Chipped frog

[fdeck]

Somehow, the frog of my wife's violin bow got a tiny little chip knocked out of it. Her teacher suggests simply sanding the rough edges so they don't get caught on anything, and live with it. I am inclined to agree, but just want to know if there are other options.

[Michael Eisenman]

Francis, you can build up the void with superglue (the thicker stuff, probably available at your local toy store) and then file/sand it to shape. You can get it in black, but if the chip is really tiny, the regular clear stuff shouldn't be too noticeable.

[Greg Clinkingbeard]

You can also mix ebony sanding dust with superglue for an almost perfect match. You would put the glue on and dust it when wet. If you still have that chip why don't you make dust out of that? Tweezers, magnifying glass? Check.

[Michael Eisenman]

If you still have the chip, you could just glue it back on. But I'd bet you don't.

[carl h.]

A new frog at the next rehair is fairly straight forward.

[bassrome]

The ebony dust/CA glue technique is a very common and inexpensive fix. If done well you won't even see the repair.

Jack Hill
http://www.jdhillmusic.com/

[fdeck]

Thanks for the tips. I don't have the chip, but I have an ebony nut blank that is too thick and would need to be trimmed down anyways, so now I have a source of ebony dust! My luthier friend has warned me in the past that ebony dust is a "sensitizer" meaning you don't want to breathe it.

[TheSuzie]

All you modern guys with your fancy superglues. My old fashioned brain immediately thought "bondo covered up by black sharpie"...

Peace,
S

[fdeck]

At my workplace, we call the Sharpie the "pocket anodizing tool."

[Rodger Bryan]

Use the thinnest CA glue for this purpose and, depending on the depth of the fix, fill in layers. -fill void w/dust, add just enough CA to wet it, repeat.

I build the repair to above the surrounding surface and use files and sandpaper to bring it to shape. After you work through the finer grades of sandpaper, Stewart-MacDonald has inexpensive flexible fabric abrasives that are much less expensive than Micro Mesh that will make the frog look like new.

BTW- thanks for sharing your speaker & preamp designs!
R

[bassrome]

My technique is to make a paste out of ebony dust and CA glue. I then fill in the void, let dry, then finished with various grit sand paper.

Cheers,
Jack
http://www.jdhillmusic.com/

[fdeck]

What's the pot life of the CA in air? Are we talking regular Super Glue or something more specialized?

[bassrome]

It depends on the CA glue. You could use the slow stuff and once the hole is filled in use an accelerant.

Jack

[padmavyuha]

Yes, don't go breathing in the ebony dust if you can help it - tiny, hard, sharp particles that get right down in your lungs. Ugh. Plus some people have allergic reactions over time, it's true. Pernabuco is hilarious, mind you - the dust turns your snot purple .