As a blank canvas metal ferrules are wide open for decoration but all I ever see is a few lines cut around the metal. Anyone ever come across any other type of decoration.
RORY
You surely remember the Kirk Lynch thing?
An old Willie Rowsome Bb set:
Photo from Pat D’Arcy’s site.
thing
Shockin
There’s a McPhee set in Australia or New Zealand with nice engraving on the metal work.
Anyone have pictures of that?
Only have this of McPhee, based on the Galvin Egan set.
You can see some of the engraving, although I’ve read there was some shamrock style engraving too.
Also, Frank McFadden from Belfast engraved his pipes.
I own an unknown American chanter with some naive engraving on the stop valve.
Not metal ferrules, but there is the grotesque Kohler Quinn beehive thing
https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/originals/c4/63/04/c46304c89b1227c1db63f0b94b4ed33a.jpg
If Lewis ever decides to rid himself of such a “grotesque” object (for a bit less than he was asking last year), I’ll be the first in line to save him from its presence. If anyone knows of another such “affront”, I’d be willing to save the pubilc from it also (as soon as I find a job 
)
Me too!
If anyone knows of another such “affront”, I’d be willing to save the pubilc from it also (as soon as I find a job >
There was the Kenna/Ryan set that was the original. Mal Whyte owned it and he was trying to sell it some years ago, not sure if he did in the end.
I don’t believe, by the way, the ‘beehive’ mounts were original to that set but as it was I always thought of it a a sort of charming oddity. Mind you, I am not so sure it’s one anyone should try replicate.
Not specifically for Uilleann pipes, but I bet these folks :http://www.highland-pipemaker.com/MacLellan%20bagpipe%20Silver.htm would be willing to go to town on decorated mounts, provided you could come up with the dosh that is…
Check out Chris Wilkes’ engine turning. http://wilkesflutes.co.uk
He has some amazing machines there , I think thats a Holtzapffel lathe in one of the photos, he’s a very lucky man !
RORY
There are at least two current UP makers that have Holtzapffel lathes and having seen one of these in operation can say they are incredible machines. I understand they are not cheap to buy and are difficult to obtain. I wonder how many, if any that is, of the old makers (i.e. Coyne, Egan Taylors actually had one?
I know Chris Bayley has an OT lathe, because I got his spare Boxford which he had adapted for OT work. I think Martin Preshaw has one as well. Our Bill Haneman may still have one, as I remember him offering his collection of Holtzappfel books on here some years back.
I suspect that some of the more affluent older pipemakers may well have had OT lathes. MacGregor would probably have used one when he made his barrel sets, and Robert Reid, who derived an income outside pipemaking.
Not that some Irish makers wouldn’t have used them - they were built in Ireland as well. I have some OT turning tools by Kennan, who was building lathes there in the 19th century.
Mike
There’s one on ebay now. 60 large.
Mind you, if you have the skills to make a set of pipes you could make your own ornamental turning lathe. Finding the time is a different thing!
BTW - I think that them ferrule-ornaments are a bit like the fingerprints of the maker. Over time his typical design may change but these possibly remain constant the longest. If I have to identify s. th. just from pics, I look at these first.
How come there’s no quantity box on the page, I want to order two.
RORY