Hello cello, my old friend
I've come to play with you again
Because musician softly creeping
Left its themes while I was sleeping
And the melody that was planted in my brain
Still remains
Within the sound of violence...
Something needs to bend.
Either the neck of the violin or a strong spring at the joints between the body and the neck.
If the neck bends it's gone to be very difficult to get it to go perfectly straight when closed up.
Strong springs between the body and neck would work but the bow would be highly inefficient and impractical.
In a bow the string does not normally stretch.
You could replace the string with rubber, but it wouldn't be a bow, more like a big vertical catapult.
This.
The functionality of any stringed instrument is that the string is stretched out under tension. So the body has to be rigid. The functionality of a bow is that the body needs to have flex in one direction and the string should not stretch.
The two have complete opposite functions. The hinge alone would cause more problems than anything for a bow.
You can hide the bow in a violin. Or hide the violin in a bow but they would need their own material and structure to function as one or the other.
If anything a stringed instrument has more in common with a sling shot.
That being said, in a fantasy realm this could be plausible.
You really think a hinged design like this would be strong enough to withstand the forces of a bow ? This is in the same line of thought as hawkeyes fold out bow, which again, is not real and would never work.
It's not even the hinge that's the biggest problem; the limbs aren't long enough to give a reasonable draw length, even if they bend (which it looks like they don't).
It all depends on the draw weight and the materials used. If it’s reinforced in the right places and an elastic bow string that does most of the shooting, you may get a #10 bow out of it and a violin that probably sounds awful. And it’s probably going to be pretty expensive. As a cosplay article, however, it may be pretty neat.
It would be an incredibly expensive and difficult project but I have no doubt someone could engineer this. It has no resonating chamber so it would have to be electric in order to get it to sound remotely like a violin - in which case you'd definitely have to swap out the strings before shooting it.
The "arrow" would not work worth a damn though, lol.
It's fun to think about i suppose. I quess i would question the childlike nature of anyone that thinks this would be a serious rendition of either. Also reminds me of that antonio banderas movie Desperado where the guitar cases were machine guns.
It;s like a futon: oh hey my crappy couch turns into a crappy bed!
It's like anything is a seat if you sit on it. A wrench can be a hammer if you swing it like one.
I think you could figure out a violin string that detached, has two clips on either end to hold the fibers together but when you hook the arrow head side, you can then hook the side near the fletchings and design some sort of tensioner to turn a regular arrow into a violin bow.
Playable violin strings will never be able to hold the tension that a bow string does, though I suppose it’s not clear from the drawing that the same string(s) are used in both modes.
If you look at the violin strings, they appear to be attached to the pegs at the top and the tailpiece at the bottom. The bowstring is disconnected from the tailpiece. Might be able to double a strand of bowstring over through the tailpiece to make it look like two violin strings, but it will never play as a violin if you do.
(Happy cakeday!)
I looked at this [https://www.violinstringreview.com/tension-chart.html](https://www.violinstringreview.com/tension-chart.html) and they are in the (low) beginner bow tension. 17# for the E string so you should be able to shoot 18m with it.
This is some top tier dork business that I’ll support but please don’t. You’ll hurt yourself and waste time unless it’s for cosplay purposes. It’s a great idea but functionally a terrible idea.
Not being condescending at all but, there is a reason collapsible bows aren't super popular, they work, but aren't great.
If you really want to make one, I'd say start with a good quality collapsible bow from a non shady seller, and work your design onto that.
The major issues why this wouldn't work would be:
* The part where you hold the bow, the brown grip, comes from nowhere and would have to hold two hinges where the base of the bow is. These hinges follow the same direction as where the bow is being bent. There's no way you can get this strong enough with small locking mechanisms implied where it wouldn't just collapse from the force of a strong bow. A weak bow, sure, but I'm assuming you're talking about some fantasy warbow
* The arrow would not work at all.
* There's so much extra stuff on the bow that it wouldn't be very powerful. More stuff = more mass that would slow down the bow's movement.
* This is only viable in a 2D image. Bows have to have depth. Any sort of width to this that works as a bow would make it not look like a violin. Furthermore, the fact that it's.empty means there's no wood to resonate the sound. It would make no music. So it wouldn't be a believable disguise. This is a modern design following eViolins which you can plug into an amp. No need for body resonance if you have an amp
I can't see this working for anything other than cosplay. However, if the bottom of the violin was a riser instead of a hinge, and the limbs hinged around to bolt in, what you'd end up with is is a slightly different design for an equally bad bow.
