The bow strings of a violin are spread out and held in place by a spread wedge.
Violins are classical stringed instruments that are played with a bow. A violin bow is made up of a long piece of shaped wood that has a wide ribbon made up of many hair strands that is stretched between its ends. Modern bows can be made out of Pernambuco wood from Brazil or they can be made out of fiberglass. They can be strung with horse hair or synthetic nylon hair. Occasionally the bow hair needs to be replaced. During this process, a spread wedge is installed to keep the bow hairs spread to create an even surface for playing the violin.
Instructions
1. Cut off the old hair at each end of the violin bow. Remove the hair from the small wooden block on top of the bow and from the hole in the tip called the nut. Clean out the glue in the nut with the tip of your pocket knife.
2. Carefully remove the small wedge that holds the hair. Pry off the ferrule located at the frog of the bow which is at the opposite end from the tip or nut. Gently pull the pearl slide out and remove the remaining hair and glue.
3. Wrap cloth around the bow to protect it from the vice jaws. Set the bow into the small bench vise and close the vise to hold it in place.
4. Unroll the new violin bow hair. Place the knotted end with wax over the lighter flame to melt it. The hair may get slightly scorched when you do this, and that is to be expected. Just take care not to burn off the thread that comes wrapped around the end of the hair that is located under the wax coating.
5. While it is still warm from melting the wax, cover the wrapped thread with glue. Place two drops of glue into the hole in the nut and insert the hair into the hole. Pinch the bow hair with your thumb and forefinger to spread it. Push the wooden block down into the hole over the end of the bow hair until it is flush with the tip and the hair can be drawn smoothly over it. Wrap a rubber band over the wooden block to secure the hair in place.
6. Insert the fine-toothed comb into the hair, starting at the nut and working back towards the frog as you comb it and straighten it out. Follow the comb with your opposite hand holding it with the thumb and forefinger to hold the hair tight and even as it is combed.
7. Loosen the hex nut on the frog and then push the frog as far forward as you can. Hold the frog in this position with one hand, pull the hair taught with the other and wind the hair around the point located over the hole in the frog. Trim off any loose hair ends. Glue hair and then touch the flame of the lighter to it to scorch the ends and make a knot.
8. Place two drops of glue into the frog hole, slide the ferrule over the hair. Put the end of the ferrule into the hole. Press down the wooden block until the pearl slide can be pushed in and slide it over the ferrule.
9. Comb out hair to straighten it and spread it evenly and then hold it spread out with thumb and forefinger of one hand while placing the small wedge under it and then into the end of the ferrule.
10. Tighten the hex nut to take any slack out of the hair. Pick up stray loose hairs with a pin and clip them off at each end of the bow. Do not pull them out as this may loosen other hairs of the bow and you will have to re-string it. Hang the bow up and let the glue set overnight.
