The bow hair is made of a hank of horsehair. A single violin bow will use between 160 and 180 individual hairs. To be useful, this hair needs to be pulled to the correct tension – that is where the adjustment screw comes in.
Wind up before you play
To set up the bow for playing, you must wind it up to the correct tension. Turn the nut clockwise until you can just fit a pencil between the hair and the stick in the middle.
If you find that the screw will not turn any further and the bow is still not at the correct tension, DO NOT reach for the pliers to force it.
Your best bet is to take it in to a shop for service.
Wind down before you put it away
When you are finished playing, and before you put the bow away you must completely unwind the bow bu turning the adjustment screw counter-clockwise until the hair is loosely touching the stick. Do not remove the screw.
Horsehair stretches over time. If you forget to do this once in a while it’s not the end of the world, but over time it will shorten the life of the hair.
