first time rosin-er: what's up with this stuff?

chuck3 · #1 10-08-2009, 03:40 PM

I'm a long-time pizz (and BG) player but only recently decided to try bowing. So I get an Upton Workshop bow (not the finest, but should be servicable, I figure) and a new container of Pop's rosin. But the hair on the bow just doesn't seem to want to take the Pop's, even after quite a bit of work at it.

Suggestions? Someone suggested scratching up the surface of the rosin. Any other tips? Thanks.

Dave Irwin · #2 10-08-2009, 05:41 PM

New hair takes awhile to take rosin. I was taught to run the bow across the rosin cake frog to tip (not back and forth). And be patient.

Good Luck,
Dave

eucalyptus · #3 10-08-2009, 08:18 PM

i had a similar issue when my bow was re-haired from white to black recently. it took a few days before the hair started to grab. i posted here about it and got some good suggestions, one in particular about using powdered violin rosin on the hair, working it in really well by kind of massaging it in. then use your regular rosin as usual and pretty soon it catches. i didn't actually do the powdered violin rosin thing, but just kept applying rosin each day, albeit a bit more liberally than i would normally. so yeah, after about a week it was all good.
addendum: regarding the powdered violin rosin, you have to make the powder yourself by putting a chunk of rosin in a plastic baggy and going over it with a rolling pin until it's a fine powder, according to the advice i received.

chuck3 · #4 10-08-2009, 08:46 PM

Thanks for the advice. I am probably going to try the powdered rosin thing, as I spent about an hour on this tonight, including scratching up the rosin surface, and made almost no progress. I've e-mailed Upton too to see what they say, but if they don't have better ideas it sounds like the powder is the way to go.

eucalyptus · #5 10-08-2009, 09:05 PM

yeah, no prob. the guy that told me that is a luthier too (i believe), so i'm sure he knows what he's talking about. you can see what he actually said in the thread, i think i called it 'black bowhair has no grip', from a week or two ago..

chuck3 · #6 10-08-2009, 09:21 PM

funny you bring up the black bowhair because that's what this is. Do different colors of bowhair have different gripping properties? Do blondes have more fun? (Or at least more rosin?)

Eric Rene Roy · #7 10-08-2009, 10:05 PM

Hi Chuck, I haven't seen the eMail...maybe Kate just answered you?

Anyway, see my post here from this thread.

Also, for a good bit of information about the different hair types (I've been reading some really bad info on this forum about hair recently), read here. Hopefully this doesn't violate the CUP...the info is good.

chuck3 · #8 10-08-2009, 10:09 PM

Hi Eric,

Kate and I e-mailed today, but so far problem not solved. I e-mailed her back tonight. Thanks for posting the links, I will take a look at them and keep working on it.

chuck3 · #9 10-08-2009, 10:49 PM

so I turn to the "black hair has no grip" thread and the first thing I see is this:

Only on TB ...

Eric Rene Roy · #10 10-08-2009, 10:51 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by chuck3

Only on TB ...

LOL!!!! Gotta love Google Ad Words!!!

eucalyptus · #11 10-08-2009, 11:56 PM

gets me wondering.. how would human hair fare on a bow? as silky and smooth as the ad?

chuck3 · #12 10-09-2009, 12:05 AM

so, excuse my ignorance, but what's the deal with the black hair that I spent all night trying to apply some kind of pine tar to? It's from a horse, or maybe a wild boar?

j.stemmler · #13 10-09-2009, 01:52 PM

i have heard from a few different very reputable bassists in the GTA that Pops rosin is absolutely hopeless. i find that when it comes to DB, you get what you pay for. I'd hate to tell you to toss the Pops, but maybe ask a friend with a different rosin to try theirs and see if it works better. I bought some Nyman rosin (for about$12) when I got my bow and have been really pleased with it.

chuck3 · #14 10-09-2009, 02:07 PM

Thanks for that heads-up. I'm not going to toss the Pop's yet, but I am going to turn a chunk of it into powder, so I will need to get more soon either way.

barend · #15 10-09-2009, 02:13 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by j.stemmler

I'd hate to tell you to toss the Pops, but maybe ask a friend with a different rosin to try theirs and see if it works better. I bought some Nyman rosin (for about$12) when I got my bow and have been really pleased with it.

I have used Nyman before I turned to Pops. But I hated it. It was way to hard.

Andrew McGregor · #16 10-11-2009, 12:02 AM

Pops goes off, that might be the trouble. Hold the cake in the steam off a kettle or boiling pot for a while, and then see if it works better.

William Hoffman · #17 10-11-2009, 04:58 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by eucalyptus

i had a similar issue when my bow was re-haired from white to black recently. it took a few days before the hair started to grab...

Quote:

Originally Posted by chuck3

funny you bring up the black bowhair because that's what this is. Do different colors of bowhair have different gripping properties? Do blondes have more fun? (Or at least more rosin?)

I had my bow re-haired to black too, and while it worked fine on my old strings, when I re-strung the bass to Spiro Mittels, the black hair just doesn't grab consistently. It slides and kind of makes a shrieking sound fairly often. I know it's not the Spiros per se, because I tried my older white-haired bow and it works fine. What gives? I really rosined up the new black hair liberally... Is there any risk that I put too much on?

Dave Irwin · #18 10-11-2009, 07:06 AM

I've been using salt & pepper hair since getting my last bow a few years ago and just now switching to white. I'd always understood that black hair should grab better but has a bit of a courser sound. Never noticed it taking longer than white to take rosin.

Dave

Eric Swanson · #19 10-11-2009, 07:20 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by William Hoffman

It slides and kind of makes a shrieking sound fairly often.

Really enjoyed the image. Isn't that how its supposed to sound?!

Seriously though, to the OP, I would respectfully suggest that you might try some Kolstein Soft and/or some Gaston Brohan Oak Soft.

William Hoffman · #20 10-11-2009, 07:42 AM

Dave, I thought black hair was going to grab better, too. That's why I wondered what I might've done wrong here. The bow grabs but not consistently. It slides across the strings pretty often and the sound isn't pleasant at all, Eric, not the normal grab but slipping. Btw, I am using Oak soft, occasionally medium. Maybe it will improve over time. I am not at all sure the luthier mixed in the powdered rosin.