Replacement of a Tip Ivory on a Bass Bow

This bass bow came into the shop with the front part of the tip ivory broken off and missing. Replacing tip ivories is one of the more common repair procedures that I do in the shop, so I decided to take a few pictures to show the process.

I didn't take any pictures of the bow before I started the job, but the first step was to remove the remains of the old ivory and ebony liner. Extra care is always taken in this step to ensure that the profile and curvature of the face of the head is never changed.

The second step is to prepare the ivory tip, bending it to the curvature of the face of the bow. After bending the tip, the gluing surface is flattened and prepared for the ebony lining. Once the ebony is glued to the ivory, the final curvature is checked against the face of the bow to make sure that the fit against the head shows no gaps or irregularities. After final preparation to the gluing surfaces, the ebony lined ivory tip is ready to glue onto the bow.

In the picture above, the tip ivory has been glued to the face of the head. Note the block that is used on the top of the bow as a clamping surface. My usual method to secure tip ivories when gluing them on violin, viola, and cello bows is to use string wrapped around the head. However, due to the size of bass bows, I prefer to use clamps. When using clamps in this manner, it is extremely important that the tip ivory fits well against the head, so that there is no chance of damaging the bow from excessive pressure from the clamps.

Here is the head of the bow with the lined tip ivory glued on, ready for shaping. Note the pencil markings on the side of the head, indicating the position of the plug mortise.

Initial shaping includes removing most of the overhang and drilling a small hole in the center of the plug mortise. Final shaping of the tip is done with fine files to ensure that the ivory fits flush with all sides of the head and nose without removing or modifying any of the pernambuco on the head of the bow.

To cut away the majority of the material in the plug mortise, I use a high-speed rotary tool with a dental burr to quickly remove most of the ivory over the mortise. The final cutting of the ivory against the sides of the mortise is done with a knife and a small chisel.

After the plug mortise is completed, the ivory face is thinned and polished. The head of the bow is now ready a final polish before the bow will be rehaired.

These last pictures show the completed tip ivory after the bow has been rehaired.

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