Uilleann Pipes in C

This will be a "flat" set of uilleann pipes pitched in C, made of katalox, brass, and imitation ivory. I had originally bought some katalox specifically for this set, but i wound up using some for the previous project. While it's not my very favourite wood to work with (mopane is still my personal winner so far), it is certainly up there among the good woods for me. And it has jumped straight to the top of my "beautiful wood" list. So having made one drone from it, i'm quite looking forward to doing more. This set will be a personal set for me, so it might go in fits and starts, and may wind up to be less or more complete. My "desert island" uilleann pipes would be a 3/4 set in C, so my intention is to make it up to that point.

It occurs to me that this will be the first uilleann pipes i've made in 12 years or so. I'm planning on including several ideas for updates and improvements i've been collecting during that time.

My usual practice is to start with the blowpipe and its stock.

Here are the mainstock cup and the front ferrule. Now that i've learned how to do chemical etching, i'm able to put a nice deeply etched maker's mark on the ferrule. Another innovation (for me anyway) on this set is that i'm doing an all-metal mainstock cup, with a machined fitting holding it on to the bag.

Here is the walnut mainstock in the beginning stages of drilling. The walnut should be a pretty nice match to the katalox.

Further updates as circumstances warrant...