Wood
and Materials
Swartzia
There
are many sub-species of Swartzia, or what is sometimes called "ironwood,"
(trade names: izerhardt, wamara and bania.) This wood is very heavy and
dense, often quite dark as the name implies, though some sub-species'
boards are lighter in color. These woods vary widely; it seems that every
example is a different sub-species. I am told by David Persram that there
are, in fact, more than 20 closely related species. The challenge has
been to find the most beautiful boards that have sufficient stiffness
to accept the thinning required to achieve a good, light weight. (Some
species are useless; I have discarded many varieties and boards.) The
best examples for bow making of these species are quite stiff and not
overly heavy; classical and modern bows require that the tip and frog
be higher, the stick diameter reduced and the cambre adjusted. Other examples
are very similar to the finest Pernambuco. These and other related species
are among the finest bow material I have found. They also have the advantage
of requiring only a few years aging to be stable. Tonally, these woods
can be superb. Rarely seen in bows made before 1780.
*One
common sub-species, Swartzia leiocalycina, is, in my opinion, a superior
wood, as fine for modern design bows as the best rare pernambuco. See
my gold-mounted Peccatte model viola bow pictured on this site as an example.
Swartzia
bannia: |
Very
deep brown, rich tonally, quite heavy. Found in many early bows. |
Swartzia
eriocarpa: |
Dark
brown to black, similar to bannia. |
Swartzia
dipetala: |
Rich
purple, excellent in all respects, quite similar to
|
Swartzia
leiocalycina: |
Tan
to brown, strong and resonant, easy to work and cambre. Superb. |
|