CARE AND MAINTENANCE I will assume that you already know the basics of caring for a set of pipes; if not, please read up on the subject in something like Denis Brooks' Workbook for the Union Pipes. What follows is specific information about the finish and adhesives used on your set, and specific information about the reed design that I recommend. The outermost finish on your pipes is primarily wax-based. Some instruments (notably those made of lighter wood like pearwood, boxwood, and those made of rosewood) have a significant undercoating of a shellac-based lacquer, whereas ebony instruments may have little or no lacquer coat. The shellac-based lacquer, akin to some violinmakers' varnishes, is alcohol soluble. Direct exposure to compounds containing alcohol may attack or dull the finish. This includes irish whiskey, etc. The wax outer finish may reduce the likelihood of this happening, but that outer coating is very thin. Spray furniture polishes and the like should be avoided, but a fine application of a paste-type wax suitable for wood will do no harm (I use the 'Briwax' brand). You may find that ebony instruments develop a more beautiful finish with use, and do not benefit from further polishing. Boxwood mounts are coated with a layer of hard carnauba wax with a softer wax outer finish. If you prefer, you may use a drop of raw linseed oil on a soft cloth, to bring up the shine on the outside of the instrument. I don't recommend boiled linseed oil for this, as it tends to leave more build-up. On acid-stained boxwood sets I have recently begun using oil-based outer finishes in conjunction with limited amounts of shellac. Those instruments may be more resistant to alcohol and water; however avoid abrasive polishes on them as you may eventually wear down some of the acid-stained layer. Linseed oil, or a small amount of paste wax applied as a cleaning agent, may help remove built-up dirt around the fingerholes (especially near the thumbs). If you choose to polish the metal surfaces on your set, avoid chemical metal polishes, especially those which are acidic, alkaline, or contain ammonia, as these will attack the metal over time. The best metal polish is either a jewelers' cloth or a fine paste-type polish containing a very fine abrasive. If you do polish, bear in mind that the residue from the polishing process may stain adjacent boxwood mounts. Lacquering the metal will probably disappoint, as it tends to flake with very ugly results. The wax or oil polishing techniques mentioned for the wood may help slow the tarnishing process. I prefer the use of removable, natural glues where feasible, to facilitate servicing, replacement of damaged ferrules, etc. For this reason as well as basic protection of the wood and reeds in your set, avoid getting mounts and other wood-to-wood joints damp. Heat (especially moist heat) or dampness may cause the natural hide glue to loosen. If this does occur for some reason, a very light wipe of the glue surface with a moist swab is likely to allow the glue to re-bond. In any case, avoid exposing your instrument to excess heat; it should go without saying that car boots or backseats are a bad idea if the sun is likely to come out - in extreme cases not only will the reeds be badly shocked or crack, timber may develop cracks. If it is also humid, the hide glues may 'let go'. One notable exception to my use of traditional removable adhesives is the adhesive used for the hand-rolled ferrules on the tuning slides, which are attached permanently with industrial grade epoxy. I feel that the increased strength and adhesion here is a benefit, and any damage to a drone slide which would necessitate the replacement of a metal ferrule will probably seriously damage the wooden slide as well. (A few sets may have ferrules attached in the old-fashioned non-permanent way - for instance if mammoth ivory has been used for rings - but if so, I will tell you this on pickup). Many of the non-sliding joints on your set are wrapped with waxed thread. You can use polyamide thread, but in many cases a natural fiber with a bit of wax works better. The sliding joints should be less tight, but non-leaking. For this reason, sliding joints function better without wax on the outer layer of thread. However the inner layer of thread needs to "stay put", so I usually use either wax or a bit of shellac on the bottom layer of thread to anchor it in place. There is some debate about whether waxed thread should be used at all; certainly soft thread packing will work, and move with the timber; however avoid the temptation to pack it "as tightly as possible" in order to counter the lack of stickiness. Ideally thread wrapping should be checked in summer/warm and humid conditions (when things may be getting tighter), as well as in winter when things shrink and become obviously loose. It may be tempting to use convenient PTFE/teflon tape (aka plumbers' tape) to deal with a slide that's a little loose. Please do not use teflon tape inside a wooden joint, for instance a tuning slide, because it can easily result in excessive tension stress in the slide. However underneath a metal ring, ferrule, or joint, PTFE tape can be suitable. Just don't use it underneath wood! If your climate is particularly dry or extreme, I may have used a more permanent adhesive to attach the metal top ferrule on the timber reed cap, or even the regulator feed tubes in your hollow stock. I use removable adhesives or thread binding (sometimes both) to attach the top mount to the reed cap, so that this cap can be replaced or repaired if it ever becomes necessary, or for instance you wish to fit an in-cap microphone to your chanter. (Note that in-cap microphones require extra post-processing electronics in order to produce a reasonably 'chanter like' sound). THE REED For concert pitch chanters I use a reed design similar to that used by Benedict Koehler. I use a tapered staple rolled from a blank 52 mm long and 15.25 / 13.8 mm wide at the wide and narrow ends, respectively. I start flattening the staple about 2/3 of the way up, forming a lens-shaped 'eye' opening of about 1.6 mm in height. I start with a 120 mm slip, so that each reed blade ends up about 58 to 60 mm long, 12.3 mm wide (finished size), and slightly "boat-shaped". The crow is generally around 30 cents flat of G-sharp, and the finished reed length is typically about 85 to 86 mm. I like a final elevation of about 0.5 mm. I use a low bridle made of wire - a copper bridle is fine too, but I recommend placing it just above/against the top of the wrap. My staples are numbered near the bottom. If you need a replacement reed, quoting the staple number can be very helpful in reproducing the reed. Your chanter was tuned using a relatively light to medium reed. I generally use medium cane of about 22 to 23 mm diameter, using scrapers to profile the inside of the slip. If you use a sanding cylinder, you might start with about 60 mm diameter. For C# chanters I use a staple about 48mm in length, rolled from a piece of 0.5mm thick copper which forms a trapezoid 48-50mm long, and 11.3mm/12.3mm at the narrow and wide ends, respectively. This should form an inner diameter of about 3.35 to 3.45mm. The staple is then flattened over about the last 15mm of length. I use a cane slip of about 9.9mm by 110mm, thickness depending on the cane, but 0.9mm to 1.0 mm is a good target. Finished reed length is about 73 mm, with a finished head width of 10.5mm. The staple eye is about 1.3 to 1.4mm at the narrowest point. Sometimes I use a parallel staple formed on a straight mandrel 3.4mm in diameter instead of the tapered staple noted above. For some B chanters I use a slightly larger staple - particularly if you like a light or closed reed - with the same approximate taper but about 3.5mm at the bottom. Good luck and have fun! Bill