Manufacturing
Careful attention is given to maintaining the quality of Dunfion Bagpipes. Henry Murdo worked closely with Angus J. MacLellan on the development of all aspects of bagpipe manufacture, and remains indebted to him for his knowledge, talent and friendship.
Angus was a double Gold Medallist and former Pipe Sergeant for the 8 time World Champions Strathclyde Police.
All our blackwood is first turned to rounds and then seasoned in a drying cupboard for 6-8 months at around 30 degrees.
It is then bored and turned to an almost complete finish and stored again for a further 6-8 months at room temperature.
Joints, Stocks, imitation ivory Ring Caps and Projecting Mounts are lathe-turned to precise tolerances.
Traditional methods, tools and craftsmanship are used at every step of the manufacturing process.
Ferrules, Ring Caps and Tuning Pins can be hand-carved from silver or brass, or turned in stainless steel in several standard designs, with individual customer commissions catered for.
Each set of our pipes has a burnished oil finish, like that found on the finest European shotgun stocks - not the coat of lacquer or varnish you find on most other bagpipes. Our oil finish will ensure our bagpipes stay looking beautiful for many years.
Attention to detail is the key to the quality and longevity of our pipes, such as the insertion of a brass sleeve into the top housing of each tuning pin. It is a more time-consuming and hence expensive way of making pipes, but it ensures that years and years of use won't change the tuning precision of our drones.