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a bow question


T_Rocca

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I've heard it's possible. As long as the hole is large enough to accomodate both the new eye and the ring, it seems like it would be a simple retrofit. I believe MOP dots are pretty cheap, and if you're doing it for the experience, you'll find everything you need at BowWorks (BowWorks.com).

However, wouldn't it be easier to replace the entire frog with one that already has a Parisian eye? There's another vendor (worldofbow.com) who sells a very nice-looking ebony and sterling-mounted frog with a Parisian eye (and it includes the eyelet and a divided sterling button) for $38. He also sells a sterling-mounted horn frog with a Parisian eye for the same price.

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It should also be possible to do this by milling a circular groove ouside the existing eye and putting a ring in the groove.

A replacement frog will not necessarily fit T Rocca's stick, because the width of the facets and the angles between them can vary from bow to bow.

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One simple way is to get brass tube (common in 12" lengths at hardware or hobby shop). Select the size you want the outter ring. Cut the tube to about 3" to reduce wobble. Then file teeth on it and chuck in your drill press. Drill your groove only as deep as your wire ring. Then just solder a piece of square silver wire in a circle to fit the groove and glue it in.

Or, let me see, did someone suggest changing frogs?

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what would that do to the value of the bow?


If the bow was of significant value (especially historic) and had original frog, I would not change anything that isn't meant to be replaced. If not, and the owner wanted parisian eye, I'd replace the frog, matching wood & metal (e.g. silver for silver)

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If you buy a gold button from a supplier's catalog, there's no guarantee that it will be a good match with your stick. It might not be the same size as the butt of your stick. It could be filed a little to match the stick if it's too big, but if it's to small you wouldn't want to file the stick smaller to match it. Also the nipple recess in the button might not fit the nipple on your stick. If you're willing to pay for it, a good bowmaker could probably make exactly the button you want that will fit your stick perfectly. In Boston, you could try Thomas Dignan.

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Most inlays of pearl in older bows were put in with mastic mixed with lamp black.If you want to do it yourself its possible, but also most buttons with the type of inlay your refering to are not the standard equal silver/black?silver type (or gold). The metal parts are usually narrower allowing for more room for the inlay.

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Several times, as an exercise, I have turned a nickel-mounted bow into a silver-mounted one by removing all the nickel parts of the frog and fabricating silver replacements.


That is a nice touch as long as you are not selling it as a "silver mounted" bow without disclosing the change. That is 'part' of the grading by the maker. Better stick, finer workmanship, more expensive metals parts. As part time jeweler, I am tempted to do the same. Especially adding engraved details in gold or silver.

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