Rubber tire inner tube pipe bag or bellows

Uilleann Pipes
1

Anyone have any luck using a rubber tire inner tube for a pipe bag or bellows? I’m thinking of trying my luck at it and could use any pointers I can get. The bag might work but the bellows might not because of all the extra give. Any ideas?

2

I have made a “one-of-a-kind” drone instrument for a theatrical show (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H7g7bWaefuQ you can see the instrument from 4:05). It was a false goat skin on wich was fixed 4 drones at the emplacement of the legs, the instrument was inflated with a pair of bellows. Inside the false skin, I have put a car rubber tube. The thing to make them work properly was to get the good rythm with the bellow to avoid the effect of the rubber that make the drones go up and down (I mean in the volume/pitch way), so I imagine that the same thing could arrive on a bagpipe bag, but you’ll have more control because the bag will be under your arm…

3

Well ye did ask fer any pointers…good luck wi the false goat skin..I’ve heard o wigs and toupes but didnae know goats used em as well :shock:maybe its tae kid the bodhran players.

4

Thanks guys. That’s a good one, Uilliam!

5

If you are into rubber in a big way, you could try some “Hypalon”.
Its used to make inflatable boats.

It cuts and glues well, has a fiber reinforcement to reduce the stretch.

Marine stores should have it

Marine synthetic goat I suppose ?

Tim

6

Check this out -

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8blbyNHgpO8

Tiarnan has, or at least had, a bag made in haste from a tractor inner tube. Doesn’t seem to hold him back.

I’d be worried about ballooning on a bellows though - even the die-hard vinyl bag dudes tend to have leather on the bellows.

Cheers

A

7

I use cycle inner tube as a bellows connector pipe. It’s nice and flexible, too flexible of course. So I insert short lengths of plastic plumbing pipe to stop it collapsing.

8

The blowpipe running from my bellows to my bag uses a rubber inner tube. It’s surrounded by a tube–a sheet stitched together to form a tube–of leather to give it some support so it doesn’t collapse. Mark Hillmann (Uillmann on the boards) suggested it to me a while back and helped me put it together. It works great.