J. L. Egan & Co. · Pipe Works · Sydney, N.S.W.
Work Undertaken
Not every old component needs replacing. Wear is not necessarily damage. Patina is not necessarily dirt. Work begins with examining the instrument.
The first objective is to establish what the instrument is, its present condition, what is original or potentially significant, and what is actually preventing it from functioning properly.
Quoted following examination.
Strip-down, examination, cleaning, joint and stock assessment, examination of bag, valve and reeds, reassembly and setup for playing. For instruments that have been stored, inherited or left unplayed.
Flapper valves are replaced with a Moose valve as standard.
Cleaning of timber, mounts and metalwork, retaining original surfaces and honest wear rather than creating a new appearance. Replacement of failed components where required, including bag, hemp and reeds. Minor repairs within workshop capability. Final playing setup.
Sets that have come down through a family are often the least documented. The work can start with identification: maker, approximate period, construction and condition. After that, the instrument can be recommissioned for playing, or cleaned and recorded for safe keeping.
Assessed individually. Send particulars.
How an instrument is received
Old instruments vary too much in condition to price responsibly from a generic menu. Work is quoted following assessment.
Instruments can be received from interstate. Please get in touch first to arrange shipping.
Work referred elsewhere
Work requiring skills beyond the present capability of the workshop is not attempted on a customer’s instrument. Structural blackwood repairs, major cracks, bore alteration, reaming, complex metalwork, specialist silver repair and work involving regulated materials are referred to established specialists.