Quoting Anthony Robb <[email protected]>:
Hello Vernon
If we stick with Barry's fruit analogy idea, Richard Suttleworth was
comparing apples past their sell-by date with fresh ones.
Pardon. Where does tradition come into this. Are Reid pipes past their
sell-by dates.
I do not think I said anything which should discourage potential
makers from paying close attention to Mike Nelson's website but I did
make it clear that I felt that what Mike brought to the pipemaking
discussion was a clarity of view based on engineering design. On the
other other hand, I went through my pipemaking apprenticeship at the
Killingworth classes with Colin Ross as tutor.
Colin and Mike have exchanged views in the past to mutual benefit.
Colin has freely admitted that the way his key-stems attached to the
pads on double keys came from a suggestion from Mike Nelson. I heard
him say as much in a workshop at the Rothbury Festival.
Regarding hole positions, I work from the scale I learned at the
Killingworth class which is to all intents and purposes the same that
Mike produced in his book of the 1980s and Mike has, as I remember,
acknowledged Colin's influence on his hole spacing.
In the time I studied and worked with Colin, I gained the impression
that he felt that Mikes design was driven by technology, whereas Colin
felt there should be a more artistic, sculptural influence in the
outer form of the pipes. The technical inner workings are another area
altogether.
Anyone who sets out to make a set of pipes, or become a pipemaker must
form their own opinion on this matter. It is possible that an
individual will at some times favour the artistic approach, while at
other times the engineering attitude will come to the fore. Such is
life!
Barry
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