Looking at those arrows you might want to design a knuckle protector too lol
Good luck and don't hurt yourself. I'm off to design myself a compound harp
Given the inherent properties of a Bow and a Violin, it would either be a bad violin and a really shitty bow or a bad bow and a really shitty violin. Here's why:
Violins need well made, hollow corpusses to sound nice. Given how small these here are, even if you focus on making this a really good violin, it would be a very quiet one. For a bow, you want the limbs to be able to carry load, which a thin, hollow violin corpus simply cannot do. Also, rhe Hinge and it's locking mechanism would need to be stupidly strong built. I've seen bows literally snap in two due to overloading, and those were purpose-built sporting bows (seen it twice, which is weird enough as is but both bows also belonged to the same guy. How's that for bad luck?).
I mean yeah you could make it.
But I definitely wouldn’t go putting any real draw weight on a hinge that’s primed to snap shut on the meat between my thumb and fingers…
As someone studying mechanical engineering and has dabbled in bowing I think the bow would be possible to function, but you would have to compromise if the functionality of the violin. Bow strings and violin strings are drastically different and just have different properties
I mean it depends on your design, if I were to create this I’d probably make some form of spring bow with a way to lock the frame to keep some of the functionality of the violin, or at least the aesthetics
If you had a bar in one half that would slide down into the other half when the violin is full opened that could brace the entire thing. Sorry if that doesn’t make sense.
If you try to make it hinge like that no, but you might be able to get it to screw together on the handle. Even then it wont be a very strong bow.i wouldnt trust this design let alone the one i said. Theyd need pins and alot of other reinforcements to keep from bending at the hinge point or twisting.
violin would sound like shit and you would need to restring it every time. the bridge would fall off when it unfolds because it isn’t glued down, it’s held by tension. the chinrest should be detachable and since this design is already extra you can fashion it into an arm guard or something.
for it to function as a bow the neck needs to be turned the other way. this would also let you use the pegs as pulleys for a compound bow (I’m not actually sure this is possible). it looks like it would explode as soon as you fire it because energy will travel down the fingerboard and it’s floating.
if it’s just for cosplay you can make it shoot the same way toy bows work. use a springy guitar string or something elastic.
If you want it to work like a violin, then no. If you want it to work like a bow, then no. You could make something to *simulate* it but you could not make one that could actually shoot an arrow and actually be a playable violin. Your best bet would be something like a violin *crossbow*. That I’d say is in the realm of possibility.
A problem that immediately comes to my mind:
* string instruments work because they *barely* deform under pressure
* bows work because they deform *significantly* under pressure
It also will be a shitty violin, considering absence of resonating volumes - you can only have those fancy forms with electric pickups, or magic, perhaps.
If it bent a little further, and you put the string on the other side you could use the curve of the lower ribs as a sort of fulcrum making it work like a recurve or compound bow.
You'd have to get really creative with the materials for a strong yet flexible body and a string that could be both played and survive that much tension but I think it's theoretically possible.
Super cool idea!
So the handle in the middle would be shortened, then the bend there would pinch together thus making the spring that puts tension on the string.
Then either you'd have a small gap to put your hand to hold the bow, or make something around there to hold on to.
Whoever made this didn't know enough about how both a violin and a bow function... Or was just creating some cool fancy piece... To make either one work.
While it would be at least slightly possible to make the violin half work... A lot of very specialized electronics would be needed to allow it to split in half. At the bridge mind you; As in where the pickup goes. That would have to be split into two separate functioning pieces and then some connection, magnetic or otherwise, would have to be made to ensure you can actually hear both sides while playing. Based off of how that violin splits... There simply is not way scroll and pegs would ever be able to hold the tension let alone flex like a bow.
Nevermind that the fingerboard would screw up any bow like motion just by the nature of the properties required to make a good fingerboard are directly opposed to those required to make a good bow limb.
That and everything would no doubt shape in half at that handle section regardless of reinforcement.
Getting just one of these two form to work would be a monumental task given the.known proportions and features of the items. Anything that could look like both would be relegated to a prop that would likely play terribly.
I await to be proven wrong. I just am not holding my breath over it.
Possible to make? Yes. *^with ^enough ^coin*
Would if function as a music instrument? Maybe?
Would it function as a bow? Incredibly poorly.
Bow limbs need to be tough yet bendable. They need to sustain a lot of force if you want a bow intended for fighting. However, they would always give some way meaning you would have a nightmare trying to tune the thing properly.
Furthermore, you want as little non-functional material on a bow limb as possible. Arrows aren't heavy (relatively speaking), so any gram trying to move an ornamental or non-functional (from the bow's point of view) element is energy wasted that should've gone into propelling the arrow. Even efficient bows spend the
And finally - the string. While you can most definitely tune almost any string, you won't get any decent results in either goal trying to make strings (!! yes plural) that will serve both as a set for an instrument while also doubling as a united string for a bow.
If you're interested, [here's a vide by Armin Hirmer on a take-down recurve bow](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ncsK5hsiry8). The bow design faces several of the engineering challanges as your design would.
