…sewn bag, or a rivetted bag and why?
Thanks,
DavidG
Do you have a leather punch and the die to stamp rivets?
I use rivets mainly for the fact that I don’t trust my sewing abilities. Heres a source for jean rivets online: http://www.buygrommets.com Type “jean rivets” into their search. I was buying them in a fabric store for about four times the price, before.
Marc
Tony,
I have neither, but if members tell me that is the way to go, then I will buy the tools required; if they tell me that sewn is the way to go then I will by a sewing kit. That is why I am asking.
Marc,
Thanks for the link. I take it you have to pre-punch the holes first, the drive the rivetts in? I ask about rivetts v sewing as someone told me sewn bags can have problems later in life that rivetted bags don’t. Do you know about this?
DavidG
Hi Ausdag
Sewing and rivetting seems like a lot of work to make a bag. Why not use glue??. PM Uilliam and ask him what glue he uses, it works well in my bags.
David
Would that be for a leather or a non-leather bag?
Hi JES
My bags are vinyl, which I prefer, but Jim and Uilliam have used glue on leather bags as well.
David
I know it most likely has been discussed before, but what type of glue would one use on leather that wouldn’t require stitching or riveting or another means of preventing leakage or separation?
I think it worked for leather or vinyl.
Previous:
http://chiffboard.mati.ca/viewtopic.php?t=27949&highlight=glue&sid=1ac53afe499ab1c73ebf3f9724809e15
http://chiffboard.mati.ca/viewtopic.php?t=9367&highlight=glue&sid=1ac53afe499ab1c73ebf3f9724809e15
Thanks Tony, and thanks Uilliam. 
The glue method requires much larger glued faces or else large overlaps, so cosmetically it’s not as nice on leather. I also believe it tends to ‘creep open’ over time, so you really do want stitching or rivets to anchor things IMO. If you use a very wide overlapped glue surface (instead of the face-to-face gluing style common on vinyl bags), this is probably not so much a problem.
I dislike the look of rivets, but that’s clearly down to aesthetics. If you use a bag cover I hardly think it matters. MacHarg used to make stitched bags until (IIRC) a hand problem forced him to switch to rivets.
In any case you need glue as well, of course, just not so much of it 
I am not aware of any problem that stitched bags have over time that will not affect riveted bags as well, usually IMO the stitching is the last thing to go, and in any case leaky stitching can be aided with seasoning, if need be.
Bill
I’ve never heard of a properly made stitched bag leaking. This is assuming proper care was taken when first putting it together. Asthetically, I prefer a stitched bag. Just looks nicer to my eye anyway…also much lighter than a riveted bag without all that extra metal weighing things down. You might use the L&M bags as a good referrence for stitched bags.
My thoughts too. I’ve seen some glue-only bags with the really wide seam kinda looks ugly and I’d be worried that the thing would pull apart right there on stage - sooper-doopa strong glue or not.
My current bag is rivetted and I’ve not had any problems with it except that the leather is wearing thin around the neck where the chanter stock edge obviously has been rubbing and a water test showed a steady stream of bubbles. I’ve patched it up with glue which is working well for the time being, but eventually…
What tools do you need to make a sewn bag?
DavidG
I have watched (and waited) Paddy Keenan’s vinyl bag literally come apart at the seams during a performance. The waiting was while he scrambled to find someone who had some vise grips in their carboot so he could finish the rest of the concert.
I would suggest it would probably be cheaper to just buy a sewn bag from L&M. They only sell wholesale to pipemakers, but a friendly pipemaker could probably get you one any size you like for not much more than $100. By the time you putz around sourcing materials, tools, techniques, you will probably find it worth your time to let the pros do it, and concentrate instead on playing.
djm
Well, considering I’m in the process of learning the art of pipemaking, it would be worth my while to putz around and get the tools and the information. Give a man a fish…
DavidG
Awl, wooden mallet, heavy scissor or tin snips, razor knife, heavy (upholstery) needle, glue/cement/adhesive, nylon thread, needle nosed pliers, thimble.
Plus, you’ll learn a few things in the process. Heck, if a blind guy can do it . . .
To sew a bag, you need:
a package of #3 John James glovers needles
Duall 88 or equivalent cement
Nyltex thread
Stiching horse or comparable vice arrangement
Beeswax
needlenose pliers
leather gloves
the most suitable leather you can get
lots of patience
Thanks Uillman (and Tony). That all makes sense, just wondering what the beeswax is for? Waxing the thread?
DavidG