Does anyone have a stitched bellows they’d be willing to sell? Get in touch, thanks.
Just curious, why in particular a stitched bellows ?
RORY
Got a lot of old pipes and want something authentic.
Fancy something with the old style arm strap for better regulator playing.
Lighter and more compact than an upholstered bellows.
I am not so sure what is more ‘authentic’. Not all of the classic makers used stitched bellows. I played a Coyne and an Egan last week an only one had a stitched bellows. Harrington didn’t appear to have done them. But then, it’s not always easy to tell if a set has it’s original bellows, it is one of the more consumable parts.
The old bellows string has it’s pros and cons, I remember playing the Harrington for hours during the eighties and nineties and coming away with bloody hips and elbows. I have tried the very authentic thick tweed jacket while playing but that is not always feasible or comfortable. There’s a lot to be said for padding and cushioning, as well as your arm not moving about as much (you need some movement but not an awful lot before it becomes inefficient).
If you can’t find used stitched bellows, then perhaps bellows by either Josh Bailey or Benson Uilleann Pipes might fit the bill:
https://www.baileypipes.com/bags-and-bellows
https://bensonuilleannpipes.com/practice-sets
I thought “stitched” bellows meant that the gusset was stitched and glued to the paddles, rather than nailed and glued. Didn’t think it had anything to do with the arm strap or padding.
JR wanted something with the “old style arm strap”. In the early days they used a bit of ribbon, didn’t they? Very elegant.
Those old bellows do look painful but as Mr Gumby pointed out, your average bit of frieze or whatever was pretty thick / coarse by modern standards.
Ah yes, the days of jackets from the charity shop(s). Never found one quite as comfortable as that aprticular blue Harris tweed one.
Outside Marrinan’s 1985
I’ve used those un-padded bellows for more than 40 years, not only to blow my pipes but also all the new sets I’ve made. Sometimes this involves working all day, with just a tee shirt for protection… and hardly ever a sore spot… guess I’m just used to it… but I’m not a skeletal figure either.
These days I make bellows with pads both sides.