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Robert Clyne violin
restoration story, Echo, July/August 2000
reprinted with permission from UKAEA
Baroque bows
To see a selection of our current stock of baroque bows, click
here.
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Making Baroque Bows
Bow making, and especially making baroque style bows has become one of our
passions. This is short introduction into the steps of baroque bow
making, which differs in some practices from modern bow making. The wood
differs a great deal in baroque and classical period bows. Among those
used in numerous old bows are:
- Swartzia
- Satiné/Cacique
- Snakewood (letterwood)
- Pernambuco
- Ebony and Ivory
Here's what we do, how we do it and why ...
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Firstly the bow is sawn out from a blank,
following the grain, and the stick is planed straight. |
| From the square stick, the corners are planed off
making the stick octagonal. This prevents it splitting when being bent.
The stick is then cambered slowly into shape in short sections over the
heat of an alcohol lamp. It is allowed to cool before continuing to the next
section.
After being bent, the stick is left for a couple of months. Planing and cambering changes tensions in the wood,
which are only released with time, so that the stick has a better chance
of remaining straight. |
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Now the stick is worked further, keeping everything
still oversized but square and straight. The head profile is marked,
trying to catch nice grains on the sides, and the outline is sawn.
The tip is glued
on. The head is
shaped, first the front, and then the back and chamfers.
The head is polished, which
underlines the shape and protects it while working on the
rest of the stick. This also allows the maker to view it
unhindered - maybe coming to it with fresh eyes and reworking it over
the next few days.
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Now it is safe to cut
the stick into the required length and work the handle, but the octagonals are
still
slightly unfinished, allowing later adjustments.
For a modern bow, the hole for the adjuster screw is drilled true and
the mortice cut. This we might do on our Myford engineering lathe, or by
hand if we are creating a close copy, bringing in slight irregularities
that distinguish hand work.
Now the handle can be finished and polished. |
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Next the frog and button are made. When making an ivory frog, we
use only CITIES certified pieces, recycled antiques or ancient mammoth
ivory. Starting with a squarish piece,
the
outline is sawn. Then the sides are hollowed and the throat shaped.
To finish the frog, the sides and throat are then sanded
lightly. |
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Next the button turned on the lathe, the centrehole for the screw and mortise for the collar
are drilled.
Then holding the button in the vice, octagonals are filed on. |
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Now the bow is ready for hairing. At this stage the hairing is
temporary so the final stick thicknessing can be achieved, and the playing
qualities controlled. This can be done by removing wood and changing the camber if needed.
The temporary hair is
then removed and the bow, stick, frog and button are polished. |
| To finish we use oil, which
gives a soft satin like finish, and when dry, the lapping
is added and the bow rehaired. We use top quality Mongolian, Italian,
Canadian, Siberian and Chinese hair. Voila! A baroque bow! |
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