Has anybody ever replaced their own silver winding and thumb leather grip? I've seen several sites that sell the winding and leather in sheets for not very much. Of course I know if one has a good bow, I should take it to a Luthier, but I'm just trying to restore a cheaper bow that would likely cost more to fix than just replace.

Has anyone ever tried doing this themselves? What are the steps and what equipment is needed.

Presuming you mean the bit where you hold the bow, with my old music service cello, my teacher put sticking plaster round it where the leather was coming off, this might be ok if you have a bow you aren't too bothered about (it stopped my fingers getting black and sticky)

I did it once on a bow-making course, and it wasn't very difficult. Of course it was easier doing it before hairing the bow - you would have to loop the hair and frog up out of the way, as you anchor the thread and rotate the bow to wind it on. You'll probably find instructions on the web somewhere.

I don't think you need any special equipment beyond a sharp knife to shave the leather.

Great to hear.

What type of glue are you supposed to use for the leather? Also, do you have to heat it up or anything to stretch it around the bow.

I've looked extensively on the internet for instructions but couldn't find any.

Unfortunately I can't find my notes on this; they must be around somewhere but it was years ago... However I imagine that we just used a little hot glue to hold the leather - it dries very quickly so you only need to hold it for a couple of minutes. You don't need to heat it or anything, though - it is pretty soft.

Leather has more stretch in one direction than the other so you need to check this before you put it on - I think we must have stretched it as we put it on, as if the stretch went along the direction of the stick it might tend to wrinkle over time with playing. But I'm sorry, I can't be certain without my notes.

I remember that I pulled too hard the first time I was winding the thread, and snapped it when I was about half-way down and had to start again. Yet it needs to be firm.

Great! Thanks for your help. I think I will have to try winding my bow next chance I get! Doesn't sound very hard, probably just need a few go's at it until it looks 'nice'.

One more question if you could be so kind, are you supposed to put any padding under the leather grip. Looking at my bow now, it appears that the leather tapers off at the edges. How do you achieve this effect?

No, we didn't put any padding under the leather, as it is thick enough. But you use the sharp knife (needs to be very sharp) to skive off a chamfer on each edge before you put it on. The long sides overlap slightly and the chamfer allows a smooth join, without lumps.

Do the overlap in such a direction and place that it won't be snagged by the thumb as it holds the bow.

One day I will find my notes....

to glue the thumb grip, most people use copydex.
the wrapping technique is pretty much the same as for securing the guides on fishing rods.

Copydex!! I suppose it would work. The course I did was very trad (violin making, too), and we used hot glue for everything. Once you get used to it, it becomes much easier than anything else.

Thank you! Cutting the edges for a chamfer seems like the only real tricky part. Thanks for all the help.

hide glue is used in violin making/repair for a very good reason: it forms a very strong, invisible joint, but it's reversible if necessary (so you can remove the top, for instance to repair cracks). There's no reason on earth to use it for gluing a thumb grip: copydex (or other contact adhesive) is fine. In fact it's preferable because it's easier to clean up when you want to replace the grip the next time.