So I just bought a bow which plays great but it is absolutely filthy. It has some kind of dirt residue covering most of the stick, and has sone kind of paint on it like it was in the way when somebody was painting there house. It's not covering the stick, just on a 1 inch segment of the tip. How do I go about cleaning the dirt and paint off of the bow?
Enjoy the benefits of a premium membership!
Upgrade Account
-
TalkBass has been independent since 1998. Add your voice.
Create a free account to reply to discussions, view embedded media, and browse with fewer display ads.
Join free Log in
Want zero display ads or expanded classifieds tools? Compare plans.
Double Bass Bow cleaning?
- Thread starter chris1125
- Start date
In all liklihood, the residue on the stick is rosin. As far as the 'paint' in concerned, removing it may be a simple task or one for a professional depending on what type of paint it is. Some pics would cerainly shed more light on the subject.
I used a slightly damp towel andmostof the residue came off without any trouble. It's due for a rehair so I'll leave the rest of that to the rehairer. As for the white paint, as I look at it again it appears that someone maybe hit a white wall while playing or something and a small amount of paint rubbed off. I have no clue as to how to get that off, not that it's a huge concern.
Another small issue is that the silver half circle piece on the frog has turned partly black and partly very tarnished.
Now I have another I'd question for you bow people. When I got it, it had a small amount of a whale bone style black and brown grip which broke off very brittaly. The leather portion was also very course and brittle. The bow is stamped "ARTIST" in the normal place above the frog. On the other side there is a very faint , non impressed stamp that says "Geda.... Occupied" God knows what that means lol. In addition to this, there are four parallel slashes where the grip was on the bottom of the bow.
So what are your thoughts? The only artist stamp I could find refered to a circa 1900 German bow.
Another small issue is that the silver half circle piece on the frog has turned partly black and partly very tarnished.
Now I have another I'd question for you bow people. When I got it, it had a small amount of a whale bone style black and brown grip which broke off very brittaly. The leather portion was also very course and brittle. The bow is stamped "ARTIST" in the normal place above the frog. On the other side there is a very faint , non impressed stamp that says "Geda.... Occupied" God knows what that means lol. In addition to this, there are four parallel slashes where the grip was on the bottom of the bow.
So what are your thoughts? The only artist stamp I could find refered to a circa 1900 German bow.
You can go online and get your own brand, and grill each of your steaks with your signature burnt into them if you want to. I don't know anything about the "ARTIST", but when you take it to get rehaired, that would be a good resource to shed some knowledge on it.
As for the paint/excess rosin, that is also something that a rehair/repair person should/can do. It is a fairly simple process, and a lot of people include cleaning the bow as part of their rehair costs, but if you ask, they will likely do it for you. The brittle/broken whale bone and leather can be replaced, depending on the life the bow has had up to this point windings can be damaged and replaced, and leathers have a lifespan as well.
Hopefully that helps.
As for the paint/excess rosin, that is also something that a rehair/repair person should/can do. It is a fairly simple process, and a lot of people include cleaning the bow as part of their rehair costs, but if you ask, they will likely do it for you. The brittle/broken whale bone and leather can be replaced, depending on the life the bow has had up to this point windings can be damaged and replaced, and leathers have a lifespan as well.
Hopefully that helps.
I also am a German player, and although a lot of German bows do not have windings, sometimes they are needed in order to properly balance the stick. I have a bow with a winding on it that comes in around 10 grams, and without it, it feels horrible.
If you like it without, that's all that matters.
If you like it without, that's all that matters.
