Somebody named Patrick Coyne has just sent me a chanter to fit with a couple of reeds. I need Patrick to contact me via PM, or email as the chanter came without a windway (reedcap) and fitting reeds to this chanter will be tough to do without one… preferably the one that was made for it.
Thanks,
JES
What? Joe…are you admitting a weakness? I thought you’d be able to reed practically anything by now…even chanters without windcaps. 
While I’d like to wave a magic chanter and pooof, there appears a fitted reed… I think I need a little more intensive study of the ancient tomes in order to pull this one off. 
Patrick Coyne, send me contact info please.
You out there Patrick?
Hey Joe, you start to sound like Spongebob (just kidding)
NOOOOOOOoooooooooooooooooo!!!
Joe,
I doubt this’ll be the last time it happens. You need to get a simple spare cap made for such events, it’ll mean messing around with binding on the chanter. And watch out for the windcaps that have feeds wider than your bags blowhole!
Love the pic!
I have plenty of caps I can use, but I am uncertain if when the reed finally rests beneath its real cap, just how in tune it will be. I suspect it might not matter, but I wish to be certain before I cash any checks.
Joe,
Unless they have a radically shorter and narrower cap (or vice versa) compared to the one you use, I don’t see there’s much to worry about. I’ve never noticed huge differences except for some (small) Back D tuning and stability issues and most of that is just about reed > chanter.
Try all the caps you have and hit an average. There is a trade off between how you can play the chanter and the conditions you make the reed in compared to their set up and playing prowess, so in the scheme of things, cap size is negligible methinks.
On occasion I’ve sent off spanking reeds and the owner has grumbled and I try their pipes and they leak like gidowt etc., Players must learn to adjust their own reeds as soon as is humanly possible, and keep their sets working properly,
[singsongyvoice]it…is…not…difficult…it…just…takes…common…sense…[/singsongyvoice]
Aye aye, Cpt. B., aaargh!
has grumbled and I try their pipes and they leak like gidowt
Good to point this out. I know of one instance where it was the bellows leaking that led to a piper unable to play a reed he thought was shite!
Trouble is, leaks sneak up on you, and you adjust your techniques accordingly over time. It’s a no win scenario at the best of times 
Contact made, thanks for the info kb. Patrick will be sending the reed cap down.
Ain’t it the truth. About the time you finally notice, the leak is beyond a small or singular one. The transition between the seaons is the usual suspect (IMHO), neglect is right up there and compounded with the change of seasons leads to near suicidal frustration and perhaps the unusually common trait of surliness among pipers.