Bow Maintenance and Repair

Regardless of its monetary value, any bow is a fragile object which should be handled carefully and maintained at regular intervals. Due to their narrow dimensions and construction out of wood, they are quite prone to breakage -- each year, there are fewer and fewer undamaged examples of the finest bows, through attrition. However, there are a number of points that players should know, so that they can minimize the chances of serious damage occuring to their bows. The following sections of violinbows.com will give information about having your bow rehaired, repaired and kept in good working order.

Bows are fragile, but they are also relatively simple, and caring for them is not a complicated matter. A few simple guidelines can help the player keep the bow in the best possible condition:

Always loosen the hair when the bow is returned to the case, because constant tension will cause the stick to eventually lose it’s camber. The “camber” is the bend in the stick against which the hair tightens. Recambering by a bow specialist is possible, but it can be time-consuming and expensive.
Keep the stick as clean and rosin-free as possible, by wiping it regularly with a clean cloth.
Be careful never to touch the horsehair, because oil and dirt from your fingers will impair its function and shorten its usable life.
Be sure to have the thumbleather replaced if it gets worn through to the stick or winding beneath -- it may be comfortable this way, but eventually the player’s thumb will do much more expensive damage by wearing out the winding or wearing a divot in the stick.

Finally, maintain the bow by having it rehaired at regular intervals. When leaving it with the bow specialist, it is always a good idea to ask him or her to inspect the bow thoroughly while you are present, to assess it for any wear or damage that you may not be familiar with. The ivory headplate is especially prone to damage, and its replacement is often a prerequisite to rehairing the bow -- even a small crack in it might not allow the plug which holds in the hair to do its job. In addition, ask if the eyelet in the frog shows signs of significant wear -- the steel screw which engages it to tighten and loosen the hair will eventually wear out the brass threads of the eyelet. This can happen suddenly, and render the bow unusable until the eyelet is replaced. Trust your bow specialist to evaluate your bow, and seriously consider their recommendations for any additional work.

Rehairing a Bow

Bows are strung with natural, unbleached horsehair. Approximately 150 strands of hair are used on the average violin bow, and in time this hair will break, become dirty, degraded by exposure to ultra-violet light, and clogged with rosin. The hair will lose its ability to make the instrument’s strings vibrate, and will feel increasingly slick as it wears out. Since this is a gradual process, a common question is: How often should a bow be rehaired? The answer lies in how often a bow is used. A musician using his or her bow every day should plan on at least one rehairing a year; however, if this bow is used more than an hour or so each day, then twice or more times per year will be required. Players should pay particular attention to their bow if they begin to break a number of hairs in use -- this is another clue that the bow needs rehairing. If too many break the result will be uneven tension across the ribbon of hair, and thereby the creation of uneven tension on the stick. This will have a negative effect on the way the bow plays, and also will tend to warp the stick over time.

Technique

The technique of taking a bow apart and putting it back together with fresh horsehair requires dedication to learn, and many hours of practice in repetition over hundreds of bows. It should never be attempted by anyone other than a professional who has had this practice, and proper training. Because bows are delicate, they are very at risk for damage or breakage when they are disassembled and reassembled for rehairing.

So, how do players know who should be entrusted to rehair their bows? As a general rule, the more valuable the bow is, the more the owner will want to be choosy about who does the work on it. The bow specialists who are most familiar with the bow’s intricasies are most often bow makers themselves. Since they make bows, they know them “from the inside out,” in a way that most other craftspeople cannot. Therefore, someone with an especially valuable bow might desire to seek out a bow maker who will make time to rehair it. Some bowmakers do not rehair bows, other than their own.

It should be pointed out, however, that there are numerous people qualified to rehair bows who are not themselves bow makers. Many violin shops, especially in major cities, have bow specialists who concentrate on nothing except rehairing and restoring bows. (Occasionally they have resident bow makers as well.) Shops with solid reputations take seriously their obligation to provide such services for their clientele, so they hire the best people possible and train their bow specialists carefully. Sometimes general music stores have someone who rehairs bows, too -- in this case, it would be wise for the owner of the bow to make inquiries of this person’s experience and training.

Additionally, there are a number of bowmakers and bow specialists who are self-employed with their own shops. These people very often have sought out their own training or have worked in violin shops, and diligently built a small but steady business. Since working on bows is such a specialized niche, the bow owner should be able to determine a particular craftsperson’s reputation by talking to local teachers and professional players. Whether the craftsperson is independent or employed by a violin shop or music store, one should not hesitate to ask them about their skills, training and work history. Any experienced bow specialist should be able to talk knowledgably about bows, and offer references if asked.