Adjuster - The term 'adjuster' incorporates the screw shaft that controls tension. The 'button' refers to the octagonal external feature that is turned by the user to increase the tension on the stick. by and large the ebony core has either a metal sheath over it or two metal bands and a pearl dot on the extremity. Higher grade bow work occasionally has facets of pearl or tortiseshell between gold bands. Jean Baptiste Vuillaume and his workshop sometimes used a variant whereby the outer band would form a shortened sheath and have a rounded appearance as opposed to the usual 'squared off' termination. Earlier metal bands would be shaped to fit the octagonal faces of the button, later work appears as a circular ring in section. Adjusters are commonly replaced on older bows and particular attention should be paid to whether the adjuster fits acceptably well and is of a parity of craftsmanship with the remainder of the piece. Screw shafts were hand crafted until the early 20th century and the distinction between industrially produced screw shafts and the hand made ones is a comparison worth making as replacement shafts on the finer older bows is has a negative effect on value. Screw shafts can become rusted solid with the internal eyes and expert attention is required to free the mechanism. (These statements are made in accordance with our Terms & Conditions) |
 |
|
Eyes - These are pearl dot decorative features on the bow frog and can be presented either as enclosed by a metal ring in the same material as the metalwork on the rest of the bow or not as the maker's style dictates. They are easily replaced and the absence or replacement of pearl eyes on a frog is not a deleterious point in considering value. (These statements are made in accordance with our Terms & Conditions) |
|
|
|
Ferrule - The Ferrule functions as a ring binding the hair of a bow in place with a wedge and forming the hair into the correct width needed to make effective contact with an instrument's strings. There are no particular decorative styles but James Tubbs reintroduced the use of a 'wedgeless' ferrule pioneered by Tourte and Dodd in the late 18th century. (These statements are made in accordance with our Terms & Conditions) |
|
|
|
Bow Frog - this serves as part of the mechanism to tighten the hair. A bow frogs, formerly referred to as the 'nut', is usually made of ebony although tortoiseshell or ivory were often used on the highest grade bow work until the CITES convention in 1975. The 'heels' of most viola bows, virtually all 'cello and double bass bows are rounded, whereas the heel on violin bows is, for the most part square. Ebony not immune from wear and some ebony bow frogs have upper or lower sections replaced in a technique that translates from the French as "horsing". To determine if this restoration has taken place on an ebony bow frog look for a very fine seam on one or both sides of the frog and any indications that there are two distinct pieces of ebony material jointed by the seam. (These statements are made in accordance with our Terms & Conditions) |
|
|
|
Hair - Horsehair was used exclusively for bow hair but some synthetics have been available for a few decades. Hair needs replacing regularly but this is not a determining factor in the value of a bow. (These statements are made in accordance with our Terms & Conditions) |
|
|
Handle - Wear in this area of the bow is unfortunate but inevitable. Handles can be protected with a leather covering to prevent wear but should be removed for inspection prior to purchase. Excessive wear also affects the visibility of the brand stamp. (These statements are made in accordance with our Terms & Conditions) |
|
|
|
Lapping - This serves a primary function of preventing wear from a player's hand although the gauge of the wire used promotes a secondary function to provide more weight at the handle end of the stick. Lapping, if unoriginal to the rest of the bow, can conceal breaks and joints where two damaged bows have been spliced together to form a repaired whole. (These statements are made in accordance with our Terms & Conditions) |
|
|
|
Mortice - This is the recessed part of the stick into which the brass eye slots to be engaged by the screw shaft. Francois Xavier Tourte occasionally inserted his label in the mortice recess. Attention should be directed towards the edges of the mortice on the longer side to check for extensive wearing down and thus potential instability of the frog. Watch out also for cracks running from the mortice to the adjuster end of the stick, these repairs sometimes necessitate the addition of a capping ring to maintain stability of the repair. (These statements are made in accordance with our Terms & Conditions) |
|
|
|
Brand Stamps - Not all stamps represent the actual author of the work and this may be for innocent as well as nefarious reasons. The bow workshops of Jean Baptiste Vuillaume may have his name stamped on their productions either as Vuillaume a Paris or J.B. Vuillaume but it is unlikely that any particular example encountered was made by him personally. The main question with a bow with a Vuillaume stamp is whether it is a product of that workshop in Paris in the mid-19th century or a copy made somewhere else at a much later date. (These statements are made in accordance with our Terms & Conditions) |
|
|