Was wondering about a few things here.

1. What type of rosin do people use? and does it really make much of a difference?

2. How often would you expect to have to add more rosin?

3. How often would you expect to re-hair a bow if you play about 15 hours a week?

Basically my bow needs re-hairing, again apparently! I only had it done in November, so that's about 4.5 months.

My teacher said I may use too much rosin but I only put it on when I think the grip's going, not every time I play. Any ideas people?

i replaced my cheap no-name rosin with Dominant rosin a couple of months ago. it feels better to me (smoother, somehow), but i could just be imagining that (it certainly looks better, though).

i don't rosin until the bow feels like it needs it, which if i'm playing 1-2 hours a day, is only once or twice a week.

I use the Art Craft stuff. It's about £8 a block but it will last forever (nearly) and is good stuff. I use roisin every time I play though I only put a bit on. My bow has not needed re-hairing in the last 10 years, though I don't think I play 15 hours a week! Only lasting 4 months sounds like something is wrong unless you're practising 5/6 hours a day?!?

I am a returning adult player and have struggled to get rosin I like, Ive bought a few recently. However when I had dominant strings I really like the dominant rosin. It definately made a difference for me. I now have obligatos and have tried a few but kept returning to my 20 odd year old rosin . My teacher gave me some Art last night so I will see how I get on with that.

I don't find rosin really makes much difference, I buy whatever's going cheap as long as I know it's a reputable brand. I add more rosin when I need it! Maybe every 5 hours of playing or there abouts. It depends partly on the strings, as some strings don't sound so well when they have rosin on them, so I'll wipe them down more often and consequently have to rosin up a little more often. It also depends on how recently I had a re-hair. I play probably around 40 hours a week and get a re-hair every 6 months, although often this isn't enough - the price is a problem for me! It's worth searching around for a good luthier to do re-hairs as the quality varies a bit, and the durability. If your re-hair only lasted 4.5 months I would try elsewhere, or change your rosin. No-one playing the amount you do should need a re-hair more than every 8-10 months, I would reckon.

Yeah I do agree with you bohemian, I'm sure I shoulnd't need a rehair yet!

Although I think I may know what the problem is. I leave my violin and bow out on a stand in the living room so that I play more often (I cover them at night). But, I have a dog and he does bring in a lot of dirt in the bad weather and I do get a layer of dust very quickly.

I do clean , honest!!! but maybe not enough.

So I'm wondering if that is the problem, that this layer of grime is sticking on my bow. Would that seem a logical reason?

If so I will have to start putting my bow away and hope it doens't mean I play less.

Having it out means I can play scales in add breaks and things like that.

you do un-tension the bow when leaving it around, right? otherwise, the change in temperature can damage it--usually warping or breaking the stick, but i could imagine it breaing hairs too.

Instead of this (dangerous if you have animals/small children/clumsy family) just leave your case propped open, place your violin it in but with shoulder rest etc on, and put the bow away properly each time. It takes maybe 10 seconds max to get the bow out and tighten it. Also ensure your case lid can't fall shut onto the violin. It's a bad idea generally to leave violin+bow out all the time, they're too exposed to humidity, temperature, sunlight etc changes. I think your hypothesis is unlikely unless you leave the bow with the hairs directly exposed to the room. Not sure, as it's not something I've ever had to worry about but since re-hairs are needed as a result of the bow hair literally wearing down and the grippy bits of the hairs being physically worn away by the contact with the string, it doesn't seem quite right...

Yeah I do untension it and everything.

Maybe I'll try the suggestion of propping the case open, see how that goes

Softer rosins are normally the dark versions. They are a little more sticky and will grip the strings slightly harder than the light coloured harder type of rosin. On the whole, rosin choice, much like strings, is a personal preference. Some rosin suits certain types of strings better than others. Generally, softer rosin for gut and some synthetic cored strings. Hard rosin for metal cored strings. I think the response of the string is a guiding factor.

Use it when needed, but don't let the bow become so devoid of rosin that it's really starting to lose grip on the strings. If the bow hair is very white, then there should be enough rosin, if it looks rather yellow, then you might need a bit more rosin. Hitting the stick on the palm of your hand and seeing if/what rosin puffs out of the hair, is another way of working out how much is already on it.

On the subject of bow rehairs, a lot depends on the quality of the hair. If you are practicing 15 hours a week, then once every six months is generally ok, but it depends on your playing style and what you are playing - lots of ff playing for example, will wear the barbs off the hair a lot quicker.

What do you do if there is too much rosin on the bow and it won't 'knock off' when you tap the bow?

Is it true you can wash it? I would be terrified to try and wash a bow and think I would rather send it to a luthier to do that.

My bow makes a 'fuzzy' sound, it doesn't sound 'clean' on the strings and I'm not sure what to do about it