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I’m making a bow – would anyone like to watch?
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Ed Shillitoe
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Joined: 23 Mar 2007
Posts: 110
Location: Syracuse NY

PostPosted: Sat Mar 29, 2014 8:59 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

To stamp my name I have an iron stamp fixed onto an old Woodcraft branding iron.



It takes about half an hour to get warm enough so I always try it out on scraps of wood before branding the bow. Branding is something you only get to do once - there is no way to wipe it out and try again. I attach the bow firmly to the bench with clamps at each end an put a scrap of sticky tape where I want my name to go, with a dot of ink to show the center of the bow. Then I put the iron in place, make sure the handle of the iron is at right angles to the stick, press down with a pair of pliers and count to 20, rocking the stamp left and right and up and down to get an even impression.



This one came out quite straight. It's surprisingly difficult to line up the stamp, but many old bow makers seemed to have no concern about how crooked the stamp was, so I try not to worry about that. This particular bow is a copy of a period when most bows where not stamped at all. Toward the end of the eighteenth century a lot of bows had a stamp on the frog as well as on the stick but I don't do that either. These last two pictures were actually taken after I had put a coat of oil on the stick which is why it has a darker color. I actually put the stamp on before oiling it.



And here is the stick with the wrapping. I use black and green thread for bows of this type, which I have seen on some of the examples in the Ashmolean museum. Now it just needs to be polished and haired and it will be finished.
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Ed Shillitoe
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Joined: 23 Mar 2007
Posts: 110
Location: Syracuse NY

PostPosted: Sat Mar 29, 2014 9:19 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

And here we are, all done! Only a year since I started!

The bow came out with a weight of 57g and a tension of 800g. The two originals that I was following had weights of 52g and 58g with tensions of 700g and 1000g, so it landed pretty much where I wanted. It's twin is almost finished as well, but it will probably live on the shelf with my other homeless twins until I get an order for one.








Thanks to everyone for the helpful suggestions and nice comments!

Now I move on to the next project!

Ed
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wm_crash
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Joined: 24 Feb 2013
Posts: 140
Location: Wilmington, DE - USA

PostPosted: Tue May 20, 2014 12:37 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Ed,

Is your Sherline metric or imperial? Would you expect that this even makes a difference? I am asking because I have a shot at a relatively bargain priced lathe/mill/accessories, but it is all metric.

cheers,
wm_crash, the friendly hooligan
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Ed Shillitoe
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Joined: 23 Mar 2007
Posts: 110
Location: Syracuse NY

PostPosted: Tue May 20, 2014 1:23 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Hi Wm:
My lathe is metric. I find it very confusing to use the Imperial system. Without even thinking I know that 5mm is bigger than 3mm, but I have no idea whether 6/32 is bigger than 9/64. A standard lathe is probably calibrated in 1/1000s but I don't know how many 1/1000s make 1/16th.

But - I suppose its possible to use Imperial. What kind of lathe are you thinking of?
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wm_crash
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Joined: 24 Feb 2013
Posts: 140
Location: Wilmington, DE - USA

PostPosted: Tue May 20, 2014 1:43 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

I am looking at a Sherline 4410 along with a ton of stuff:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Sherline-Lathe-4410-Tons-of-extras-Mill-attachment-over-3500-invested-/181414855424?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item2a3d2b0300

For quite some time now, I've been pondering a Bowbadger and a set of nib cutters. By the time the costs are tallied up, it's not too far from a used Sherline with a milling attachment. And the machinery also opens up the world of buttons and mortise cutting.

cheers,
wm_crash, the friendly hooligan
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Ed Shillitoe
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Joined: 23 Mar 2007
Posts: 110
Location: Syracuse NY

PostPosted: Tue May 20, 2014 1:58 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

That's an impressive amount of stuff! And it looks brand new!
But - it's all available new from the Sherline company anyway, so you would have to add up what you would spend to do that. I doubt you need two motors - in fact I didn't know that they make two speeds of motor.
Also - here is a tip I got from Josh Henry - if you buy a new one they will bore out the headstock spindle so that you can put an entire violin or cello bow through it and work on the nipple, or do a bushing. The standard spindle might not be quite wide enough. The only other thing I see missing is the screw-cutting attachment. I have one but have never used it so perhaps its not too important. Good luck!

