Violin Rosin HOME Violin Rosin Rosin is a sticky subject. If you don't get a grip on it you won't go far in playing your violin. Okay, I'm finished with my puns. Seriously, violin rosin is a very serious business for anyone who plays a bowed instrument. The more you know about it, the better off you will be. Here are some Questions about Violin Rosin, and (I hope) some helpful answers. What is Rosin? Rosin is the substance that a violinist uses to make the hair on his bow sticky. If a bow's hair has never been rosined it will not produce usable sound when drawn across the strings. Once rosined, the hair actually grips the string and pulls it . . . but since the bow keeps moving the string snaps back to its original position . . . where it is caught again by the rosin on the hair and the cycle is repeated. This happens very, very quickly. In the case of your A-string 440 times per second. Without the rosin's grip, the hair just slides over the string and you essentially hear nothing. How is Rosin Made? The basic ingredient in rosin is pine sap.

Manufacturers actually use more than 100 types of fir trees for this purpose. The tree is tapped, very much like a maple tree would be tapped for syrup. The tap needs to be renewed ever four or five days to make sure that flow continues. The time of year that the tree is tapped will greatly affect the resulting rosins. The product made by resin drawn in the summer and fall will be darker and softer than that drawn in winter and spring. The resin that comes from the tree is heated and purified, and then comes the step that rosin makers will not talk about. Each manufacturer has his own recipe. The recipe is a closely guarded secret. Different resins may be added. Some add beeswax. Others even add gold, silver, lead or copper flecks, saying that it adds to the rosin's ability to grip the string. The mixture is cooled, and bubbles are forced out. The thick goo is poured into molds to form the cakes that we buy. There is an excellent page showing the production of rosin at . Is there a Difference Between Rosins? Rosin choice is quite personal. Generally speaking, the darker the rosin the softer it is. Softer rosins tend to be stickier.

While stickier rosins produce greater grip on the string, they also produce a grittier sound. Softer rosins also throw off more powder, making things difficult to clean. A harder rosin will not be quite as sticky, and so will not grip the string as strongly. The problem is that if the rosin is not sticky enough you will not produce the full sound that you desire. I suggest looking for something in the middle. A dark amber seems to work well for most students. Look for a rosin that is smooth and free of bubbles. Some folks prefer rosin in the form of round cakes. Most student outfits come with cake of rosin mounted in a wood block. There are good rosins that come both ways. As you progress and become better at handling your bow you will probably start looking for a stickier rosin and will probably become more selective in the rosin you use, but at all stages of your violin playing career you will be experimenting with rosins. How Do I Rosin a Bow? The goal of applying rosin to a bow is to get an even coat of rosin over the entire length of the hair. Too little rosin and you will not get enough pull to use your violin to its fullest potential.

To much rosin and you will coat your bow and violin (and possibly you and your neighbor) with a fine coat of sticky powder. There are several rosining techniques, but the one I recommend is to use long slow strokes along the bow's entire length. Press the bow gently against the rosin and move it in both directions so that you collect rosin dust on both up-bow and down-bow strokes. Change the position of the rosin as you go along. If you are using a round cake, turn the cake slightly after a few strokes. If you are using a rosin in a wood block use the right side, left side and middle of the cake. Doing this will prevent you from actually wearing a channel into the rosin. Keeping a smooth surface on the rosin cake will make it most effective. As you draw the bow back and forth, be aware of the amount of effort it takes to move the bow. I realize that it never takes much, but you will find that as more and more rosin clings to the hair it will become easier and easier to draw or push the bow across the cake. The change will be very subtle, but if you pay attention you will learn to feel it.

Once you have reached a point where the bow travels smoothly STOP. Putting more and more rosin on the bow will just produce that cloud of rosin dust that your neighbor will find so distressing. (More about this in a moment) I like to tap the bowstick on my hand a few times to knock off any excess rosin before I start to play. When you finish playing, gently wipe off your violin with a lint-free cloth. A lint-free cloth is necessary so that the lint doesn't actually cling to the rosin on the violin. (A well-upholstered violin is not the sign of a violinist who knows how to handle his instrument.) At the same time you clean off your violin, wipe the rosin from your bowstick. (As always, avoid touching the hair as much as possible.) Caked on rosin does not look good. It is also harmful to the sound of the violin. If you don't wipe the rosin off, you'll soon need to use a cleaner on the violin. It is also a good practice to wipe the rosin from the playing area of the strings, especially the undersides of the strings.

