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Murphy's Law- you and your bow will suffer drastically

 
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strollivarius
Junior Member


Joined: 23 Dec 2013
Posts: 2
Location: N. Michigan (lower peninsula)

PostPosted: Tue Aug 11, 2015 7:05 pm    Post subject: Murphy's Law- you and your bow will suffer drastically Reply with quote

I will not give out the name of my luthier. I am about to go to his shop and give him a piece of my mind. (he, she) is probably the best in the country, but needs to be introduced to Murphy's Law !

My beautiful bow! What a lovely rehair job (he, she) did! The only problem was- when (he,she) finished combing the hair into the frog's ferule and inserting the wooden wedge-THE BOWHAIR LENGTH WAS TOO SHORT ! t The eyelet in the frog rested right against the end of the mortise (the end closest to the bowhead. There was no room for the frog to move toward the head so that the hairs would loosen sufficiently!

This was not noticed by me when I loosened the bowhair 5 complete turns of the screw when I left the shop. THIS IS UNACCEPTABLE!

When the final combing of the hair and securing into the ferule is done and the wedge inserted- THE EYELET IN THE FROG MUST BE CENTERED IN THE MORTISE TO ALLOW ENOUGH ROOM FO BOTH TIGHTENING OF THE HAIR AND SUFFICIENT LOOSENING OF THE HAIR.

When the bowhair shortens due to dry conditions- this must be allowed for by providing enough clearance in the mortise or the head of your bow will break off. This is what happened in my case. Not only that, the frog actually bottomed out against the thumb leather- preventing the hair from loosening.

I am convinced that a good percentage of broken bow heads are due to a faulty rehair job rather that the player's failure to loosen his bow hair sufficiently before placing it in the case

Michael

strollivarius@yahoo.com.
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jzbosco
Junior Member


Joined: 01 Aug 2015
Posts: 12
Location: Ohio

PostPosted: Tue Aug 11, 2015 8:17 pm    Post subject: Apparently it wasn't a "lovely re-hair job" Reply with quote

In all things, it seems there are way too many trying to make a fast buck that they forget about 'pride in craft', settling instead for 'arrogance in craft'. There's no Murphy's law invoked when the craftsman doesn't want to take the time to do it right.

note: next time, let my 12 year old re-hair your bow, he gets it right every time- even with his eyes closed; and, he won't charge you a nickle, he just loves horse hair...
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ctviolin
Super Member


Joined: 07 May 2009
Posts: 961
Location: Roswell

PostPosted: Sat Aug 22, 2015 8:42 am    Post subject: Re: Apparently it wasn't a "lovely re-hair job" Reply with quote

jzbosco wrote:

note: next time, let my 12 year old re-hair your bow, he gets it right every time- even with his eyes closed; and, he won't charge you a nickle, he just loves horse hair...


12?
Damn!... how cool.
You're serious? Did you teach him?
He sounds like he may simply be a "natural" at it.

In order to get the rehairs correct with each attempt - he's got to know and apply all of the subtleties involved, with each different bow. Which include the different physical variations and attributes that are always present with each bow.
No GREAT deal, but it's there, and must be accounted for.

That sounds like one smart kid.
Yes, I believe that the younger we are when we really learn something, the more 'natural' or automatic the intricacies can be.

As in, memorized, internalized, and then, done properly.
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jzbosco
Junior Member


Joined: 01 Aug 2015
Posts: 12
Location: Ohio

PostPosted: Sat Aug 22, 2015 10:29 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Well, actually it was a metaphor for caring about what one does, about having the curiosity and drive to learn everything about the subject field, gaining skills, and having pride to do one's best at it. OK, ...and it was a poke at those who take their chosen careers with a grain of salt.
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Mat Roop
Senior Member


Joined: 24 Mar 2007
Posts: 911
Location: Wyoming Ontario

PostPosted: Wed Aug 26, 2015 10:47 pm    Post subject: Re: Murphy's Law- you and your bow will suffer drastically Reply with quote

strollivarius wrote:

...This was not noticed by me when I loosened the bowhair 5 complete turns of the screw when I left the shop. THIS IS UNACCEPTABLE!

I agree... it is unacceptable to not notice that that the hair did not loosen after 5 full turns... after all, hair should be loosened by visual observance of slack rather than a prescribed # of turns.
....nor do I agree that centring the eyelet in the mortice is correct.
Cheers!... Mat
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strollivarius
Junior Member


Joined: 23 Dec 2013
Posts: 2
Location: N. Michigan (lower peninsula)

PostPosted: Mon Oct 05, 2015 11:54 am    Post subject: Re: Murphy's Law- you and your bow will suffer drastically Reply with quote

Mat Roop wrote:
strollivarius wrote:

...This was not noticed by me when I loosened the bowhair 5 complete turns of the screw when I left the shop. THIS IS UNACCEPTABLE!

I agree... it is unacceptable to not notice that that the hair did not loosen after 5 full turns... after all, hair should be loosened by visual observance of slack rather than a prescribed # of turns.
....nor do I agree that centring the eyelet in the mortice is correct.
Cheers!... Mat


Most people assume that a repairman knows his trade and does his repair without the customer having to spend time vigorously checking his work.

That goes for the guy who changes your car's tires without YOU having to go get a lug wrench to make sure they were torqued correctly.

YOU (Mat) should go get a salmonella test kit and check your food before you eat it without relying on the food industry to keep you safe!

I notice you failed to explain why the eyelet should not be centered in the mortise so that the bow hair can be sufficiently loosened- and where YOU THINK it should be placed.
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Nick Walker
Member


Joined: 17 Sep 2014
Posts: 48

PostPosted: Sun Nov 15, 2015 6:56 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

I agree with Matt that the eyelet should not be centered, but the hair solid should be very loose with just a few turns left before the screw starts backing out. Did you travel far too get your bow rehair? If your guy worked in high humidity and you traveled to an area with low humidity there may have been some shrinkage.

There's a fine balance with this stuff.
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