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The purpose of the bow tip is obviously to protect the tip. The liner gives added strength to the wood grain. In the age before plastics and synthetics bow tips on older bows were made for the most part using ivory or silver on the expensive ones and bone or shell on the more common ones. Most liners were ebony. I have a lot of bows that need new tips. On the student level bows I’ll probably use a synthetic liner with a plastic tip. On the older ones I am still thinking of using a synthetic liner for its strength properties and using bone for the tip. Not sure what kind of bone is good though.
On nicer ones I think I’ll use an ebony liner with a mammoth ivory tip. Also considering fossil walrus ivory.
Any thoughts?
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Hi Steveduf and others. Bone is difficult to adequately shape and glue to head. The ivory sources you suggested is more elastic (similar to that of a finger nail) and takes glue well. I suggest that you substitute a synthetic material called tip armor for the less expensive bows. I hear good things about it and the Fiddlerman Shop uses it. The expense is minimal (about $4.50 per tip).
Slightly off topic but since when has that ever stopped us. Securing the head to the tip can be a devil’s adventure and I have little faith in using wound string as a clamp. You might want to make a few of these clamps.
Research is what I’m doing when I don’t know what I’m doing. —Werner von Braun
I consider any plane that I design a success if it rises high enough to crash. —RA Heinlein
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On the better bows, how about silver (or stainless) tips? Seems there's been a trend in that direction ever since the ivory ban. The Arcus starter bows have stainless steel tips but the next models up use silver, for eg..
Also seems there can be confusion between fossil ivory and banned African elephant tusk ivory.
https://news.nationalgeographic.com/2016/08/wildlife-woolly-mammoth-ivory-trade-legal-china-african-elephant-poaching/
Hence New York and New Jersey have also banned the fossil ivory.
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And if you lack a means of steaming wood to make the necessary curves, here is a neat steaming iron made from a hot air gun.
Research is what I’m doing when I don’t know what I’m doing. —Werner von Braun
I consider any plane that I design a success if it rises high enough to crash. —RA Heinlein
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Hi @@bocaholly and others. It would be difficult to carve the profile of the hair socket with stainless steel. Silver is prone to tarnish (unless plated). Nickel and nickel silver would be excellent for the task. I have thought of repurposing used aluminum cans for violin bow tips because they come in such an array of colors (but only on student grade bows).
Research is what I’m doing when I don’t know what I’m doing. —Werner von Braun
I consider any plane that I design a success if it rises high enough to crash. —RA Heinlein