The amount of rosin on a string greatly affects he playability and the tone produced by that string. How Often Should I Rosin My Bow? This is another question whose answer varies. The bow hair, the strings used, the temperature, the humidity, the style of playing and the violin's responsiveness all contribute to the answer. The answer can vary from "every few hours" to "every few days." I can definitively say, though, that students do not need to thoroughly rosin their bows every day. My practice is to "touch up" my bow every day I play. It is more a part of my mental preparation to play than an actual need for the instrument, but actually running the bow across the rosin 6 or 8 times actually does even out the layer of rosin on the hair. If I hear the tone of the violin changing dramatically that is the time that I actually thoroughly rosin my bow. Even when I was my most active on the violin, a thorough rosining was almost never needed more than twice a week. My Brand New Rosin Doesn't Work! If you've never used rosin before, you may not realize that you have to "start" rosin.

A new cake of rosin has been smoothed or polished. Simply drawing bow hair across it will probably not pick up any rosin at all! You need to rough up the surface of the rosin before it will cling to the bow hair. How to do this? Different methods with the same result. Some folks use a pocket knife and simply score the surface of the rosin in a crosshatch pattern. Some folks use a bow that already has rosin on it and stroke the rosin 100 times or so to scratch up the surface of the rosin. I even heard one teacher say that you need to scratch the surface of a new cake of rosin with the screw of the bow that will be using that rosin. She claimed there was some sort of metaphysical bond that formed between the bow and the cake of rosin at that time, and that the rosin would not work as well on any other bow. Me? I just take a piece of fine sandpaper to the top of the rosin and rough it up a little. I hope this answers some of your rosin questions. If you have others, feel free to e-mail me by clicking here and I will try to point you in the right direction.

Rosin for Violin, Viola, Cello and Double Bass Bows Site Map Rosin products can be confusing. Many rosins are similar. We have displayed popular and recommended choices near the top. If you don't have a particular choice in mind, choose from those listed first. Andrea Rosin has been a top seller, despite the price. It's OK to leave your strings coated with rosin. If you see build-up of rosin on your strings, remove it. Build-up is a sign you are using too much rosin. Good rosins should not flake off the bow and string to accumulate on the body of your instrument. Rosins like Andrea, Melos and others stick to the strings and hair remarkably well. You won't have to apply rosin as often, and performance is consistent. Andrea Rosin. Started life as Tartni Rosin, and was hugely successful. Now sold under the brand Andrea. Very strong grip under higher bow pressure, but delicate control when needed also.

Violin Solo How to Rosin a Bow: 6 Steps (with Pictures) - wikiHow How to Rosin a Bow Adding rosin to a bow will give it better grip and "catching" ability when it is drawn across the strings. Adding rosin is a straightforward process that can be quickly mastered. Steps Applying Rosin Normally 1 Tighten the bow first, then apply the rosin. Just stroke the bow back and forth across the rosin. Tighten the bow until it's about the width of a pencil. but don't tighten it until it appears straight. There should be a natural curve to the bow. (Don't touch the bow hair or bounce it on your arm, as this will make the bow hairs greasy, and harder to play) 2 Hold your rosin in your left hand. (It doesn't matter if you are right- or left-handed, as you always hold the bow in your right hand.) 3 Take your bow in your right hand and do normal bow strokes across the rosin. Make sure that both the tip and the frog ends of the bow are more heavily rosined than the middle. 4 Stroke it across 5-10 times. There is such thing as rosining too much.

