Service of Bows and Bow Repairs
Just as any instrument requires regular maintenance, the same is true for the bow. In my workshop, I carry out all services and repairs to bows myself.
Bow rehairs
The bow hair wears out through use, but it also ages even when the bow is not played. If the musician notices some of the following signs, the bow hair must be replaced:
- the hair no longer produces an even sound
- the hair increasingly tends to break
- the hair is dirty
- more and more colophony is required
- the playing noise increases>
In order to have long lasting joy with your bow, the bow should always be rehaired by a specialist and only with high-quality hair. In my workshop, I use exclusively Mongolian stallion hair of the highest quality.
When you make an appointment for a bow rehair you can pick up your bow the next day. If a replacement bow is needed while your bow is being rehaired you can borrow one for a small fee.
Service
- The thumb leather must be replaced when the bare wood of the stick underneath the leather is showing at the very latest. If the leather is not replaced, the stick will be permanently damaged.
- The mechanical parts of the bow (screw, brasseye, bottom slide) must be cleaned and greased regularly.
- Loose windings should be repaired as soon as they come loose to prevent injuries to the hand and damage to the bow stick.
- In principle, a bow should be examined by an expert at least once a year to find out if a service is necessary.
Repairs
- New headplates from bone, mammoth or imitation ivory
- New mother-of-pearl slides
- Replacement of worn or missing mother-of-pearl eyes
- Bushing of holes from the brass eye in the frog
- Replacement of the brass eye
- Replacement of the screw
- Repair of broken bow sticks when reasonable