The pictures below are of sterling silver tubing. This silver will be threaded, faced, and cut to length in my workshop. It is then sent to the Atherton bagpipes commissioned silversmith who will solder beads and caps onto the threaded tubing. This allows Atherton bagpipes to have complete control over the quality of the final product. The tubing for ferrules and ring caps is .050 thick (roughly the thickness of a one cent coin). The heavy wall-thickness allows for the deep threads which will insure a lifetime fit. It will also prevent dings and dents which are so common in cheaper thin-walled silver. The tuning slides are .020 thick. This minimizes the amount of wood that needs to be removed from the wooden tuning pins, which can weaken the pin.

When choosing silver for your bagpipe, whether plain or hand-engraved, the first consideration should be the quality of the silver itself.