Method Scrape the rosin and apply it to the bow. 2 Go quickly back and forth 2–3 inches (5.1–7.6 cm) at a time on the bow. This ensures that the rosin residue goes on more thickly than just going from frog (the place where you hold the bow while playing) to the tip. It is best used when you are playing in a concert over 40 minutes in duration, or for playing a piece that is relatively fast. Community Q&A What can I use if I don't have rosin? wikiHow Contributor If I don't rosin a bow, what would happen to the bow? wikiHow Contributor If you don't rosin it, you won't get much tune coming from your instrument. That's why you don't want to touch the hairs on your bow because it will get your bow oily and then you will barely have a tune. Does the rosin need to be heated? wikiHow Contributor No. Please don't do that, as the rosin will melt and become gloopy. Think for a second how it will apply when gloopy. Can I go back and forth with the rosin, or just 2 to 3 inches?

wikiHow Contributor These are general guidelines. You can rosin back and forth a large distance, or a short distance. The idea is to make sure you get enough rosin at every part of the bow. Number 1 of method number 1 said to tighten bow until it was about the with of a pencil. When I tighten the bow the hair only straightens. It doesn't become more narrow? wikiHow Contributor The hair should start out close to the curve of the bow in the middle. As you tighten the bow, the wood should start to straighten out and move away from the hair, so it is becoming a wider gap as you tighten. You don't want to tighten so much that the bow becomes straight. It seems like your bow is not curved correctly so you might want to take it to a violin maker to get checked out. How can I remove too much rosin? wikiHow Contributor Hit the tip of your bow against the palm of your opposite hand to remove excess rosin. The rest will work its way off as you play. Does the rosin help prevent the scratchy, squeaky noise the violin sometimes produces? wikiHow Contributor Rosin helps to create a good sound, as it grips the strings of the violin.

However, if you are pressing too hard or too softly, that could also be the problem. How do you know if you have too much? wikiHow Contributor You will see dust in the air. It will also impair the sound quality, so you should be able to hear it. What happens if you apply too much rosin to the bow? wikiHow Contributor Do I need to scratch the rosin before applying it? I do that to get the rosin dust out before applying it to my bow. wikiHow Contributor Never ever do that. A good rosin should start dusting on its own when you swipe the bow across. Show more answers Unanswered Questions I have rosin that was bought in the 1950's f or my violin. Is it alright to use? If this question (or a similar one) is answered twice in this section, please click here to let us know. Video This video demonstrates the appropriate way to apply rosin to a bow. Tips Dark rosin and light rosin do have their differences. For instance, dark rosin (hickory or blackish color) is softer than light rosin and therefore easier to apply to the hair.

Some believe that light rosin is best suited for violins and violas while dark rosin is more appropriate for cellos and basses. There are a number of dark and light rosins available for all instruments and each offers subtle tonal differences. If your bow hair is new, you may need to put three times as much or more rosin on it on the first time. Find out if the technician applied a primer coat of rosin before over-application. There are some players that say that a new rosin needs to be scratched in order to create dust, but this is rarely necessary and only with poor quality rosin. Scratching a new cake or block of rosin can cause the rosin to break or make it more susceptible to cracking and breakage. Scratching rosin can also lead to larger pieces of rosin attaching to the bow hair and additional rosin build up on your instrument. While you rosin your bow you can practice your bow hold by using your correct bow hold while stroking, but be careful not to over-apply!

Remember that rosin is hardened tree sap and that the dust must be cleaned off of the body of the instrument and the strings with soft, dry cloth (100% cotton is best) after you play, otherwise it may bond with the varnish of the instrument (the finish that makes the instrument shiny and protects it). If this happens, it is best to buy a gentle instrument cleaner (to remove the rosin build up) and polish (to replace the polish that was removed by the cleaner) or if you are unsure, take the instrument to a violin repair professional who can do a careful and thorough cleaning of the instrument. never remove the varnish of an instrument without first discussing how that will affect the instrument's value--in most cases, instruments that have been re-varnished lose a minimum of 50% of their original value. Only add rosin to string instruments before playing and wipe with a soft cloth when finished. This prevents rosin dust building in clumps on the bow or instrument. The darker rosin works better with cellos and basses, and lighter rosin if preferably for violins and violas. However, light rosin can be used for cellos and dark rosin for violins.

