Learn to rehair bows?

Michael Eisenman · #1 11-06-2006, 04:41 PM

As a result of an outsourcing of my technical editing job, I'm about to find myself with some time on my hands as I look for new work.

I talked to my luthier about helping him out, and he said that I should learn how to rehair bows.

I've heard that it's a tedious job (from eroy and others), but I think that it's something I could do, what with my attention to detail. I once created a 2-foot diameter chain made out of gum wrappers. I rebuilt a piano action—same process 88 times—and I enjoyed it. I recently digitized 350 songs from some swing era LPs and manually removed hundreds of pops and ticks from the waveforms. (None of that wussy automated pop-and-tick removal for me.) It was tiresome, but I can't say that I hated it.

So whaddya know? I'd appreciate your suggestions. I'm tired of the high tech industry, and I'm looking to do something with my hands.

Thx,
Michael

Eric Rene Roy · #2 11-06-2006, 06:45 PM

Go for it!

I would eMail every bow maker you can looking for unique opportunities.

When I was studying with Rodney Mohr...I had the chance of a lifetime that I had to pass up. He had about 2000lbs of pernambuco he wanted to mill up into blanks. He figured it would take two weeks for the two of us to do it. I had to get myself there...but once there...he would give me room and board...plus teach me to make two bows during those two weeks.

Can I just say what an idiot I was to not do it. Oh well...so young and stupid I was.

The point of the story...many luthiers and bow makers will take on apprentices. You will not be paid...and infact it will require money out of pocket...but the education and experience will be well worth it.

Make some calls.

Rob Hunter · #3 11-06-2006, 08:36 PM

Here's some more info on the subject:

how to rehair???

As stated, I'm still willing to sell my bow jig and book. Good luck - it's a worthwhile exercise....

COUNT ZACULA · #4 11-07-2006, 01:34 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by low.eadg

I talked to my luthier about helping him

Who's your luthier Michael?

Michael Eisenman · #5 11-07-2006, 06:25 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by eroy

I would eMail every bow maker you can looking for unique opportunities.

Thanks, Eric, for the positive feedback. Can you suggest where I might find a list of bowmakers?

Michael

Michael Eisenman · #6 11-07-2006, 06:29 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by COUNT ZACULA

Who's your luthier Michael?

Doug Heydon

Are you Zack the slapper, whom I met at Doug's a couple of weeks ago? (Doug was showing you some of his basses.) If so, please PM me.

Michael

Michael Eisenman · #7 11-07-2006, 12:01 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by low.eadg

. . . please PM me.

Zack, I replied to your PM this morning. Check yours.

Michael.

**Basschair** · #8 11-07-2006, 12:34 PM

www.lahbows.com

uptonbass · #9 11-07-2006, 01:08 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by low.eadg

Doug Heydon...

Doug's a great guy...you'll have a blast.

Slight hijack...Doug still working closley with Moses Graphite on fingerboards???

Michael Eisenman · #10 11-07-2006, 02:01 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by uptonbass

Doug still working closley with Moses Graphite on fingerboards???

Yes, he is.

COUNT ZACULA · #11 11-08-2006, 12:58 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by uptonbass

...Doug still working closley with Moses Graphite on fingerboards???

And some other crazy stuff too.

Bob Branstetter · #12 11-08-2006, 09:53 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by low.eadg

I talked to my luthier about helping him out, and he said that I should learn how to rehair bows.

If you can tolerate the work, there is no shortage of clients looking for good bow rehairers. I've been very surprised how few of the dedicated bass luthiers do their own rehairing. In the violin world, most violin makers/luthiers also do bow rehairing. For some unknown reason, that doesn't seem to hold true for bass luthiers. Other than Eric Roy and myself, I never hear any of the other luthiers who post here talking about it. How 'bout it guys. Are there any other bow rehairing bass luthiers lurking out there?

dgelting · #13 12-08-2006, 05:26 PM

I've started reharing my own bow out of neccessity. I played for a long time with a crazy rock ensemble (upright bass, violin, drums, and keys) and would really go through the bow hair some gigs. I'd just use fiberglass bows, and it would be cheaper to buy new ones than pay for a rehair, and I like black hair anyway, which is not usually on bows I'd find.
So, I bought a book, and made a jig, and bought a bunch of black hair.
It takes some practice, and talking with someone who knows what they're doing helps, and it was the most help to watch that person do a rehair.
Be patient, tie tight knots, take your time when working on wood bows and making new wedges.