Ed
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wm_crash
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Joined: 24 Feb 2013
Posts: 140
Location: Wilmington, DE - USA

PostPosted: Tue May 20, 2014 2:33 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

You're right, it may just be an overloaded package. I'd have to price out the actual parts that are needed. The only other thing that was giving me thought is the missing antibacklash nuts that were only added in 2013.

Thanks for the insight!

cheers,
wm_crash, the friendly hooligan
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Mat Roop
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Joined: 24 Mar 2007
Posts: 911
Location: Wyoming Ontario

PostPosted: Tue May 20, 2014 7:34 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Ed Shillitoe wrote:
...I use black and green thread for bows of this type, which I have seen on some of the examples in the Ashmolean museum. Now it just needs to be polished and haired and it will be finished.

Hi Ed... what type of thread do you use? Silk? what weight works best?
Thanks.. Mat
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whatwasithinking
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Joined: 26 Jan 2013
Posts: 230
Location: Washington State

PostPosted: Tue May 20, 2014 10:40 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Mat Roop wrote:

Hi Ed... what type of thread do you use? Silk? what weight works best?
Thanks.. Mat


Time for a Thread thread?
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SooT
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Joined: 18 May 2009
Posts: 74
Location: Devon, UK

PostPosted: Sat May 24, 2014 3:44 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

wm_crash wrote:


For quite some time now, I've been pondering a Bowbadger and a set of nib cutters.


Contact John at Alberti Design, he has a well crafted machine for drilling the end of a bow. We received his first one before we left for UK. All John's designs are well made and imho better than the clunky Bowbadger.
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whatwasithinking
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Joined: 26 Jan 2013
Posts: 230
Location: Washington State

PostPosted: Sat May 24, 2014 10:36 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Hi Sue,

Do you use their foret, along with an attachment? Or is there another tool that doesn't appear at their site? I've seen the foret, and was quite impressed. It's not clear to me how to use it for a bushing, though.

Bob
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Ed Shillitoe
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Joined: 23 Mar 2007
Posts: 110
Location: Syracuse NY

PostPosted: Sat May 24, 2014 10:38 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Hi Matt - sorry for the delay. I'm trying to spend less time on the computer!

I use nylon cord from a lady named Marion. It's called either C-Lon or C-Lon Tex and I use different diameters for bass bows or baroque violin bows. Unfortunately I can't find the exact catolog numbers but Marion has offered to send samples to help identify the different types. You can find her here:

http://www.store.jewelsinfiber.com/index.html

I don't know what it does to the balance, but I imagine it has no effect. For a modern style bow I use silver wire or imitation whalebone.
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SooT
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Joined: 18 May 2009
Posts: 74
Location: Devon, UK

PostPosted: Sat May 24, 2014 11:03 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

whatwasithinking wrote:
Hi Sue,

Do you use their foret, along with an attachment? Or is there another tool that doesn't appear at their site? I've seen the foret, and was quite impressed. It's not clear to me how to use it for a bushing, though.

Bob


Phone John and ask him about the Bow Butt tool. It might not be advertized yet, but he is making them. We have one.

Sue
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whatwasithinking
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Joined: 26 Jan 2013
Posts: 230
Location: Washington State

PostPosted: Sat May 24, 2014 12:12 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Ed Shillitoe wrote:
I use nylon cord...

I don't know what it does to the balance, but I imagine it has no effect. For a modern style bow I use silver wire or imitation whalebone.


Hi Ed,

Interesting that you use nylon. Are there advantages over silk? Durability? Strength? Does it have the same appearance and feel? Is cost a factor? I guess in France a coupla centuries ago, they might have used nylon, if they'd had it. Wink

Regarding balance, are you comparing nylon with silk, or with other materials?

Thanks,

Bob
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whatwasithinking
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Joined: 26 Jan 2013
Posts: 230
Location: Washington State

PostPosted: Sat May 24, 2014 6:08 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

SooT wrote:


Phone John and ask him about the Bow Butt tool. It might not be advertized yet, but he is making them. We have one.

Sue


From his description, it sounds like an excellent tool. Apparently interfaces with any kind of drill, including a foret.

Bob
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