Double Bass Too much rosin on bow

[Steve Freides]

If I get too much rosin on my strings, I wipe it off with alcohol and a dish towel. Is it safe to use such a strategy on my bow, is there something else to try, or should I just let it wear itself off? I noticed that, after cleaning off my strings, my bow makes them almost instantly have a rosin build-up on them again, so I figure I've got too much on my bow.

Thanks in advance.

-S-

 

[Phil Rowan]

I usually use a toothbrush to clean my bow hair. You can also get a fine-toothed small metal comb (I'm gonna guess they're the kind meant for beard grooming). As far as cleaning rosin off the strings, extra fine steel wool works well.

 

[Steve Freides]

Thanks very much.

Love to hear how others handle this as well. Obviously an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure and I'm going to go easier on the rosin - kolstein a/w - in the meantime.

-S-

 

[MostlyBass]

+1 on the toothbrush and comb method. I discovered it in grad school and it works great. Do not use alcohol on the bow hair. Just a dry toothbrush really works wonders.

You can use alcohol on the strings safely but I discourage it. Alcohol removes the finish / varnish from wood so any accidental drops can be bad. A dry dish, 0000 steel wool, or a green plastic cleaning 'scrubbie' all work well.

Use as much or as little rosin as you want to get a full sound but perhaps try other brands. After 20 years of trying everything (including cello and violin rosin) I've come to think that it's more a matter of freshness rather than brand. For this reason I like Pops - because you can buy it from their online store super fresh.

 

[Phil Rowan]

For this reason I like Pops - because you can buy it from their online store super fresh.

bassrosin.com FTW!

 

[Rob Thompson]

Once, as an experiment right before getting a rehair, I tried washing my bow hair with rubbing alcohol. It did not really turn out well. I think in principle you could clean the hair this way, and I was told by pretty well known luthier that it shouldn't hurt the hair (it CAN hurt the stick), but it seems to make more of a mess of it if you are just screwing around in the bathroom sink like me....

 

[Les Fret]

I have spoiled my bow hair when I tried to clean it with alcohol and warm water after I have read here that some others do that. It was totally unusable after that and needed a rehair. No grip at all and it never returned. So I will never do this again. Be careful!

 

[MostlyBass]

I agree - do not use alcohol on the bow hair. It gets gummy and clumps together and becomes unusable.

 

[Matt Ides]

I have used the old tooth brush for the bow hair with success. Also, alcohol swab for strings, just make sure the belly is covered in case of drips.

 

[Don Higdon]

When I read elaborate schemes for cleaning bow hair, my only thought that they're to prove to yourself that you're REALLY DOING SOMETHING. For me, the risk-reward equation doesn't hold up.
The toothbrush works fine.

 

[Phil Rowan]

This doesn't have much to to do with over-rosined bow hair, but I've heard that using baby shampoo to clean it can help rejuvenate bow hair in terms of its ability to grip the string (say when a bow re-hair is overdue and much needed.. I might give it a shot before my next re-hair).

 

[Square Bear]

I've seen the alcohol method work to get old rosin dust out of the hair, but I still don't recommend it. If you use too much rosin, that's a different problem altogether. You have to just play it out IMO. Alcohol won't dissolve all the rosin, so you'll just end up with a mess. Wipe off the strings frequently as you play to get excessive build-up off the hair, and eventually things will be back to normal.

 

[MartinBorgen]

With my current strings on a rented bass, I need to use "too much" rosin to grab the strings - those are older than I am!

(The sollution - new strings - are in the works of being ordered)

 

[NicholasF]

Use as much to get the sound needed, we rehair our bows for a reason. Just deduct it as a buisness expense

 

[Les Fret]

My teacher advised me acetone to clean the bow hair. You know; the nail polish remover.

 

[Fez1]

There is no such thing as too much rosin.

 

[carl h.]

I've used shampoo with success on rental bows which are all oiled up by kids touching the hair. If you've got plenty of hair left and are considering rehairing it anyway, give it a try.

Let it thoroughly dry before putting rosin back on.

If you feel you've got too much rosin, bow against a music stand or music folder to rub some off. After all, most strings are metal.

 

[Don Higdon]

If you feel you've got too much rosin, bow against a music stand or music folder to rub some off. After all, most strings are metal.

***?
A clean, dry cotton cloth.
Or, simply bow the strings forte for a minute and them clean off the strings.

 

[carl h.]

Why use something so soft and delicate when you are repeatedly sawing it across a high tension object?

I've never had a problem with too much rosin. I'm not saying to aggressively bow on a knife edge, just use some common rigid object to remove the excess.

 

[Les Fret]

My teacher advised me acetone to clean the bow hair. You know; the nail polish remover.

anyone else has tried acetone for cleaning? I am scared to mess up my bow because of the very bad experience with alcohol bow hair cleaning.