…heads arrived today, 5 of them. Upon initial inspection I was a little sceptical about the quality of the scrape. Of course, I’m not assuming that they would be ready to go with no further action necessary once tied on, but still, I thought they seemed a tad uneven and asymmetrical.
The inside of the cane is very nicely finished and the tails obviously shaped according to a template.
Upon closer inspection of the scrape, what at first appeared to be uneven, perhaps even shoddy, scrape edges actually were identical on both faces, ie, when cut and tied onto the staple, the unevenness will be identical on one side of each slip. It then appeared to me that the scrape may have been done using some sort of contraption or skillfull hand scraping that was able to allow for the longitudinal contours of the cane thus producing identical scrapes on each face that seem to take into account the ‘hills and ridges’ which run lengthways along the cane (HOW’S THAT FOR A TAUTOLOGICAL PHRASE!!! ). The result being not an even ‘u’ or ‘v’ but a scrape with some ‘pertubations’ if you like around the edges of the scrape which are identical on both faces and thus perfectly symmetrical.
Do ya get wo’ oi mean?
Anyway, I’ve decided to order the staples as well after learning that they also contain pertubations that I could not produce myself. I might try some on my own staples and some on Howard staples and see what happens. I’m not going to rush though. I’ll start next week. I have an essay to write for university (oh, the rigors of working full-time and studying part-time) and an exam on the weekend. Next week!
Glad you’re getting started! You’re spot on with your assumption that he uses a ‘contraption’. I’ve seen him making slips with it. It’s a beautiful piece of wizardry in it’s own right. The scrape is machined with a slight hollow to allow for finishing to suit different chanters and ,as you say, is symmetrical when tied on.From my own experience I would stress how important the dimensions are. If you use one of Brians latest staples it will be 48mm long. You should tie on the paired slips so that they extend 32mm from the staple, making 80mm overall. Brian moistens his before tying on ( he says he used to use whisky but it was terrible trying to suck it back out!!) And he showed me how he sands ( very lightly) along the sides after tying on. I think this helps with sealing but in my reeds strengthens some notes as well. You should get a crow with almost no sanding at all. I went too far at first. I made one yesterday that crowed with no sanding at all. All I’ve had to do is about 10 strokes on each side and thin a little toward the lips to ease the second octave. If you start with 80mm you should only have to take the barest minimum off if the edges need straightening after tying on.All the best and keep us posted.
Thanks Teirw, for the extra valuable information. I take it that the fixing of bridles is done in the same manner as usual, ie, as per the traditional ‘Hegarty etc’ manner. Perhaps it would be good if Brian sent some ‘Finishing Instructions’ to help illustrate how best to finish a reed following his method for those of us who don’t get to see him demonstrate in person. Might help save a few bugger-ups.
Actually, I once tried the ‘Scrape-before-cutting-and-tying’ method a few years back after reading DM Quinn’s book and found I generally had more success than with the tie-then-scrape method. Same thing, I would generally have a crow before any sanding. It also seemed to lessen the occurrence of separating edges.
I find I have more success with making working reeds when I scrape before cutting. One of the nice things about that approach is that it cuts down on the incidence of the slip splitting during the cutting process.
If you sand the slips on a cilinder, use the same cilinder to cut the slips on.
That will reduce the chance of it splitting too.
If it still splits, the slip didn’t want to become a reed in the first place..
I scrape after tying the blades.., my pipemaker made me do it!
Once you get a bit older you start using those kind of excuses to not get upset and start breaking all kinds of stuff when something like that happens.
“Ow well.., it had to be this way because ”
Hi Ausdag, I think Brian will enclose some tips and maybe a drawing, he usually does. If you ordered some bridles ( or a Kit ) you will see that they are pre-formed and only need the tails bending round. If you’re making your own from scratch I recommend the hipped bridles ( just as Brian uses ) because I find they give more scope for adjustment. I would spend a lot of time and care on ensuring a good snug fit-- I have dramatically altered a reed simply by changing to a new ( and better fitting ) bridle. Brian has been working on a DVD to go with the kit but he’s a very busy man, what with the new Regs and a new popping valve ( incorporating the Tuning Iris ). I got one at the Floating Tionol ,though the regs will be longer because he has to make so many. He has been a big help to me and you could always Email for help-- he looks after his customers! Keep up the good work, but it can slow down your learning on the pipes if you get addicted- like me!
I’ve been hearing about these kits, but I can’t seem to find them on the Howard website. Iall I can find is the reedmaking supplies page with separate heads to order and staples, but no kits or bridles for that matter. Perhaps I’m not looking in the right place?
How bout that? No sooner had I logged out of C&F and gone to check my email - there was an email from Dorothy Howard appologising for not including assembly instructions with the cane and that she would send them with my staples plus a bridle and some bridle wire. That’s what I call service!
I thought they would help you out! Full marks to Dorothy because Brian is busy getting some sailing in before he takes his boat out of the water for the winter ( northern hemisphere! ). You’re all set up now and very soon I’m sure the perils of reedmaking won’t seem so daunting ( not like sailing in October). All the best.
This caught my eye because in my experience if you’re unsure about the “willingness” of a piece of cane before you separate it from the tube (by looking at ridges in the bark), once you make those first few gauges, its reticence becomes quite clear by pinching the curly bits between your fingers and you find them to be dry and splintery.
Well…I’ve tied up my first of 5 reeds and got a good crow. Tries it in the chanter and got a very weak sound. So I sanded and opened the lips with the bridel and all the other stuff and I’m starting to get a good and in-tune response. It’s good to see that tube staples work since I’ve never realy had much luck with staples made form tube.
THe only draw-back so far is that I can’t get it to play high B. It is also a much quieter reed which is fine, but I find it lacks the crispness and ‘body’ of another, louder, reed I made just recently.
So I’ll keep at it and tie the rest up soon and see how that goes.
). The result being not an even ‘u’ or ‘v’ but a scrape with some ‘pertubations’ if you like around the edges of the scrape which are identical on both faces and thus perfectly symmetrical.
