adhesive and as the lubricant for this forcing process. Hope that satisfies.
Funny thing, John, I saw some pics of your pipes and it sure looked like tubing. Perhaps early efforts, or are you not big on tapering things heavily?
On NSP the pleasing-to-the-eye effect is even more dramatic.
I had a half-set that had the ferrules epoxied in place. As the set aged the wood shrank. As the wood shrank the epoxy cracked and let go. It was a mess. I ended up using marine silicone to get the ferrules to stay in place. I cannot speak for Kirk Lynch sets, but epoxy was a bad experience for me.
As Liestman has pointed out, most of the better-known names in pipemaking today use tapered, hand-rolled ferrules (yes, Joe Kennedy uses them, too), as did the classical pipemakers of old. That doesn’t mean that you will have the same problems that I have had if your set has epoxied tubing for ferrules, but you should be aware that it is not always the best solution.
djm
Kev, baby. True, I use tubing on everything I build, but I taper the tubing very very gently, at least on more recent work. I use thin walled tubing on all but the stock ferrules, where I use thicker walled tubing. The thin walls of most of my tubing require very gentle tapering that disappears from view really. The places I use thick walled tubing are short pieces, where the smear of the adhesive does not make much of a problem, but in those cases I use the method I learned from my friend Kirk, making a bump so that the ferrule is pressed in place in addition to being glued. I still do have ferrules come off over time and every piper should check ferrules periodically to see if they are loose and reglue them if they are. Most all the tubes on Northumbrian smallpipes are not there for structure, just for looks or for non-structural function (i.e. the ones on the standing drone pieces, the tuning beads, the one at the base of the chanter - just up from the end cap).
I was not trying to describe how I do it, merely describe why the old makers and many of todays use tapered ferrules. Ask any of my Northumbrian pals, I am not known for adhering to tradition (he says straping on his Irish style ebony bellows using the velcro closure on the armstrap before picking up the riveted bag that sends air through the plastic and brass drone reeds before firing up the chrome-plated chanter) but I do think it is vital to understand WHY some things are traditionally done.
All true. Alain Froment uses brass tubing for making his reed staples. Many others do, too. Others roll their own - Brad Angus, Benedict Koehler, Geoff Wooff, for sure. If one can achieve their desired result from tubing, tubing is far more cost effective and less labor intensive.
People achieve ‘tight fits’ with tubing for ferrules. I was just pointing out what is lost in the process. People admire the old world techniques and the results. People made great sets in the past; people make great sets today.
Thanks Jim, all I have been trying say is a ferrule made from quality brass tubing can very easily be manipulated into a tapered ferrule in a few minutes making it identical to a hand rolled one without having to solder it. but I will admit you are limited in lenght to about 30mm then it becomes little more difficult. there I said my bit. cheers all Stew.
Jim, Don’t mind me asking, Did I here you Were selling a Alain Froment set, is it still for sale or have you decided to keep it, I know someone that might be interested in it if you have? or is it a case of had. all the best Stew.
The set is no longer available.
I spilled my guts on the topic of tapered ferrules a couple years back for the Seattle Pipers’ Review, and the articles have been hosted, with the editor’s permission, on the North Hero Pipers’ Gathering site. Seemingly endless babble about the why and the how, but you also have to dig through piles of blather on drone dimensions and whathaveyou. The three articles talk about the three different drones, and a technical aspect germane to each: fitting tapered ferrules, making tapered ferrules, and doing multiple parallel or splayed bores.
This whole great long string needs to be in the address box to get you there.
Questions! Questions! Me! Pick me! 
The article you point to says what you do, but not why. Why do you prefer to make hand-rolled ferrules instead of using tubing as discussed above?
Why would you use epoxy? Other sets I’ve seen just use a friction fit over a bit of thread winding. This makes the set easier to disassemble in future if required. What do you do to ensure the wood won’t shrink and pull away in future?
Thx,
djm
Quoting from the article:
“A cylindrical ferrule cannot be made to fit with the same degree of exactness, and because of its mechanical nature cannot provide as much support and protection as a conical ferrule.”
I think Mr. Liestman’s explanation is right on the money. I have also used conical ferrules spun from tubing, but I prefer to roll ferrules because I can choose the alloy and have more control over the thickness of the metal of the finished ferrule.
The only way to get as good a fit with a cylindrical ferrule as can be had with a conical one is to heat it up and allow it to shrink down in place. That is too risky, especially with a thin wall of ebony, which is notorious for being sensitive to heat.
The function of a ferrule over the drone slide wall is protective and decorative. Certainly, the thicker the wooden wall, the less protection is needed, but you might also expect to see relatively more motion of the wood through the year’s moisture cycles. The tradition in dry pipes seems to be to keep the walls of the drone slide sockets quite thin, and that makes sense only if you have a very good fit between wood and metal. That simply is not mechanically possible with a cylindrical ferrule without heat shrinking, and here we are again at that same point in the circle.
Why would you use epoxy? Other sets I’ve seen just use a friction fit over a bit of thread winding. This makes the set easier to disassemble in future if required. What do you do to ensure the wood won’t shrink and pull away in future?
If the fit is as good as I like it to be, there is almost no epoxy in the joint. Almost all of it gets squeezed out. Really, there’s just enough in there to hold the ferrule in place. If you use thread, there will be a certain amount of compressibility (which is what allows you to jam on and twist off the ferrule) and the wood is not going to be supported as well.
As to ensuring the wood won’t shrink and pull away in future, the answer to that is in the article as well. Time. Pipes need to be worked in stages over a long period of time. The wood will always move as it absorbs moisture from the air and gives it up, but the amount of motion relative to the section in question is really very small in a traditional UP drone slide. There are old drones that have survived the ages to prove that, the ones described in the articles being a case in point.