If you're having doubts on which kind of rosin to use, ask your teacher or a professional. In general violins work better with light rosins and cellos with dark rosins. When you are done playing, always make sure you loosen the bow hair and wipe the instrument down. Make sure to shake your rags out; that will prevent old rosin from getting on your instrument. Warnings Be careful not to touch the bow hairs when rosining or playing. Some people are allergic to rosin. Applying too much can cause dust clouds. If so, there are non-allergenic, clear rosins available. If a hair comes loose while rosining the bow, DO NOT pull it out, as the other hairs are likely to become loose and fall out. Find scissors and snip the hair as close as possible to the bow. Don't get too enthusiastic rosining or you can hit something with your bow (like a person, in the eye, or a cement wall, cracking your bow) Clean your strings regularly with a soft, clean cloth, as rosin on the strings is as bad as too much rosin on the bow.

Things You'll Need Updated: Views: 268,490 "As a more mature beginner on the violin, your article was very useful. I particularly liked the pictures and the explanations of the different types of rosins and their uses. Instructions were clear and concise, thank you for providing this information."..." more - Irene Thomas "The warnings are really good to read. I'm kinda nervous to start playing violin, but these tips made it easy. I recommend this article, since I'm beginner."..." more - Monserrat H. I appreciated the advice on not touching the bow hairs and on loosening the bow after use. - Anonymous This article helped a bunch, as I am relatively new to playing the violin. - Monique Blanc I am a total beginner, and this helped immensely. - Anonymous I liked how you told me how to use the rosin. - Emma Xiao Andrea Rosin Patrick Lengkong Andrea Rosin December 18, 2011 at 09:22 PM · I got a mini cake of the Andrea Rosin "Green" which is now called "A.Piacere" I find it to be the best rosin I ever tried.

The rosin makes the concertmaster's job easier and the violin is heard. It produces a smooth tone, that is powerful, and rich in combination with Pirastro's Passione Solo strings for violin. Has anyone tried this? What are your thoughts about it? I was so happy that I bought another bow and their Andrea Solo rosin for violin. What is your favorite rosin? Replies (15) Saagar Asnani December 19, 2011 at 12:43 AM · I use Andrea Solo for the viola and it is terrific! Very robust, it makes my viola sound a lot more powerful. I certainly prefer it to Hill and the other nameless rosins I have tried. One question, do you know how the A Piacere is in comparison to the solo version? Is it more robust, mellow, or brighter? I have heard it has a finer grain but am unable to work out what that means. Geoff Caplan December 19, 2011 at 09:07 AM · I was recently in touch with a reputed company who have just carried out a large review of rosins for violin (they prefer to remain anonymous).

They used a batch of the same CF bow for blind testing with a number of players. Interestingly, they found that the scoring for grip and bite, hair noise etc was pretty consistent between players. For soloistic playing, the Andrea Solo came top. In addition, it's the rosin chosen by my local luthier from all her stock for her personal playing - she recommends it warmly, despite the price. So I've just given it a try. I cleaned my bow hair thoroughly, till it was pretty much as new. Just four gentle swipes of the Andrea and the bow was playing beautifully - no need for sandpapering the surface of the rosin cake or priming the bow with rosin powder. I wouldn't have thought a rosin could make so much difference! I've previously used the Kaplan, the Melos Dark and the Liebenzeller. For me - no comparison. The Andrea gives a sense of security and ease of articulation I haven't experienced with the others. It simply makes the instrument easier to play, and seems to improve the tone somewhat as well. I'm finding I don't need to re-rosin the bow nearly as often, and that it only takes a couple of swipes to recharge.

So although it's eye-wateringly costly, it does seem to be economical in use. Clearly, your mileage may vary. But the combination of the test mentioned above with my luther's experience suggests that it's well worth a try. I'm ambivalent about recommending a product that seems so pricey. But it's available in a small cake that's a bit more affordable, and it does look as though this will last me for years. Andrew Victor December 19, 2011 at 03:19 PM · I started using TARTINI rosins when they were first marketed in the USA. I actually almost imported a pack of 5 TARTINI from Korea earlier, when they were first advertised - for $12/cake. I later also purchased ANDREA rosins when they were first marketed. I find the two brands to be essentially the same, although the ANDREA viola rosins do not have a TARTINI equivalent. Also, I have never switched rosins by using my cello rosins on my violin bows, for example. I like the way they "speak" and I especially like the way they last on the bow hair.

