EBONY. Beginning the frog.

There are many living things that go into a bow but after the Pernambuco wood, the bowmaker is perhaps most thankful for ebony. This amazing wood grows initially a creamy white in color before turning after some years to a black as dark as coal. So the sapwood or exterior inch or so of the tree trunk is white and the heartwood or interior of the tree is black. Over time the wood’s pores become filled with the minerals from the earth and when the wood is polished these minerals shine in little silvery lines. The polished wood takes a luster like marble.

Ebony wood refers to a number of different species in the genus Diospyros and only a few are suitable for bow-making with a jet-black color and a tight grain. The ebony of legend, Mauritius ebony or Diospyros tesselaria, has not been exported since the 19^th century. In fact it is exceedingly difficult to find ebony suitable for really fine bows. Years ago Stephane Thomachot and I bid for and won a lot of this ebony at the Drouot auctions house in Paris. It was from the estate of André Chardon and the crate, which had been stored in the coal cellar actually contained coal as well, which we dubbed ‘le charbon de Chardon’. Since that time it has been occasionally possible to locate ebony from Ceylon or Madagascar with the required qualities. A bowmaker needs only a very small quantity of ebony but nonetheless the conservation of these trees is of concern as the world’s forests are cleared. Replanting of the trees as we are doing with Pernambuco wood is necessary for the future.

The basic ebony piece that will become a frog is split or sawed from a larger block and worked down with a gouge and a plane. The minerals in ebony will dull a sharp tool in minutes so we have to sharpen often. When the blank is cut out we drill a hole where the ferrule will go and saw out the rough throat. Then we put the piece aside and prepare the silver for the ferrule.