I have just taken my bow out of my case and discovered that there is a section covered in string cleaner. The sound is not as good as the rest of the hair and the hair is shiny and a different colour. What should i do? I would prefer to avoid rehair.
I have never had anything leak onto the bowhair, but the hair does get dirty and discolored right above the frog where my thumb touches it.
I clean it with some rubbbing alcohol. I put a dab on a paper towel and then loosen the bow hair. I rub the dirty hair until its clean and then let it dry for a few minutes before tightening the hair. Be VERY careful when using alcohol around your violin, as it is an excellent varnish remover.
Rosin does the job nicely. I think that what had happened was that i had basically just cleaned the hair. All i needed was some rosin! Thanks for your help.