I can play for 2 hours and at the end I'm still confident that my sound has maintained throughout - even if I buried in an orchestra or chamber ensemble. I've tried (and still have) most other rosins there are, but when I rosin my cello and violin bows tomorrow morning to head out for a performance - I'll be using the appropriate ANDREA rosins on both. Also - consider the "symphony" grade of TARTINI/ANDREA rosins - very good with a bit different grip on the strings. Slightly mellower sound. Consider the 1/2-size cakes that cost 1/3 less than the big ones. They are plenty big enough and easy to keep in your jacket pocket or cello-bib pocket during performance. Another rosin brand that I have found quite close in good qualities, at a fraction of the cost (1/2 the price of the smaller ANDREAs), is from "Paul Stevens Violins." Look it up on line; he sells both violin and cello grades. Andy Paul Deck December 19, 2011 at 03:23 PM · Andrea Solo is $30.50 on Amazon.

If this stuff makes your violin sound that much better, what's $30? How much better do you sound after one lesson, and what's that cost? If it only takes four swipes to rosin your bow with this stuff, you can probably pass it down to your grandchildren, like a Japanese mortgage. Peter Charles December 19, 2011 at 04:39 PM · Thanks for the info. One day when my rosin runs out I might consider it (I've had the rosin for years so it might be a long time). I think it's the player that makes the difference, and not the rosin. How to Rosin a New Bow | Kennedy Violins Blog How to Rosin a New Bow Joel Kennedy 11 Comments How to rosin a new bow. I get asked fairly often by customers or students about how to rosin a bow and in particular, how often rosin should be re-applied to the bow. As with most aspects of the violin, there is no easy answer to this question and the solution is somewhat subjective.

How much rosin you apply is primarily a matter of personal preference and after you’ve played a while, you will not only develop a “feel” for if the bow needs rosin or not, but you’ll develop a preference for if you like the bow to be more responsive (more rosin) or less responsive but easier to produce a warm sound (less rosin). The preferences that you develop as a player, will determine the kind of rosin that you like and will direct your purchasing decisions in that regard for years to come. When a bow is new, the bow hair does not have any rosin on it. A bow without rosin will not produce a sound and the bow will aimlessly glide around on the strings while you attempt to play. It’s generally considered a bit of a pain to apply rosin to a brand new bow and it’s even worse if you’re trying to apply new rosin to a new bow.

If you purchase a violin from Kennedy Violins, your bow will be pre-rosined but your rosin cake will be new, so although you won’t have to worry about the difficulty of applying rosin to new hair, you’ll still have to deal with the aspect of rosining with a new cake of rosin. A new cake of rosin is smooth like glass on the surface and if you go back and forth enough times on the hairs of the bow, it will eventually turn the shiny sheen of the rosin to a dull finish. The duller it is, the more likely that the rosin will apply quicker. However there is an old trick that you can use that will speed up this process quite a bit. Simply take any sharp instrument, like a knife or a fork and gently scratch the surface of the rosin cake. You don’t have to push very hard, and you should carefully scratch the entire surface of the rosin cake, so that there are very few shiny areas left. Once you have done this, the rosin will apply to your bow significantly faster than it would’ve otherwise because you’ve created tiny raised ridges on the surface of the rosin cake.

Bow hair that has been previously rosined, will already be “sticky” and therefore the rosin that is already on the hair, will tend to attract the rosin on the rosin cake that you are applying. This makes applying rosin to an already rosined bow quite easy. However, hair that does not have rosin on it, will resist your initial attempts at applying rosin and you’ll have to go back and forth with the rosin cake many times in order to get the bow to accept it’s first amounts of rosin. A bow that already has rosin on it, may only need 3 or 4 passes of the rosin cake to get the correct amount of rosin applied to the hair, but a bow without any rosin on it, may take 30-50 passes, depending on how sticky the rosin is and the kind of hair that is on the bow. In general, the whiter the hair, the easier it accepts rosin and the more yellow the hair, the more difficult it will be for it to accept the rosin. Often times, lower quality bows will tend to have hair that has a yellow tinge to it.

