| Author |
Subject |
MaryK
Registered
User
(1/3/01 4:47:57 pm)
Reply
 |
Where
Does Bow Hair Come From????
Horses, yeah, and the little horses
come from...
What breed of horses?? Are they bred especially
for their tail hair?? Are there tail hair horse ranches, I mean,
does anybody keep horses just to provide bow hair? How do they cut
it off the horse, i.e., in a straight line, or?? How much bow hair
per horse tail??? They must bleach the hair after it's cut off the
horse, eh?
TIA,
MaryK
|
Patricia2
Registered User
(1/3/01 9:00:14 pm)
Reply |
Re:
Where Does Bow Hair Come From????
Hi MaryK,
I was very curious
about all this, too -
I think it was a recent post about sites of
interest, from - Terry?
that led me to find a slew of
information, just can't remember which site led to what.
Just
a bit of what I remember:
Apparently the hair is a
"by-product" from the slaughterhouse; in fact bow makers used to be
located near the abattoirs.
(This is disturbing. I guess I'd
hoped they could just get a trim now and then, like going to the
salon....)
The best (strongest) hair comes from northern climates
- Siberian supposedly tops.
I've read different opinions on male
vs female hair: mares' tails get sprayed with urine, which renders
it less valuable according to some, but one account said this makes
it take rosin better and makes for a grippier bow.
Bleaching
apparently weakens the hair, & is only done for cheap
bows.
Naturally white hair is thought to be the finest, best for
violin/viola.
Black hair is coarser -- prefered by some cellists
& bassists, so I read.
Cellists & bass players may use
combo white & dark hair. (I don't know, this is what I
read!)
I seem to remember reading about bow hair from some of
the shop sites, like maybe Johnson's?
Anyway, I hope I'm not
misinforming --
Surely you will get more knowledgeable
responses.
|
MaryK
Registered
User
(1/3/01 9:03:15 pm)
Reply
|
Thanks,
Patricia!
|
TerryM
Registered
User
(1/3/01 9:58:59 pm)
Reply |
Re:
Where Does Bow Hair Come From????
Patricia covered it pretty well, but
if you want more information follow this link to Johnson Strings you
will find an article on horsehair and rehairing bows as
well.
www.johnson-inst.com/horse.htm
Terry
Edited by: TerryM
at: 1/3/01 9:58:59 pm
|
MaryK
Registered
User
(1/4/01 3:51:36 pm)
Reply
|
Tx,
Terry, will bookmark/print this out!
|
Cambiata
Registered User
(1/5/01 12:03:58 am)
Reply |
I Hate
To Tell You This, But...
... They kill the horses after
removing their tails, because they take the whole thing, not just
the hairs/ personally, I can't wait until an accepatable,
high-quality synthetic replacement is developed and comes into
common usage.
|
Patricia2
Registered User
(1/5/01 6:39:36 pm)
Reply |
How
disturbing...
Are you sure??
Meanwhile,
have you heard of anyone seriously working on a good
substitute?
|
Steve
Drake
Registered
User
(1/5/01 8:00:54 pm)
Reply |
Re: I
Hate To Tell You This, But...
I heard that this is a popular urban
legend, but not true, from a hair supplier. Not sure if it's true,
but it would be common sense that the horses aren't killed in the
process of getting their tailhair. There aren't that many horses in
the world, and the demand for horsehair has skyrocketted in recent
years.
My MP3's
My Cello
Homepage
|
Cambiata
Registered User
(1/7/01 5:11:51 pm)
Reply |
Re: I
Hate To Tell You This, But...
My Mom is an avid horseperson and
has seen numerous articels about thsi practice. What IS a myth is
the idea that the bow hair is a "byproduct" of horses destined for
the slaughterhouse anyway. Thsi is because it's not just any tail
hair that is used - we all know that there are different qualities.
It may be that the rest of the horses' bodies are used for other
things, but they are killed for their tales (as I said before, this
is because the entire tail is removed, not just the hair - it
doesn't grow back after that.
|
Steve
Drake
Registered
User
(1/7/01 11:29:46 pm)
Reply |
Re: I
Hate To Tell You This, But...
Ok, we have apparently contrary
stories. Can you back up your theory with details - I.E.
slaughterhouse address and phone numbers? I'll work on the other end
- the more positive side of things, hopefully.
My MP3's
My Cello
Homepage
|
JanJan2
Registered User
(1/8/01 7:23:58 am)
Reply |
Wasn't
there a Strings article on this recently?
Well, within the last year, at
least. I'm going to look through old copies.
Janet www.nese.net
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