OK, so now you've invested in one of the worlds most difficult instruments to learn, you should try to make it easier for yourself by maintaining the pipes properly.

When pipes are sent to me for repair or upgrading, I am frequently astonished at how bad the maintenance has been - I picked up one set at a festival & pumped it up to playing pressure while the tenor regulator flew horizontally across the room!!

CLEANING YOUR PIPES

Some people like their pipes to look old & tarnished while others may be fastidious about cleaning them. It really doesn't matter, because it's the sound that counts.

All ebony parts are simply oiled using Danish oil. If you want to restore the finish, firstly clean with white spirits & then liberally apply some oil using a disposable kitchen towel. Leave it for 5 mins & wipe off then buff with a soft cloth. This also applies to boxwood & holly parts other than mounts, although for very dirty boxwood/holly you may need to use some fine sandpaper (320 grit if you have to but 600 grit is best especially near tone holes).

Boxwood mounts are firstly oiled to bring out the grain then a liquid polish is applied on the lathe. If your mounts are really dirty & you just have to clean them, then sand,oil, oil, oil, and finally rub on some wax & buff to a shine. This finish won't be as durable as the liquid polish I apply on the lathe. Mask off any brass or other parts you don't want scratched with sandpaper.

Purpleheart mounts are finished the same way as boxwood mounts, however there is a problem when it comes to using sandpaper. When purpleheart is freshly sanded it is a different colour - kind of grayish. It must be exposed to direct sunlight for the deep purple colour to return.

On some of my earlier work, the holly parts were finished using a liquid shellac type polish (Myland's transparent polish). This is applied using a fine artists brush in several coats with de-nibbing between each coat using 0000 wire wool. Again, you may need to use some fine sandpaper to clean stubborn areas but white spirits is preferred.

To clean brass, you must first use masking tape to isolate the brass parts. All wood parts (even ebony) can be discoloured very easily by polishing the brass with any type of polish or process that I know of. All I can say is make sure you do a really good job with the masking. When polishing "close to the edges" try to use a single layer of clean cloth like you were polishing the toes of your boots & use as little polish as possible.

Nickel plated brass doesn't require much maintenance other than buffing with a clean cloth occasionally. If you haven't done this in a while then you may have to clean in the same way as brass.
The nickel plating will eventually wear off in those places which are handled most often, however because I do my own nickel plating I am able to give these parts a thicker coat which will last longer.
I can do a complete dismantling & re-plating of your pipes if required, however because i may need to make some new mounts this might hurt your wallet!

The mahogany stocks are ebonised using a mixture of ink & varnish so if you have "scuffed" the stock on something or simply worn the finish away in some places, try using a black marker pen - don't worry, nobody will notice!

GENERAL MAINTENANCE

The following tasks should be performed regularly (every month or as required).

• Check all hemped joints. Note that some are sliding joints & should be looser but not too loose.
• Check airtightness of each part of the pipes (see detailed descriptions & "how to's" below).
• Remove reeds & check for dust & hair intrusion especially if you have pets in the house. I have cats & frequently have to clean out my reeds. Also check the back of the stock for hair & dust blocking up the drone air intake.
• Do not try to season bag or bellows. Both should be played dry. If you think they need seasoning then they actually need replaced. Bags & bellows should last at least 5 years with constant playing & for most people should last 10 years or more - no guarantees though !
• If you are a beginner & mostly play the chanter but have drones or regulators, you must try to play them as much as possible. Reeds need to be played or they will eventually close up.

BAG

There are many places for leaks to develop in & around the bag. Many pipers don't know their bag is leaking because they've never checked & haven't noticed because they're used to it.
Even if you think your bag is OK, I would suggest doing a thorough service as described below every 6 months or so.

• If you have drones, remove the stock & drones from the big cup & use duct tape to seal over the end of the big cup (if you have a wood turner friend, you can get them to make you a wooden plug for this task).
• Plug the chanter connection end with blue tack or cover over with tape.
• Inflate bag by blowing through the bellows connection. This connection has a valve inside to stop the air coming back out.
• If the bag is losing air, try plugging the end of the bellows connection with your thumb. If this helps then the valve needs maintenance (see below).
• If there is still air loss, then the most common culprit is where the various connections are tied into the bag. Try to find the leak using a little soapy water & check for bubbles round the connections.
• If no bubbles, try the bag seam. With a bit of perseverance you should be able to find the leak.

If the bag is losing air through the seam or the main body of leather, then it needs replaced.
Connections can be retied by using 6 strands of pre-waxed hemp, rolled together to form one piece of strong twine. As a temporary fix, use black electrical tape to seal a leaking connection.
The valve inside the bellows connection is a simple leather flap which can be easily replaced. Dismantle the hemped joint to expose the valve & make sure it's sitting OK. Note that the valve should be rotated so that in a playing position, the flap hangs down due to gravity.


BELLOWS

The bellows are double leather so should not leak at all through the skin. The only really likely place for a leak is the valve.

• Put on your bellows & check if airtight by inflating the bellows & blocking the end of the hose with your thumb, push hard on the bellows - there should be no movement. Note that this test should be performed regularly if not every time you put on your pipes.
  
• If there is a slow leak, then check the valve. It can be removed quite easily by pushing from the inside of the bellows. To achieve this, the leather of the bellows must be "squished" inwards to allow you to push through the leather onto the back of the valve. Under no circumstances should a valve be removed by prying from the outside.
• Check the flap is sitting OK. Note that the valve should be rotated so that in a playing position, the flap hangs down due to gravity.
• Rehemp the valve if necessary. It helps to get the hemp on this connection really even  to get maximum seal. The join should be good & tight.
• Any other leaks are usually more serious & replacement may be required.

If your bellows are not 100% airtight, then get it sorted because it will really help your playing.


CHANTER

There isn't anywhere on a chanter where air can escape (except past badly placed fingers!) apart from any keys where fitted. Check by removing reed & blowing through while covering all holes.
The chanter top is made up of some glued joints and can be prone to leaking if the joints have been "broken" due to shrinkage or mishandling - see pics below.
When connecting your chanter top to the bag connection, hold the top directly opposite the connection as shown:

Never hold the chanter top lower down as this causes a breaking force through the main joint - see below:



STOCK

The stock is hollow with separate tubes for the regulators. The stock can be easily checked for airtightness as follows:

• Remove the stock from the bag.
• Remove the drones (& regulators) from the stock.
• Remove the reeds from the drones.
• Put the first section of each drone back into the stock & plug the end of the tenor & middle drone parts with blue tack.
• With the drone stop key closed, blow through the bass drone section into the stock & check for leaks.

The only likely place for a leak is the drone stop key. The leather seal at the back of the switch could be leaking & may need replaced, or air could be escaping along the stop key rod.
The 6mm dia. stop key rod slides inside a burnished hole through the front of the stock. This hole is burnished (smoothed) on the inside to provide a snug fit with the rod. If the hole is too small, the stop key will stick, whereas if its too big the key will be too loose & allow air to flow out.
Because of the burnishing process, the wood should be more stable & less likely to shrink/expand, however when subjected to extreme temperature/humidity changes, movement can occur.

If the stop key rod has become too tight or loose, you will have to send it back for adjustment. Note that a very, very small amount of air escaping along the rod is acceptable.


DRONES