Any hair that is dirty will not easily accept rosin as well and this is why it is important, to never touch the hairs of the bow with your fingers, because the oils from your hand, will prevent rosin from adhering efficiently. After you’ve applied rosin to the bow for the first time, a lot of rosin dust will probably go all over your violin when you first start to play. Don’t be alarmed by this. You can simply wipe it off with a soft cotton cloth after you’re done with the initial rosining of your new bow. The next step, is to play the violin for a little while to work the rosin into the new bow hair. Once you’ve done this, reapply a little bit of rosin to the bow (perhaps 3-6 passes) and play the violin some more. If you do it right, you’ll have a new bow that plays without creating excessive rosin dust (that goes all over your violin) but the bow will still function very well. As mentioned before, there will be rosin dust all over the violin and bow. Take a soft cotton cloth and wipe down the violin top and fingerboard, as well as the stick of the bow.

If you are habitual about wiping down your bow and violin every time you play, your violin will stay looking new for a very long time. When your bow gets to the point where you have to put more force on it than you like to create the amount of sound you want, it is time to apply more rosin. You’ll probably only have to go up and down the bow 3 or 4 times to get the correct amount of rosin on the bow. In most situations, you’ll only have to rosin the bow per 3-5 hours of play time. People with stringed instruments that have thicker gauge strings like basses, cellos and even violas, will probably end up rosining their bows a little more frequently than violinists. It is not uncommon for a violinist to apply rosin every 6 hours or so of playing, but it really depends on personal preference. If you apply too much rosin, your sound will tend to be to “gritty” and “scratchy” but the caveat is, it will be easier for you to create a big sound, so the decision you make regarding the amount of rosin applied, will always involve a certain amount of compromise.

How much rosin you apply also has a lot to do with the amount of notes you play in a particular piece. Violinists do not need as much rosin on their bows because of their thinner gauge strings, but they typically play more notes than the other stringed instruments in the orchestra as well. A couple points of caution. If you move the rosin up and down the bow too fast, the increased friction will heat the rosin up and harden it. If you do this, the rosin will not want to adhere to the bow at all. You have to maintain a speed of about one length of the bow every 1.5 seconds. Any faster and you risk heating the rosin up. This is why so many people have such a difficult time getting rosin to stick to the tip and frog of their bow. Often you will see players moving the bow quite vigorously at the ends of the bow (because the ends need more rosin). However, this habit is self defeating. The more they speed up the rosin, the more it will not apply. The more the rosin refuses to apply, the faster and more vigorously they try to apply the rosin. It’s a vicious cycle.

When your bow is new, just rosin the entire bow with equal amounts of rosin and speed and you will never run into any problems for the life of the bow. How to melt rosin? - The Pegbox - Maestronet Forums How to melt rosin? Forum Update *UPDATED* 12/30/16 If you are a Maestronet member, you will likely have noticed a major upgrade to our forum software. This new software improves on a number of areas - one of the biggest is mobile support. This new format is responsive, and so will work nicely on browsers of all sizes. Other improvements will be forthcoming shortly, including SSL for the entire site. A few notes that will help you with the new setup: Your username for logging in is now either your screen name, or your email address - either will work. Your old username will no longer work. When typing a message, the system will periodically auto-save your content as you type. If you lose connection, or return at another time, simply to back to the conversation or thread, hit the Reply button, and your saved content will be there ready for editing.

There is a link at the top right of every page labelled "Unread Content" which will show you in a nice timeline view new content. The site can send notifications to your browser, but this can be turned off. Have a look around and check out some of the new features. If you notice anything off, post in News, or PM Jeff or Glenn and we will look into it. Happy New Year from the Maestronet Team. · Report post Some time ago (maybe years) there was some discussion about melting rosin and re-forming it. I have dropped at least two almost-new cakes of Tartini, *in their cases,* and had them shatter. I don't think those hard cases are such a good thing. I want to try to put each back together again, and put them on cloth or chamois holders, which I think will be safer for them. I'm planning to use a toaster oven and small metal measuring cup. What temperature should I use, and how long does it take? Is it necessary to stir at all? Does it sound like a reasonable procedure to line the measuring cup with foil, melt the rosin, stick the cloth on as it starts to re-harden, and peel off the foil?

