Bow care

Yep, rubbing alcohol for strings.
Linseed oil for wood - improves the tone, but not immediately before a performance!.
Keep out of hot cars and cold Oirish cottages but warm Oirish & NZ pubs seem ok
Loosen your bow after each wipe down but not so that the hairs catch in your fiddle.
Make sure the bow holder in your case keeps it from dropping onto your fiddle so that interesting personally identifiable gouges aren’t rendered.
Keep it closed in your silica gel ensconced case.
Wrap the body in an OLD silk scarf, not new, for the oils to exude and polish it up after each play as well as the wood of the bow.
Put a tiny piece of something (plastic) under your E string to prevent it biting into your bridge.
A yearly luthier visit is probably a good idea too.
That’s what

This was a comment from the earlier thread, “Fiddle Care”
I was going to start one on “Bow Care”but saw this and decided to carry the discussion forward.
I did see an earlier comment about not touching the bow hair.
Can someone enlighten us newbies on why this is and please pass on any further do’s and don’ts for bows.

The idea is to avoid oils etc. from your fingers, as well as the odd Guiness drops…bad for the bow hair.

Keep it out of reach of the cats!!!
Terry

Can bows be cleaned? I have 2 and both are turning black and would like to bring them back to respectability. Any suggestions?
Thanks

Well, I did once clean the hair on an old bow with meths. It was a nasty dirty job and I’m not sure if it’s really to be recommended. It certainly took all the crap off the hairs. I’m not sure what else it took off.

the hair or the ‘wood’? I suggest you get your bows re haired by a Luthier. some people do this regularily.

# Posted on August 20th 2007 by Hard to pin down

I am referring to the hair. I do believe that it would be more prudent for me to buy a complete bow than to re-hair these relics.

It’s worth a mention that if you have a decent bow in good condition, it’s age doesn’t really matter. It costs $60 here in Canada for a luthier to rehair my bow, and I couldn’t get a new one of any quality for that cost.

I have heard of people successfully shampooing bow hair but I’ve never done it myself!

You can buy bows in Florida for as little as $29.95. I can’t speak re the quality but for beginners, I suppose they would suffice.

I ’ve shampooed bow hair before, and it really gets the grime out and brings it up like new. Just remember to rosin it up really well afterwards. I did think about dying the hair a silly colour (purple), but stopped myself just in time…..

Would ye keep an eye out for siobhan peoples bow while ye’r doing all that shampooing. Ta