Hi Mr. Frog, about the bellows valve, I use plain cotton sewing thread waxed with beeswax. The beeswax get things stuck and sealed and I use candlewax for sliding parts, for example drone tuning slides.
I am currently using a 24 gauge wire. I have used 20 from time to time and I am giving some thought to using 22.
But for the present 24 seems to get the job done best for me.
The image of the Sloan reed above looks to be 20 gauge.
Thanks for the detailed instructions Joseph, I’ll try giving it a go soon. I’m not sure I’ll put pressure with pliers yet, but maybe I’ll slide the bridle just a bit.
I’ll try to beeswax Marcelo, I just hope I can find a place that sells it first 
I’ve got a question, in that matter: I have recently sent some emails for Ray Sloan asking for a new reed but talking to a few pipers tought me that the reed must be fitted to the chanter (as he asked) and you can’t just order a new reed like they do in saxophones or other types of instruments that use reeds. I would send the chanter, but the mail here scares me and if I want to use Fedex it would cost me dearly, a price that students like me, who saved for the pipes for ages, can’t pay..
He also said that it’s not a good idea to have spare reeds in dry climates since unplayed reeds tend to close up.
Is there a way I can have another reed without sending the chanter or is it a rare thing to do?
What do you say?
About the only way is to learn the dark art of reedmaking yourself. It is the nature of this beast that reeds need to be tuned to the chanter, and done so in as close an evironment as possible to where you will be playing your pipes. Humidity (or the lack of it) plays a major role in a reeds ability to play, and play to well.
Reedmaking is, in my honest opinion, something every Uilleann Piper ought to learn how to do. Now, I understand that living where you do, getting to a tionol or attending a reedmaking workshop isn’t a big possibility. Nevertheless, thanks to the internet (and Chiff & Fipple 
), there are brilliant resources to browse through to learn how to do it.
Your best bet is to save your money, join NPU, download the Dave Hegarty Reedmaking manual (it is yours free for joinging) and begin down the road to The Dark Side.
Everything you will need to make reeds can be sought out over the internet. For instance, quite a few pipemakers offer reedmaking instructions through their websites:
http://bagpipeworks.co.uk/index.htm
Here are some resources for reedmaking tools and supplies:
http://www.skep.com/britton/
http://www.uilleann.com/
Tips for tuning your reeds:
I also recommend that you (and everyone who hasn’t yet done so) read the FAQ topic located at the top of the Uilleann Pipe Fourm Index Page:
http://chiffboard.mati.ca/viewtopic.php?t=14466&postdays=0&postorder=asc&start=0
Hope this helps some.
Wow, that’s a whole lot of info. Thanks. I also found a new site: http://www.hartdd.com/reed/ - It’s not fully operational right now but I bet it’s gonna be something big.
So what you’re saying is that till I manage to produce a reed myself I either have to send my chanter in the mail and hope for the best or risk loosing this reed?
Sadly, for the best results in your present situation, that is what I am saying.
So I guess I’m gonna have to start reaping canes Luckly, my college is situated near a lake so I’ll have to hope for the best
I think I’ll also take your advice about joining the NPU. I’m not so sure about what the members get - Two free videos, discounts, reedmaking manual and a newsletter, right? (I couldn’t find more info on their site
so correct me if I’m wrong).
Just wanted to say this forum is amazing, and you people are very kind
and helpful! I guess being a piper pays off
I’m here for good!
Yes, you get a couple of nifty things by joining, but the greater reward is the fee you pay goes to the orginization whose purpose it is to presrerve, promote and support the Uilleann Pipes and the whacky, whacky characters (you and I for instance) who are nuts enough to try to play them. 
It is a worthy donation IMHO.
Best advice is to go directly to the maker as he should be able to make a reed to suit his own chanters and this one has recently scuttled off to France from the UK (Apparently he had too ?)
He is in the South of the Country so making a reed suitable for heat should not be a problem for him
Contact details are
Ray Sloan
Maison casteillou
Quartier cazanabe
64190 Tabaille Usquain
Tél.: 05 59 38 68 16 Pays: France
Email: ray@raysloan.com
Site: www.raysloan.com
I agree that going to the maker is usually a good idea, but I’m not certain that the South of France is really that climatically akin to the arid climes of Israel.
one has recently scuttled off to France from the UK (Apparently he had too ?)
John - this has been brought up before and I feel it is only right to state that Ray’s reasons for the move have nothing to do with pipemaking.
Joseph is correct here. Ray is living near the Pyrenee mountains and whilst it can be hot will not have the same humidity. It may be best to request reeds that are ‘almost’ finished so that final sanding can be done in the climate that they have to play in. You may need several if it fluctates a lot so you have one for each season.
The St Chartier festival in France is noted for the effect it has on reeds and makers are usually tearing their hair out trying to keep their pipes playing. Brendan Ring’s elder reeds usually survive OK and I use a reed that was finished out there.
A nearly finished reed would be a solution, but I worry that there may be too much room for trouble if it is an initiate reedmaker who receives it.
Backward Chaining
You may have heard of this; it is a system of learning complex tasks by breaking them down into smaller tasks and learning them in the reverse order.
So Chris is bang on the nail here; give a novice reedmaker a reed that he only has to scrape to get it to work in his chanter. Once he can do that you give him a reed that needs more work, i.e. take a look at Brian Howard’s semi finished reeds, for example, and the other stages in which he offers reeds.
I have heard of some arcane reedmaker called Pirate Joe (or something like that) who lives in a swamp. If he was asked nicely he might consider offering such a service
Oddly, that is pretty much how I figured out how to make reeds for chanters whose reed measurements I was uncertain of… reverse engineering.
I don’t see why not.
Mr. Frog fella with the single arm, send me a PM with your snail mail address, and let’s see what we can do.
Many thanks!
It’s a bit like the saying: “Give a man a fish and he will eat for a day. Teach him how to fish and he will eat for a lifetime.”
So I guess you can say: “Give a piper a reed, he will mess with it, ruin it,
and be bummed cause he needs to order another one. Teach him how to make reeds and he’ll be making reeds forever.”
Yes, very much like that. From my experience, once you start down the dark path of reedmaking, there is NO TURNING BACK baby!!! 