Fiddle Bow Emergency!!

Hi I doubt anyone will see this in time but I need some urgent help regarding my fiddle bow.
My little sister got in at my fiddle and was messing around with it which usually I don’t have a problem with except that today she had butter on her fingers and she picked my bow up by the hair! It’s barely making a sound and I have no clue how to fix it. I’ve tried caking it in rosin to get some sort of sound out of it but all I’m getting is a quiet creaking.

I have my leaving cert practical tomorrow morning so if there’s any quick fixes anyone has id be very grateful!!

You could wash the hair by first totally unscrewing the frog. Maybe not Head & Shoulders shampoo, though.

To clean horsehair ( what’s on a fiddle bow ) of butter, or other crud, take an old, or unused, small bowl - about 3 inches diameter by 1 inch high. Put about half a cup of Acetone into it. Remove the tightening screw from the bow frog.

Remove the frog from the stick. Pay attention that it does not twist as you work the loosened hank. Keep the bow stick out of the Acetone!

Then carefully bathe the bow-hair in the Acetone by slowly dragging, (starting at the frog end working to the tip), through the liquid. Make sure you completely immerse each section of hair in the Acetone as you drag it through. If possible, massage the hair in the Acetone as well to make sure all the crud is dissolved. When done, use a paper towel to dry your cleaned hank, then loosely re-attach the bow frog to the stick with the adjusting screw. Hang the bow from a hook in a well aired area to dry.

As Acetone evaporates fast, your bow-hair will be dry in couple of hours. But leave it longer to make sure.

Re-rosin using a fresh block of rosin, don’t re-use the block you had earlier, as it is spoiled with butter fat.

https://youtu.be/SXidSNLvMH0

play video

Donald and Nikonimages: thanks so much for your help. My bow is currently hanging to dry awaiting rosin, fingers crossed it will be ok for tomorrow!! Thanks again!!

Wheesh! Never had buttered bow syndrome yet, but good quick response! Just be careful, acetone is bad stuff and should only be used outdoors so yeh don’t breathe the fumes. Also it’s a bit of a fire hazard. I would have used rubbing alcohol on the bow hair, but same cautions apply.

Me too!

I have no advice, but just wanted to say good luck and that I hope you are able to play your fiddle tomorrow.

Sunlight soap, warm water, soft tooth brush, leave the hair connected to the bow. If you have not done that get a fine tooth brush clean bow and comb the hair and lock it back on to the stick, grease the screw with vasaline Rinse the hair with water, warm or cold. Wind the hair so it is a little loose. If it is tight, get a match stick, cut a sharp point to it. Divide the hair in the middle position of the stick. Then with the point of the matchstick, divide the hair in half. Guide the matchstick behind the stick and on top of the hair on the other side of the stick. Make sure the stick is straight, tighten the hair to a firm but not tight tension. Hang the frog end on a hook and place in bathroom to dry slowly, No sudden dry heat. pound up some rosin to a fine grit and place on a piece of cotton cloth and then apply to hair, called dipping. Wipe the excess off the stick. All of that after removing the match stick of course. If you have muck on your stick, toilet paper and a couple of drops of fine oil and metho will clean the stick, and polish up the old varnish. Keep the butter locked away.

I would use denatured alcohol rather than the rubbing alcohol as suggested. The rubbing alcohol WILL clean the hair, but does have a small amount of oils in the base, which you may not a residue of on the hair, whereas denatured does not.

So…how did it go???!