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

[barend]

If he has used the powdered rosin you will see it at the white marks on the strings. One bow of me has the powdered rosin and you see the marks. My other doesn't have the powdered rosin and it leaves no white marks on the strings.

[eucalyptus]

i use pops and it always seems to leave white stuff on the strings. at least, each time i apply the rosin, which with my new black hair is every time i practice. the 'grabitude' is good now, though, and the sound from the bow is what i expected. it did take a good week at least after getting the new hair for the grabbing to really begin. i wonder if it also might have to do with the season? the air is cool here now. maybe when it's really hot out the rosin clings to the hairs more easily? anyway - as far as the white stuff, i just pause to wipe it off every so often during practice, no biggie.

[William Hoffman]

Originally Posted by barend

If he has used the powdered rosin you will see it at the white marks on the strings. One bow of me has the powdered rosin and you see the marks. My other doesn't have the powdered rosin and it leaves no white marks on the strings.

I called the luthier who re-haired my bow with black hair. He said they do not mix in the powdered rosin.

What is the effect of that? Will it just take longer for the bow to start grabbing the strings more consistently?

Btw, Barend, I've put a good amount of the Oak soft on the hair and it does leave rosin on the strings even without the powder.

[barend]

ok, strange. My 'unpowdered' bow never leaves any marks on the strings. I always wondered why that is. I thought it was because it was not powdered. But now I see that is not the case. Still wonder why it leaves no marks.

[William Hoffman]

maybe it will as you keep applying rosin and playing...

this was my first time getting a re-hair, so i'm heeding the general advice. since the luthier did not mix in the powdered rosin, i have just kept on applying a bit more each time i play. actually, i think it is coming 'round. it grabs better. i'll wait and see...

[barend]

Originally Posted by William Hoffman

maybe it will as you keep applying rosin and playing...

No, I already have this bow for four months and it never left any white marks

[Downright_Low]

You can rosin in both directions, it doesn't matter and it helps spread out the rosin faster on all sides of the hairs in and in all the teeth. Anyway when you go to bow and up bow it will do the same thing, so there's no difference, just that you will have enough to go around when you start out. I say use alot since the distance from the fingerboard to the bridge is the longest of all string instruments. You can rock the bow back and forth over all the strings and slowly grandually, bit by bit, slide from top to bottom, from fingerboard to bridge and back. I like to do this before I tune. If it's too excessive and grippy then wipe of the strings with a clean cloth liek a shirt that won't leave behind fibers to get under you bow and into your...rosin and junk. Actually then powder is always going to be there as long as you will play so it's pointless to wipe it off, and it keeps your grab longer, and gives you a layer to play on which means even lighter touches will be effective of the bass. Just my few words, take what works from it if you choice...