Hi,

I recently bought a used student violin and am having fun learning a little about how to play this instrument.

My bow seems to have a problem though. The bottom 5 or 6 inches (closest to the frog) of hair seems to have been engulfed by rosin (not powder, like a mini cake enclosing the hair). It`s like the guy that had it before me never used that part of the bow but always rosined it up anyway. The texture goes from a tuft of hair on the good spot to a feeling like hard plastic on the bad spot.

I can`t play in that area without the instrument emitting a horrid scratchy sound (not just a squeeky or scratchy note, but no tone at all, just scratching). It sounds like a needle scraping across the grooves of a record. I don`t really have any technique yet, but it scrapes and scratches no matter how light of a pressure I use. I can duplicate the sound by using excess bow pressure on the other parts of the bow.

Is there any way to fix this without re-hairing? If so, how much does this procedure typically cost (or should I just buy a new low-cost student bow?).

Thanks so much,

F.J.

strange...if it was producing a scratchy sound..then it should be not enough rosin, not the other way round. Did u check carefully? Are there any green spots on the bow...caz sometimes bow hair can go bad due to oxidisation or oil content on your fingers.

And if that doesn`t work...

...you can wash the hair with a mild dish detergent and let dry ...if you`re brave you can remove the frog entirely, makes it easier to wash the hair...if not, loosen the frog as much as you can...

...do NOT use too much soap, and rinse well with warm water...tighten the bow hair just enough so that the ribbon dries flat (lay on side on a towel)...

...wait until completely dry and re-rosin...

...most importantly: do not get any water in either the ferrule of the frog or the tip of the bow...water may cause the small plug of wood to swell and split your bow...

...some people also use alchohol, but I`ve never tried that...

Thanks for the suggestions. The problem section is a bit discolored. Not green but there seems to be a few streaks of black (the rosin that came with the violin was transparent, btw). You can look at it in the light and see light reflecting off the bad section while the good section of hair doesn`t reflect the light. Plus it`s sticky down there if you run your finger across it.

I`ll probably try to clean it as suggested, even if I screw up I don`t think it can get any worse

dont clean it
take it to your music store.
ps: to rehair bows in my music store is 36 odllars

Yup...they charge $40 for a rehair here too.

However, my old cheapy bow is only worth $40, so no point in rehairing...

...but for better bows, yes, rehairing is necessary. However, if the bow is reasonalby new and unless you`re playing 7 hours a day for a year (or the equivalant), you`re unlikely to need a rehair. If you wash the hair, and it works, you`ve gained a lot(esp. on the cheapy bow). If you wash the hair and it doesn`t work, you haven`t lost anything since you would`ve needed a rehair regardless.

Just don`t get water in the ends. That could kill the bow.

I get $27 rehairs, but I suggest you get a better bow.

It`s black eh?...Hmmm... I would think that that section of yr bow hair might have gone bad...due to uneven rosining. Try cleaning it as Nox had suggested...if it doesn`t work, then bring it to your luthier.

Well, I tried cleaning it, and it is somewhat better. Still not right in that area, though.

I think I can get a new cheapie bow for the same as it would cost to rehair it (this is just a cheap bow to start with).

Thanks for the suggestions, though. Much appreciated