Trade Secrets: Repairing a broken bow head

1

A less invasive and more reversible version of a well-known repair method

By Lauri Tanner

Bow restorer, Florian Leonhard Fine Violins, London, UK

I use a relatively thin piece of pernambuco in my version of this classic repair. The strength of the repair comes from its cross-lamination structure, rather than the thickness of the spline. A thinner spline also means that the area immediately behind the back of the head is kept as strong as possible, leaving intact the maximum amount of longitudinal fibres. In addition, this method theoretically allows for someone to repeat the cut in the future with a slightly thicker saw blade. In combination with the use of hide glue, this approach is the closest to reversible as I have managed to get. 

Already subscribed? Please sign in

Subscribe to continue reading…

We’re delighted that you are enjoying our website. For a limited period, you can try an online subscription to The Strad completely free of charge.

  • Free 7-day trial

    Not sure about subscribing? Sign up now to read this article in full and you’ll also receive unlimited access to premium online content, including the digital edition and online archive for 7 days.

    No strings attached – we won’t ask for your card details

  • Subscribe 

    No more paywalls. To enjoy the best in-depth features and analysis from The Strad’s latest and past issues, upgrade to a subscription now. You’ll also enjoy regular issues and special supplements* and access to an online archive of issues back to 2010.

 

* Issues and supplements are available as both print and digital editions. Online subscribers will only receive access to the digital versions.