Catalogue Entry
R. G. Hardie & Co.
Great Highland Bagpipe · c.1976 · recommissioned for casual playing
Maker
R. G. Hardie & Co.
Place
Glasgow
Period
c.1976
Work
Recommissioning
Construction
African blackwood
Mounts
Genuine ivory
Metalwork
Engraved silver
Year
2026
Plate I · R. G. Hardie & Co. · Glasgow · c.1976
01 · As Received
Original bag seam failed.
Engraved silver heavily tarnished.
02 · Work Undertaken
Original bag removed following failure of the seam.
Drones stripped and old hemp removed.
Joints re-hemped.
Timber gently cleaned and lightly oiled.
Engraved silver hand-polished.
Ivory lightly cleaned and protected with Renaissance Wax.
Instrument fitted with Bannatyne synthetic bag with hide outer.
Final playing setup included vintage R. G. Lawrie Regal chanter, Melvin B-flat reed and Crozier Omega drone reeds.
Finished with R. G. Hardie Heritage-style cover and matching drone cords.
Instrument fine-tuned prior to return.
Components Replaced
Bag: original (seam failed) replaced with Bannatyne synthetic, hide outer.
Hemp: all joints.
Bag cover: R. G. Hardie Heritage-style.
Drone cords: matching.
Chanter: vintage R. G. Lawrie Regal fitted.
Reeds: Melvin B-flat chanter reed; Crozier Omega drone reeds.
Components Retained
African blackwood sticks: cleaned and lightly oiled.
Genuine ivory mounts: lightly cleaned, Renaissance Wax.
Engraved silver: hand-polished.
Final Setup
Chanter: vintage R. G. Lawrie Regal
Chanter reed: Melvin, B-flat
Drone reeds: Crozier Omega
Bag: Bannatyne synthetic, hide outer
Cover and cords: R. G. Hardie Heritage-style cover, matching drone cords
Fine-tuned prior to return.
03 · The Approach
There was no intention to make the instrument look new.
The ivory was lightly cleaned rather than aggressively polished. The blackwood was gently cleaned and lightly oiled. Each piece of engraved silver was polished by hand.
What had failed was replaced. What remained serviceable was treated accordingly.
04 · Evidence
As received
During the work
As returned
05 · From the Bench
Before J. L. Egan & Co. Pipe Works, there were Michael’s Lawries.
Working through that old set, bringing them back into playing condition and eventually becoming their custodian was what first pulled me seriously into older pipes and their restoration.
Apparently, it also earned me enough trust to be handed Michael’s other set.
A c.1976 set of R. G. Hardies: African blackwood, genuine ivory and heavily tarnished engraved silver.
More importantly, they were a treasured family instrument.
Michael was my uncle. He passed away two years ago, and the Hardies were his prized set.
That changes the job. The ivory, the blackwood and the silver all deserved care, but the reason to get it right was that they mattered to his family.
After an awful lot of careful cleaning, cramped hands from re-hemping and more hours fine-tuning than I’d care to count, I was able to hand Michael’s pipes back to his wife.
Not before finding an excuse to give them one final play.
The Lawries started it. The Hardies were the set that made me seriously consider doing this work for other people.
06 · Identification & Provenance
R. G. Hardie & Co., Glasgow. Great Highland Bagpipe, c.1976. African blackwood, genuine ivory mounts, heavily engraved silver.
Family instrument. The work predates the Pipe Works and was not a commission.
Returned to family · 2026
INSTRUMENTS RECEIVED FOR EXAMINATION
Have an old set sitting in the cupboard? Send through a few photographs and whatever you know about its history. We can start there.