What Will Happen if I Mix Two Rosins Together?

 This question is normally asked for one of two reasons:

1. The player just bought a new rosin and wants to know if putting their new rosin over their old rosin on the bow hair is a problem.
2. The player wants to achieve a certain sound or playability outcome.

Let's start by addressing the first reason...

Rosin makers spend countless hours creating rosin recipes which are the perfect blend, intended to produce a desired effect. To fully appreciate this effect, we always recommend starting a new rosin on new horsehair or horsehair that has been thoroughly cleaned.

When you apply a new rosin over old rosin, the new rosin will eventually work its way through the hair. However, this can take time, and you may still notice traces of the old rosin affecting the sound and playability.

Andrew Baker from Leatherwood rosin recommends wiping the bow down thoroughly with a microfibre or microsuede cleaning cloth to ensure old rosin is removed before applying a new one. It's best to clean the bow by using a down bow stroke until no white residue remains. Alternatively, you could also have it professionally cleaned by a luthier, who will use specialised cleaning products to remove the rosin from the hair.

Starting a new rosin on clean horsehair is more important for advanced or professional players who are usually looking to refine their sound with rosin and achieve a certain sound or playing quality. On average, these players have their bow rehaired every 6-12 months, which is usually when they decide to try out a new rosin.

Beginner to intermediate players shouldn’t be too concerned about mixing rosin as they may not notice a huge different between their old rosin and a new one, especially if they are both dark or both light.

In regard to mixing rosins on purpose to achieve a certain sound or playability outcome...

Yes, you can absolutely mix rosins to achieve a particular result! However, with so many types of rosin available, we’d recommend finding a single rosin that suits most of your needs to avoid inconsistent results.

That said, some rosins lend themselves better to blending than others. For example, Leatherwood Bespoke Rosin offers a range of rosins that sit on a spectrum from supple to crisp. According to Andrew Baker of Leatherwood, you can experiment with different proportions of their 100% supple and 100% crisp rosins to create your desired effect. For instance, using two swipes of the Crisp rosin and one swipe of the Supple rosin can create a distinctive feel and tonal outcome.

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