BELLOWS (Bag ...scroll to bottom)

A standard bellows ...

Each bellows delivers on average 1.4 litres of air per stroke, determined by testing.

The cheeks are made of high quality Red Oak. Each piece of wood is hand chosen for it's grain and unique quality.  Each cheek goes through two routing steps.  One to profile the visible outer edge and the second to insert a "step" for the gusset assembly.  The second "step" routing allows for only the wood cheek to be visible from the top. 

The gusset is made from high quaity airtight leather, that requires no conditioning or maintenance. 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.

UPGRADES AVAILABLE

Celtic Engraving - Bellows cheek Celtic engraving is available which really adds a unique and beautiful Celtic look to your bellows.  Choose from the currently offered designs or provide your own design/family crest for a personal look.

Engraving Options Available (more to come...):

An example of bellows Celtic engraving (pattern #4)

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. 

All leather used is physically tested by a specially designed air decay test station that CJ Dixon designed.

It is made of a high quality leather that never requires seasoning or conditioning.

Made with solid brass rivets.

Available with or without stocks/tenon.

Bags with stocks come with chanter and bellows stock as well as blowpipe tenon.

Bag color may be different then pictures below.

Choose from 2 stock bag sizes or have a custom one made to your preference at no additional cost.

2 stock sizes available:  Standard and Small

Standard:  Comes standard with CJ Dixon sets (unless customer prefers different), holds sufficient air for drones and regs, and is larger then smaller bags that require more bellows pumping.

Small:  Very similar in size to L&M bags.  Is 14% smaller then the standard bag.  Is 3" shorter in total length and has a smaller "belly" resevoir.

A side by side comparison of the standard and small bag sizes: