BELLOWS (Bag ...scroll to bottom)
A standard bellows ...
... with Maple cheeks ...
... with Oak cheeks (picture coming soon) ...
Each bellows delivers on average 1.4 litres of air per stroke, determined by testing.
The cheeks are available in Red Oak as well as Maple. Each piece of wood is hand chosen for it's grain and unique quality.
The gusset is made from laminated layers of airtight leather, that requires no conditioning. This lamination provides extreme efficiency in 2 ways: 1) elliminates any "stretch" in the leather when pumping, thus more output per pump 2) provides firm support allowing only vertical movement of the cheeks... no wasted lateral movement. The results : a bellows that: 1) can deliver more psi (pumping power) per stroke elliminating the amount of bag pressure to jump to the second octave, 2) decreases the amount of pumping required. All of this means you can play longer, play easier and enjoy the instrument more.
Each bellows comes with a heavy duty leather hinge, leather covered elbow pillow, leather covered body pillow and leather covered blowpipe. The leather pillows filled with polyethylene foam are soft and very comfortable allowing the user to play for extended periods of time without any soreness.
The leather covered blowpipe is made with a very flexible special tubing that will bend over 90 degress without rebound stress or kinking. All body types are different and this increased flexibility allows you to position your bag and bellows where it is comfortable for you. It has a turned connector assembled to each end: one fits into the bellows brass assembly, and the other fits over the bag blowpipe tenon. These connectors: 1) make setup and dis-assembly very quick and easy 2) provide air tight seals over long term use 3) adds to the overall look and quality of the instrument.
The waist and arm belts are made of heavy leather with solid buckles. The waist belt is 1 1/2" wide so it allows for you to comfortably tighten the bellows without "digging" into your waist. The arm belt is narrower in width which allows for quick setup and breakdown of the instrument. Both belts not only look attractive and match the overall cosmetics of the set, but are made to withstand even the toughest wear.
The solid turned checkvalve with side intake holes provides an effortless "zero leak" seal and allows air to be received into the bellows if the outside is blocked by the user's sleeve.
BELLOWS KIT ... for the "do it yourselfer"
The kit includes all the necessary components and some tools to make a bellows for the "do it yourselfer". Paddles are stained/finished, all components are pre-assembled and all required materials (even heavy nylon thread and contact cement) are provided. Over 100 items! Some tools are also included: screwdriver, drill bits for pilot holes, thimble, needle and sandpaper. Everything you need to just put it together. Very detailed assembly instructions with diagrams will take you step by step through the assembly.
Please note: The Bellows Kit is not the standard bellows shown at top of page, in component form.
The below and left picture shows most of the components included in the kit. The below and right pictures show a bellows kit assembled.
BAG
Each bag is of the highest quality, is handmade by CJ Dixon and is 100% air tight. "You can plug it, inflate it and in a week it will still be fully inflated!" CJ Dixon
It is made of a special tanned high quality leather that never requires seasoning or conditioning.
Available in solid brass rivets or saddle stitch. Saddle stitched bags have over 200 stitches, all done by hand.
The bag size chosen by CJ Dixon holds sufficient air for drones and regs... unlike smaller bags that require excessive bellows pumping.
Available with or without stocks/tenon.
Bags with stocks come with chanter and bellows stock as well as blowpipe tenon.
A riveted bag ...
A saddle stitched bag ...