Will the rosin leak through any holes in the foil and make it impossible to get it out of the measuring cup? In short, what pitfalls do I face? Joan · Report post There is a description for the procedure to remelt rosin in the booklet "A Luthier's Scrap Book" by H.S. Wake (page 18). Shortly it is said that: the rosin is broken into small pieces and a metal container. No danger of fire when a electrical heater is used. As soon as the rosin starts to melt continue with adding new pieces under continuous stirring. Stir gently untill all rosin is molten for good mixing all the different brands. Wake is pouring this out in a previous prepared and pre-heated cardboard container (dimensions: 2 X 1 1/4 X 5/8 ") holding the metal container with pliers. The box(es) should not be touched or disturbed for at least half an hour after having poured out the rosin. Rough sides can be smoothed and polished by passing over a clear flame. For full text consult H.S. Wake's article.

Share this post · Report post I once melted a broken cake of Tartini Green cello rosin and must have done it too hot, because it never worked properly thereafter. I have been successful shaping aluminum foil to the desired cake shape, inserting all the broken rosin and heating it in a toaster oven at the lowest temperatuire that will melt it - less than 200°F. As soon as the top is smooth I turn off the heat and let the caked cool in the oven. This has worked a number of times and better than any other method I have tried in years past. Andy · Report post I like using a cast iron fry pan on top of the stove - that way, I figure, if it bursts into flame I can slap the lid on and/or carry it outside instead of having to deal with a burning toaster oven. The bottom of a spice jar makes a dandy base for a mold of tin foil, and yes you can pick the sides off afterward. High priced rosins probably do take on different qualities if remelted, but with the cheap ones who worries? The temperature is important - ask any candy maker, the only difference between soft caramel and hard toffee is the temp you let the sugar syrup reach.

Does anyone know if a slow vs a fast cool-down is preferred? It makes a difference with bonbons, so I'll bet it matters for rosin too. Share this post · Report post OK, I went with the toaster oven, because I think I can control temperature better, and because the heat is general and not applied only to the bottom of the rosin. I started with foil in two pieces lining a votive candle holder, one for the bottom and one for the sides. Oven set at 200-210 (toaster oven accuracy not guaranteed), which is in the neighborhood of 100C, which the encyclopedia article said was rosin's melting point. The rosin took maybe 30 min to melt; I put in a little at a time, not knowing whether I might get a lot of air holes if I tried to do it all at once. The rosin got into the narrow crack between the two pieces of foil, which made it hard to peel the foil without losing some rosin. Also, I couldn't readily get the chamois down onto the melted product.

I got it close, turned the foil-wrapped cake out of the candle holder, peeled the excess foil off, and pressed the chamois to the soft rosin before it got too cold. Not bad. Not great, but not bad. The top had a big dip in it, however, and everything looked -- well, sort of sloppy/saggy. Next attempt, on another cake: Made a foil collar and laid it directly on the chamois, with a couple small chunks of rosin in it. Same temp. Rosin leaked out under the foil, a little. Meanwhile, worked with first cake, putting another foil collar tightly around the cake, then folding the chamois up a little and stuffing the whole thing firmly into the votive candle holder. Re-melted this: surface entirely smooth, rosin well adhered to chamois, figure it's good enough. I had pulled the second cake out and let it cool a little while cake #1 was melting again. Chipped off the little leaks, placed rosin cake assembly, including foil, chamois and all, into votive candle holder, added the rest of the rosin chips, and slowly melted it again.

Right now it's all cooling slowly in the turned-off toaster oven, as Andy suggested. As far as shape and usability goes, it should be fine. The chamois never seemed tempted to burn; I kept it away from the heating elements, and it feels just as soft and pliable as ever. I wonder about the properties of the rosin -- whether it will still work like Tartini. But if it doesn't, well, I never would have got any more use out of these cakes anyway, if I hadn't tried this. For the record, I noticed hardly any fumes whatsoever. Maybe because I used such a low temperature. I think in future I will only buy the mini cakes. They come with cloth holders, which gives them some shock absorption, and it takes ages to get through a cake of rosin anyway. And if rosin really does have a distinct shelf life, I can't imagine anybody getting through a full-sized cake in a year or so unless they're sharing with half the violin section. Thanks again, everyone!

Question: What artist uses a cake of rosin?
Answer: Violinist