Oh lovely! I guess my earlier sense that this would be rather like hooping the calfskin head onto my Minstrel Banjo (which I never would have managed without the Drum Major of our Corps helping) may have been fairly on after all.

The Luthier I took the 2 fiddles and small collection of bows to (who specializes in violins) assured me that with my experience in instrument repair and restoration I should be able to handle it all right. Besides, I do enjoy learning new things, and the $45 I spent already on parts, strings etc. about put my Wife into apoplectic shock. Another $40 would really stretch the envelope, and it's going to be about 20 below again tonight up here in Maine, and the furnace in the RV out in the driveway hasn't been working all that well.

None of the bows, we are told, are any great shakes; a couple "Made in Japan" and others "L. BAUCH"/Made in Germany". One had snapped off about 3" from the tip and someone had splinted it with a nail and some baling wire. I don't think we'll be using that one! Others are for a 3/4 or 1/2 sized violin, and only a couple of them appear to be useable. The guy at the Music store looked at them and pronounced that they had good "camber" and would probably work well enough.

You really get hair sets with bugs? That's pretty nasty!
I would think that they would treat it with something to discourage the little rascals... but thanks for the warning; I'll give mine a good looking over before pulling them out of the packet and keep an eye out for any signs of infestation.

OOOoh; this is going to be so much FUN! {8^{D~

(Something tells me that I shouldda stuck with the Banjo!)

Thanks, all!