Bow Parts Disassembly and Reassembly

[Johnny L]

As I explore the inner workings of my bow and consider the wisdom of Harry Wake, I want to remove the ferrule off of the frog to see what's inside.

My first inclination is to wrap some masking tape around it and use a pair of channel locks to help me, but I want to inquire about other ferrule removing options out there that others use in hopes of avoiding ferrule scratches/dents and damaged frogs.

Is there normally a special ferrule removing tool hidden away with the endpin reamer under a luthier's bench to do this task, or does the ferrule get warmed up to make removing it with a pair of leather gloves reasonable, or what?

If you made it this far and you're unaware of this, check out a Kennedy Center performance of Bridging the Gap...Aaron Clay is a really good bassist that you get to see and hear from the internet. http://www.kennedy-center.org/progra..._id=BRIDGINGTH

[Bob Branstetter]

Throw those channel lock pliers away unless you want to replace the ferrule or worse. Most bow people use a bench mounted jewerer's vice or similar. You must use just enough pressure to hold the ferrule while you carefully twist and pull the frog away from the ferrule. When I was learning bow rehairing, my mentor insisted on me using old broken school bows for practice since until you get the feel for it, it's real easy to ruin the ferrule.

[Johnny L]

Thanks, Bob, for the insight. I hadn't considered using a vice, but it sure does sound like it would give me a big advantage.