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Double Bass broken bow tip

B

blambass

Jan 28, 2008
4
0
University of Western Ontario
#1
I accidentally tapped my bow on the music stand and the tip went flying. any suggestions what glue i should use to hold it back in place? its a pernambuco KSB C.Loveri
the hair is still staying in place so i'd rather not bring it to a repairman until the next rehairing. already spent enough on this new bow.
 

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#2
Greetings!

Aron Alpha super glue is what I would use to reattach that tip. You can order some from www.lahbows.com. (Disclaimer: I have no financial interest in lahbows, but I study with Lynn at UNH. I get my supplies from her. I'm sure there are other places to get Aron Alpha.)

This super glue is fine for this repair as it will release with a little heat when you take the bow to be repaired. You will want to get the tip repaired when you take your bow in for its next rehair. The Ivory not only protects the "beak" of tip, but it also helps reinforce the sides of the mortise. If you don't get the tip replaced...and just keep the two separate parts of the ivory glued to the tip...there is a risk that the cheeks of the bow head could be blown out the next time a plug is inserted during rehair. It's not a huge risk, but it could happen.

This is a very common repair, BTW.

Best regards!
Jim
 
#3
Here's an alternate perspective, just for balance. I had similar damage to my Morizot. I took it to a man-who-shall-remain-nameless who tried the Superglue approach and it went badly. The joint didn't seat well and it ended up pulling off some of the pernambuco as the bad fix came apart.

Eric Lane, the wonderful bowmaker at Reuning and Sons, Boston, did an amazing job undoing that hateful mess. He patiently removed the botched job and lovingly, skillfully, invisibly mended the pernambuco. Then he replace the ivory, perfectly.

For me, it would have been easier, faster, and less expensive to have a real bowmaker fix the stick in the first place...

As I say, just another thought...:)
 
#4
I had a similar break, although it was more like a sheering rather than a clean break.
I super glued it up till I had money to fix it, and then when I took it to a bow maker a year later, he couldn't even get the tip off to really repair it. :)
The glue is still working fine for me, 5 years later!
 
#5
Eric Swanson said:
Here's an alternate perspective, just for balance. I had similar damage to my Morizot. I took it to a nameless man who tried the Superglue approach and it went badly. The joint didn't seat well and it ended up pulling off some of the pernambuco as the bad fix came apart.
Click to expand...

That's a good point, and something to consider.

From the picture, the ivory would be reglued to the ebony liner that is still in place so it shouldn't impact the original adhesive in contact with the pernambuco. There shouldn't be any issue with getting that to seat, but there could be. There is a "proper" technique to use in glueing: bind the tip with waxed thread and then apply one drop to the seam and let it wick in. I could see a potential mess if too much glue/improper clamping were used.

If the OP wanted to pursue this as a DIY, I'd HIGHLY recommend getting the proper adhesive...if it's used, it will take about 3 seconds to release with heat and leave no mess...put one drop on the ivory and press it into place and hold 'til it adheres. If it doesn't take, you're just back where you started. You won't need much Aron Alpha.

Of course, as with all DIY's there are lots of ways to screw it up...if you have doubts about this, take it to a pro.

Thanks for the balance, Eric!

Best regards!

Jim
 
#8
I believe it's glued on. I just asked for it at the place I usually got it rehaired at and they had a bunch in stock. Seemed like a pretty normal procedure for them. I would just ask your luthier, I'm sure they have one. You do have to get it polished or what not on occasion, mine started to show a little wear after about 3 years but I just had my luthier polish it up for me.
 
#9
jimmyduded said:
how is a silver tip mounted? some sort of drilling? if so, seems painful if you have an expensive bow, for now ill stick with my bone tip unless of course no damage will come to my bow, in that case where does one get a silver tip?
Click to expand...

Greetings!

A silver tip is pinned to the head of the bow. Small holes are drilled and silver pins (nails) are made and inserted. This is the same procedure used in lining the frog and fastening the silver rings to the button.

A silver tip can dramatically impact the balance of the bow... if a bow was not crafted with a silver tip, and it's already a bit tip heavy, it may not be a good idea to replace the bone/mammoth with silver.

Best regards!

Jim
 

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