Caring for your bow and re-hair
To maintain your bow, it should be re-haired at least once a year because the hairs tend to thin and wear down with use over time. The hairs themselves should be of the best quality possible because, with good hairs, the bow will produce a more gratifying sound without as much effort. Bow hairs won’t necessarily become useless when they break, but when they stretch out with use and with ‘climate’ conditions (temperature, moisture etc.). When this starts to happen, the rod of the bow begins to suffer and can become deformed.
It is very important that the bow be cleaned every time the hairs are changed. The skin of the bow handle should also be changed because it absorbs the acidic sweat from the hands that can damage the wood and cause it to rot. Whatever deformation the bow rod has undergone – common defects like the loss of curvature or a lateral curve – must also be fixed.
Attention should also be given to the ivory point of the bow to ensure that it isn’t separated. This serves as a protection for the bow. The same can occur with the other part of the bow: although they might seem to be merely decorative, they in fact serve a specific function. The only feature that can be considered adornment is in fact the eye made of mother-of-pearl found in the nut.
