Guido

It's probably not going to help any further regarding the OP bow but maybe someone finds it interesting: the pearl slide (just replaced) is a real whopper. It's both very wide and very thick (2.2mm). I would get some ideas from a wide pearl slide like this on German bows. Any clues deductible for French bows?

Back to the OP collar. Pressed my cleaning cloth into the collar with a finger nail and turned it a few times. With the oxidised surfaces now also clean, the collar looks almost "normal". @fiddlecollector do you think the button could belong after all? I take some confidence from the brass/ copper pins and what seems to have happened around the collar.

I think I figured out what happened here (and with the OP button). I attach a pic of a Simon FR button. The skirt of the collar touching the wood has a larger diameter than the facets of the button. If you polish it on a flat surface (and maybe even use abrasives), it would look just like yours and mine!

Wow, the similarities extend to the asymmetric lower facets. How wonky is that frog!

:-) Here is mine. I note the brass/ copper pin. Replaced in yours?

Ok, the button and ferrule are maillechort, just recently polished. The pins looked golden in colour (brass?), but a "copper alloy" for the pins could make sense (again, given they are recently polished with the button). The proportions of the rings also seem similar to my other school of Simon bow. Do you think the button could belong and fit after all, just looking a bit off with the polish?

Thanks, much appreciated. I have a school of Simon iron wood bow around and I can see some similarities, in particular the ferrule and frog proportions. That other bow has a quite sharp angled Peccatte style thumb projection though, whereas the OP doesn't. I was mostly hoping for some clues from this wild button, but seems to be bit of a let down :-( Looking at the asymmetric lower facets, maybe the whole bow is amateur made?

Pulled a presumably French bow from the stash and upon closer inspection many things appear possibly idiosyncratic. The wood is like nothing I've ever seen. What could this be? The collar cut in an odd way. The button rings pinned with what appears to be brass pins. The under slide is not pinned, just glued; the pearl slide missing, but would appear to have been extremely thick. The lower facets at the handle are not nearly symmetric. They are at a different angle and have a different surface size; the frog is matched to it. Any ideas welcome.

Looks like a nice silver mounted French bow, definitely worth pursuing. I'd be hopeful it can be identified and certified proper.

Yes, but consider in these old cases the violin usually IS loose. No need for the bow to come loose.

Yes, looks like frog and stick are not happy together and might file for divorce at any time.

No, this is a shape often found at better French bows, going back to FX Tourte.

There are "Teller" bridges (cheap) and there are "Josef Teller" bridges (more expensive). In terms of price, the Josef Teller * starts 50% above where the Teller *** ends. A while ago I bought a large number of Teller *** and was very lucky. I visually graded them into three categories and the better ones are among the nicest bridges I have. On the other hand, the more expensive Josef Teller have always been a little disappointing, even in the *** version. With Aubert, I find the spread is more pronounced and maybe more consistent. The lower end ones are really crap, the higher end ones really nice.

It's guaranteed to be grade #37 no less!

It's from the book on the Stainer exhibition at Castle Ambras (2003).

P.S. If you can read the German text, it says that Ebner stained the maple before varnishing to make the flames appear more intense. This also seems to be the case with your violin.

I’d go with Salzkammergut. Not very likely someone somewhere else had the same idea about the lion. Note, the violin referenced also has the inked purpling.

Seen many of these shrunk slides, which I assume are of some composite. The eyes on this frog appear to be of the same material. I see them on old Mirecourt student bows. Questions: Can they be a clue to a certain time frame? Is this material a clue to a certain factory, or was it used across many/ all workshops for the cheaper bows?

It’s a basic student instrument. If there is no hidden damage it’s probably worth the investment of setting it up properly. Did you buy it to play it?

The most important thing for your situation is the quality of the set-up. The violin itself is a secondary consideration. The way you are approaching this suggest you may not be familiar with what’s involved. Best to seek advice from your local luthier. Also, if you get a decent outfit you may be able to recoup a good bit of it come resale.

I would keep it at the intended balance (which is arguably more important than weight). If you add weight at the handle end, the shift in balance may even create a perception of lighter weight when playing.

K.H.S. could be Karl Hofner Schoenbach then.

K.H.S. trade mark thingy. Anyone know the company name?

Thanks guys., thought so.

I know shops which don't get excited about getting anything on commission, when margins on their owned stock are much higher than a commission would be. However, if they get to do an expensive restauration in the process that would be a more attractive proposition for the shop.