How to tighten a violin bow

Rules for Tightening Your Bow

1. Place the end of a standard pencil between the bow hair and stick, at the bow's center. Tighten until you feel the pencil fit within the space. ...
2. Until you get more familiar with this technique, keep a short golf pencil in plain sight in your violin case.

1. Why is my violin bow not tightening?
2. How tight does a violin bow need to be?

Why is my violin bow not tightening?

If the knot holding the hair together itself fails, what looks at first like a bow that won't tighten turns into hair simply falling out of the bow. Either of these problems means you need a rehair. Occasionally when a bow won't tighten it's because the eyelet is stripped.

How tight does a violin bow need to be?

How tight and how loose should I make my bow hairs? The hair on the bow should be tightened when you play, and loosened when you are done and before you put the violin away. Do not over-tighten the hair. Around 1/4 of an inch distance from hair to the closest part of bow stick is perfect.