Posted by Steve Bloom on May 20, 2001 at 22:51:48:
In Reply to: Re: What's so hard about bow guards? posted by Daniel C. Oberloh on May 18, 2001 at 20:59:59:
Dan is right, of course. There are a lot of generic bow caps out there that can be fitted with some degree of success, but for the best results the old horns have to be custom fitted. The older brass, meaning pre-1930s, is too brittle and almost never can properly be re-molded during the restoration process. Art Pascoe, who Dan referred to in his post, is unfortunately no longer in business, but he used a generic bow cap when restoring my J.W. York and it works wonderfully. The bottom bow was cracked but Art was able to solder the bow and it was covered beautifully with the cap. Art also did a great job of installing a guard wire on the bottom of my 4v Conn when re-installation of the cap became unfeasible due to cracking and deterioration.
Dan is one of the best artisans of the trade, and his work is absolutely first rate. His work isn't cheap, but his final product is nonpareil. If you live in the western half of the US, give him due consideration.