Zippered HL Pipe Bag: Cuffs
I designed this bag to achieve the following:
- tone like sheepskin or better.
- a freed-up forearm
- 100% moisture control without contraptions (no need for a zipper).
- ease of assembly, including a chanter stock cuff, and also cuffs that release the drone for easy access to drone gadgets (if necessary).
- stability when transitioning from blowing to squeezing.
This zipper requires only beeswax (included) to be airtight. Simply rub the beeswax generously into the teeth of the zipper, and open and shut a few times. (Black wax is not recommended because it hardens over time.)
This cowhide bag is tanned to imitate sheepskin with regards to tone and moisture absorption and may even exceed sheepskin. A sheepskin lining in the chanter cuff aids airtightness. Comes with leather covered hose clamps. When seasoning, aggressively rub the seasoning into the leather, inflate to test airtightness. Repeat as necessary. Re-season after a few days if necessary.
My sizes are based on the height and arm length of the piper:
Standard sizes:
Size - Small (people under 5'4" with shorter arms) Drones are positioned a couple inches closer to the chanter. The bag has a narrower profile but is still full enough to provide stability when transitioning between breathing and blowing.
Medium - narrow (people between 5'5" and 6'0) Narrow cut frees up the forearm while still containing enough internal volume for stability of play.
Medium - regular (people between 5'5" and 6'0); feels fuller, like what is traditionally regarded as a medium bag, but is still designed to free up some forearm.
Large - narrow (people over 6'0 with long arms). To accommodate the long arms, the drones are positioned farther from the chanter and the front end of the bag is extended leaving plenty of bag in the back; the blowpipe further from the drones. Narrow cut frees up the forearm.
Large - regular (people over 6'0" with long arms); feels like what is traditionally regarded as a Large, but is still designed to free up as much forearm as possible. May be preferrable for tall and slender pipers.
Custom Drone Placements: If you would like the drones positioned at a specific point on the bag, use a flexible tape measure to measure the distance between the point at which you tie-in your chanter and where you would like the middle tenor. The same technique can be used for positioning the blowpipe. I position the drones to help the piper reach around the bag, but can upon request position the drones in the traditional slanted position with the outer tenor behind the middle.