(for pipers) I do stupid $#!t so you dont have to!!!

[Caradoc]

I do this to share my stupidity not ask for advice or armchair quarter backing I know I F*#$ed up and now I'm gonna pay for it ....

It could be worse, y'know.

Back in high school, in auto shop, I was a witness to a disturbing accident...

One of the guys in my class was doing the project/lab section on drilling a snapped-off bolt head and using an EZ-Out to get the headless bolt out of the hole.

He didn't secure the part very well in the drill press. It wobbled a bit, the drill bit snapped, and he turned to me to say, "Did you see where the drill bit went? It bounced off of my forehead!"

All I could say was, "Uh... no, it didn't bounce."

About an inch and a half of 1/8" drill bit was sticking out of his forehead. It wasn't even bleeding yet.

He ended up in the emergency room as the shop teacher and school nurse both agreed that they didn't want to try to pull it out.

High-speed tools can be dangerous.

Have you considered maybe getting a little Dremel Stylus Cordless with a set of buffing/polishing tools for that particular cleaning exercise?

[sav]

One piper to another, my sincerest condolences.
Good luck keeping off tobacco, I wish I had the willpower to quit...

[Tattoo Bradley]

Not a piper, but man that SUCKS. So sorry for your loss. I am a former tobacco user though, so I can understand your troubles with that. Hang in there, you will be glad you did.

[Splash_4]

That one even hurt from a distance! I am sorry to hear about your pipes, but hopefully the finger will heal prior to the arrival of the new parts. Good luck on kicking the habit as well!

[Canadian_Kilt]

That's terrible about your pipes - definately lucky you weren't hurt though. At least the pipes can be replaced.

Good luck with the smoking. I've done it, and it's tough (even after 8 years). Determination and desire to quit are key.

Best of luck getting your pipes back in shape.

[Kiltedfirepiper]

HOLY CRAP!!

Dunbar's a reputable maker; are their ferrules really so bad they need compounding? My McCallum's are electroplated nickel silver; on a high speed wheel I'd be afraid of taking off more than just the tarnish, even with rouge.

well with the fingerprints getting to the point of being etched into the ferrules and any type of wiping them off didnt seem to help...heck even wiping them off ( when i remembered to after playing ) didnt seem to help that much. i felt it was time yet again to clean them up ( i did that about every 6 months) and they look REAL nice after its all said and done!

BTW how's it goin Emmet? ltns! is holiday highlanders still goin on? I have to say I miss Dunedin! its really the only thing I miss about Florida!

Yikes! I thought the whole point of those pipes was that there's no maintenance. Oh well. In the future maybe you can learn to appreciate the rich patina that develops when you don't mess with them. That's the excuse I use. I hope your finger is back in shape real soon. You're lucky nothing worse happened.

And the word is "ferrule".

come on planopiper....no maintenance? on a set of bagpipes? and the "rich patina" looked like....well let me say this ...you ever seea gun that has been sitting in a leather holster in a moisture rich environment IE a house with a swamp cooler? I didnt want the pitting to start so I cleaned them up. my finger is fine....just looks like a punched a wall is all...and a little stiff....... as for the typo/ miss-spelling ...lol sorry it was 1 am :rolleyes:

That's terrible about your pipes - definately lucky you weren't hurt though. At least the pipes can be replaced.

Good luck with the smoking. I've done it, and it's tough (even after 8 years). Determination and desire to quit are key.

Best of luck getting your pipes back in shape.

yes I was lucky....... I thank the gods for that!!!

as for the tobacco...its my one TRUE weakness.....copenhagen.....for 15 years its been my constant companion in my back pocket, and in my lip hopefully i will get to say goodbye to that forever!!!

[Planopiper]

Actually, yes, I was under the impression that those drones were maintenance free, possibly because that's how they've been referred to by other pipers. Not the reeds, of course, but the drones are plastic. Not much you can do there. The 'patina' comment was meant with good humor. Only my silver pipes ever get a patina. My McCallums are 2 years old and I have yet to wipe the metal fittings with a cloth. They're still bright and shiny. I assumed Dunbar would be as good. I know better now. Thanks.
I corrected your spelling of ferrule because I thought that as a piper, you'd want to be able to refer to the parts of the instrument correctly. My mistake. It won't happen again.
Good luck with your new pipes when you get them.

[Frank MacDuffy]

Ooh, sorry 'bout the pipes man. That hurt just reading your post!

[O'Neille]

Ouch! Damaged finger, pipes, and ego all in milliseconds. Sorry to hear about the disaster. O'Neille

[PiobBear]

BTW how's it goin Emmet? ltns! is holiday highlanders still goin on? I have to say I miss Dunedin! its really the only thing I miss about Florida!

HH fizzled out a few years back; I'm now with the St. Andrew's P&D. I'm going to miss the Dunedin Christmas Parade this weekend as I have a gig, but hope to be done in time to get by the Brewery for a pint and a tune or two, and Monday I'll be piping for the Legion Christmas party. Our homeowner's insurance went up by 400% this summer (same month I got laid off), and now they're talking of a 97% increase in March (that's residential; over 600% for businesses!), not too bad for an industry that posted a 41% profit this year, eh? I guess it's good to have friends in high places (like Washington & Tallahassee). Surely, besides heat, humidity, and hurricanes, there's something you miss about Florida!?

By the way, email Dunbar; I know they sell replacement parts. You might get off a lot cheaper than a new set.