billybass · #14 12-09-2006, 09:15 AM

This DVD might help you guys out.

http://www.violinbowrehairingdvd.com/

Bob Branstetter · #15 12-09-2006, 11:52 AM

For anyone getting started with bow rehairing, don't get discouraged if your first few tries don't turn out as well as you expected. As I have mentioned in a previous post on rehairing, my late mentor told me when I was starting that I "would get the hang of it after I did my first hundred bows" and that assessment was not far off for me. That does not mean that I couldn't do any good bow rehairs before I finished the first hundred. It just means that I didn't get consistently good at it until I did a lot of them.

Just as a good baseball pitcher constantly works on his "mechanics", a bow rehairer has to watch his mechanics so that he/she doesn't accidentally make one side tighter than the other or make the hair too long or too short. The best tied knots are meaningless if the hair being tied is not even all the way across. Learning to allow for the contraction of the wet hair is another of those things that only come from lots of experience. More bows are broken during the drying process than at any other time.

I recommend that all new rehairers use softer wood for making their plugs. Softer wood is more forgiving than maple and other hard woods used by professional bow people. Unless they say otherwise, the plug blanks sold by most Luthier supply houses are made of softer woods. You can not get the same sharp hair bend at the tip with softer woods, but your chances of breaking the bow tips or splitting a ferrule are greatly reduced.

I think the most important thing to remember when hairing a bow is to Never try to rehair a bow when you are in a hurry. Patience is the a real virtue when it comes to rehairing a bow.

Michael Eisenman · #16 12-09-2006, 01:29 PM

I appreciate the feedback and hope to see more.

Michael

Eric Rene Roy · #17 12-09-2006, 07:27 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bob Branstetter

I recommend that all new rehairers use softer wood for making their plugs. Softer wood is more forgiving than maple and other hard woods used by professional bow people. Unless they say otherwise, the plug blanks sold by most Luthier supply houses are made of softer woods. You can not get the same sharp hair bend at the tip with softer woods, but your chances of breaking the bow tips or splitting a ferrule are greatly reduced.

I like mahogany. Cuts like butter...and looks classy as hell! Especially that spreader wedge! The premade ones make me want to rip my hair out. I did a perfect rehair today...and I had only premade ones at my disposal. The split was off and the grain was all wrong. I ended up using the sanding disc rather than my chissels.

Bob Branstetter · #18 12-09-2006, 08:06 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by eroy

premade ones make me want to rip my hair out. I did a perfect rehair today...and I had only premade ones at my disposal. The split was off and the grain was all wrong. I ended up using the sanding disc rather than my chissels.

I know what you are talking about, but I'm still inclined to think a total beginner might be better off using the premade ones at first rather than risk forcing an ill fitted hardwood plug into the mortise and spliting the tip.

I'll have to try mahogany sometime, but I've used maple for years and have a stock of pre-thicknessed strips that I'll have to use up first.

KSB - Ken Smith · #19 12-10-2006, 11:14 AM

I can't tell you how much Mahogany we have thrown in the firewood barrels over the years. We use it only for body cores for our Smith Basses. We have cut-offs and scraps ALL day long. Well, not every day buy every time we cut Mahogany we have plenty of scraps to make these wedges from.

Maybe someone could use this other than the guys who take home the scraps for firewood?

The wood just doesn't come in the exact length or width and we have cut-offs and trimmings all the time.

Tim Barber · #20 12-14-2006, 03:05 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bob Branstetter

For anyone getting started with bow rehairing, don't get discouraged if your first few tries don't turn out as well as you expected. As I have mentioned in a previous post on rehairing, my late mentor told me when I was starting that I "would get the hang of it after I did my first hundred bows" and that assessment was not far off for me. That does not mean that I couldn't do any good bow rehairs before I finished the first hundred. It just means that I didn't get consistently good at it until I did a lot of them.

I've been doing rehairs since 1979, and I'm still refining my technique. I always say it's like playing chess: you can learn the moves in half an hour, but you need to play a thousand games to really master it.