My drones seem to be taking more air than they used …any sugestions for me? they still play and are still easy to tune etc. (maybe not quite as stable but little difference really in tone/sound) It is definately making the work a bit harder,
Go at adjusting the reeds or expect them to come back to the way they were?
First thing to check is that everything is completely airtight; all joints and tenons, all air pipes, the bellows valve, and the bag.
When all that is OK see if your drones are still taking too much air. If you have to play around with the reeds, then simply roll them gently between the palms of your hands and then test for a sound. This settles the tongue. They should close up just like a chanter reed with a swift draw of breath. If they then close up when you play, or jump the octave then you need to flick the tongues very gently so that they open up slightly and do take a little more air. Also ensure that the reeds are a good fit into the bores of the drones. Use a little beeswax as a seal between drone and seat.
This is not fixing, just a matter of regular maintenance. ![]()
I just had the exact same problem, and it got worse and worse. I kept tightening everything up until one day I noticed that my drones were not just loose, but actually moving up and down. My stock had cracked. Two hairline cracks between the bass and bari drones and another huge long crack that went right up the side of the stock. That’s where all my air was going. I hope this hasn’t happened to you.
I can’t seem to sort it out …the air is just flowing through. It’s strange, there doesn’t seem to be any other leaks and the drones are still working pretty well. I will have to get help from the reed fairy
Have you isolated each component of your set; bag, bellows, stock and chanter to test for air leaks? If you are losing a large volume of air then a cracked stock is a possibility.
Remove the stock and air supply pipe from the bag. Block off the air supply and the receiver cup for the stock, then inflate the bag by blowing through the chanter outlet. Twist the neck of the back closed once full and squeeze the bag. Anything more than a very slight deflation indicates a leak; either in the wrapped joints or the bag itself. Re-wrap the joints anyway; this is maintenance. If the bag still deflates then the stitching is loose or perishing, or the leather has become porous. It will require seasoning. Do a search for bag seasoning recipes and procedures on the forum, and choose one that more experienced pipers and makers have had some success with. I use Carr, Day and Lewis saddle soap, with a small amount of Glycerin added. DO NOT USE COPYDEX or anything remotely containing Ammonia as a solvent, or tht needs thinning down with water.
That should sort out the bag side of things. Check that the bellows inlet valve is the right way round, flap hanging downwards, leather well seated against the lip of the valve. Check the valve on the other end of the air pipe, inside the bag for the same things. If all this is ok then proceed to the stock.
Unplug the drones from their three holes. Stop the holes with cork wrapped in clng film.. Try blowing into the air inlet end with the switch open - you should not be able to do this. If you can there is a leak in either the stock, the washer at the reed end of the air switch, or the regulator plugs. If there is no leak then go to the drones. If the stock is cracked do not despair. There are ways to fix this.
Take out the three reeds. Plug the ends of the drones with Blu-Tack. Blow into the drones and check for leaks. If there are any, re-wrap the joints and test again. If it/they still leak then check the walls of the drones for cracks.
That leaves the reeds. My earlier advice on settling the tongues and flicking them applies. See how you get on with this lot before you try anything more drastic.