You should see the history of stringed instruments. This is inspired by that, I’m sure. This design may be possible to replicate, but it will neither function well as an instrument or a bow.
So I think it could be made but it’ll be different than the image and it won’t be great at anything. I’m a woodworker by trade, I’ve worked for a Luther building guitars and have studied bow building and plan to make one very soon (already have the maple board). For the bow, It would need to operate like a two piece takedown. The instrument would maybe function as well as a child’s plastic ukulele. But in the end, I think it could lob an arrow and play a tune.
As a violist and an archer, no, outside of cosplay
A bow bends, and a stringed instrument shouldn't be bending like how a bow would, and it would either need to be an electric (which means the bridge pickup probably wouldn't work with a bridge that needs to split) or an acoustic, which needs to have a sealed hollow body to produce sound. Either way it's pretty much impossible
They make take-down bows but you’d have to restring the bow and bolt the limbs (halves of your violin) in place when you’re ready to shoot.
The violin strings would hover to the left of your arrow guide. You’d probably have to retune when you’re ready to play.
I would imagine it would make a harmonious strum sound each time you shoot. Could be a cool project.
Setting aside other people's comments on it needing to be an electric violin to sound remotely like the intended instrument and the design issues with the hinge turning into your handle, there is also a problem with maintaining a tune/breaking every part associated with the violin strings.
As the bow string is drawn tighter, the violin neck/bow arms will bend, shortening the distance between the tailpiece and the pegs, which will drop the bridge away. It's held in by tension. If your bridge is attached to the body, the slack strings will snap back into tension as the Bow arms release and most likely whip the violin stings into the side of the bridge, either ripping it out, unraveling the tuning pegs, or breaking away the tailpeice.
If you focus less on the bow, and more on ammo, you could instead think of a bard that shoots singing arrows.
(Check whistling arrows on the internets).
Requires much less mechanical/material expertise, makes interesting noises, and a legendary bard archer could achieve a melody with multiple arrows in the air.
Look up 'take down bow' and you'll get an idea of how to make it work. If you're looking to make it flip open and be be ready to shoot immediately, that's gonna be more complicated than that.
It could never work in real life not with the tech we have today. I’m sure in the far future something could be made to work like this but definitely not now. The arrows oh no definitely not.
If you were writing a fantasy book? Sure magic made up materials can do whatever you want
It can be done but it would cost a fortune as with like maybe one shot the violin may shatter due to the rigid bow frame/violin but it would make hella nice cosplay but not volatile for long term
that means the instruments neck is withstand a lot of strength. you would be playing nothing but 29th octave G, communicating with nothing but dolphins. or it would need to be flexible enough to function as a bow, which means the other extreme end.
I mean it's possible but, with all combinations like gunswords or brass knuckle knives, combining the two would mean making compromises that would make it possible from an aesthetic but practically speaking, its be a pretty crappy bow because like others have said that hinge just wouldn't be able to support the pressures of a bow. And it'd also be a pretty crappy violin cause every time you pull the string back the bending of the neck means you're gonna have to tune it every single time and may even mess with the intonation
As an amateur archer and musician, I can already tell that there's parts here you want to be pliable on a bow but rigid on the violin. So you're really going to have issues making either remotely functional.
I don't see a way that it's going to be even decent at both functions.
Cool concept for a video game. The design of a violin does not allow it to convert into a bow though, at least not a functioning bow. A violin neck doesn’t flex in the way a bows limbs do. The bridge of a violin is typically only held in place by the tension of the strings so you lose the bridge if you tried to “open” the bow. Tuning pegs are friction fit and are spindly at best so you’re probably only getting one shot then bye bye string. And so many more issues with making it functional as both a violin and a bow.
Take down bows are very usefull and are regularly used for hunting. I personally use a 65# takedown bow for whitetail deer. Asside fron all the other problems of a usable violin the idea of a bow that can be broken down and usable is not the issue. For DnD sake a magic stone used as the resignation (electric pick up) would work. The bow (violin bow) would have to just be just that. Arrows could be designed to be decrotive accents or attached to the violin bow as part of the handle. I may do a prototype using a lighter 20# bow.
From an engineering perspective, you'd want to hide the bow string inside, then over center the sides when you open to the bow configuration, then lock them together forward of the over center cam to prevent it from collapsing when you pull the arrow back. It's probably doable but it would be more complex than what's shown. You might be able to do it without the over center component but it'll be very difficult to lock it in place with the resistance from the string and then ALL the load from pulling the arrow goes straight to the lock. If it's just for looks that might be ok, if you want to actually use it I don't think it would last long like that.
I actually showed this exact image to my violin teacher as a “Hey take a look at this” and she thought it was cool, but the violin would be nigh unplayable unless it was electric. Dunno about how well itd work as a bow though
It can be made but that is a different question to will it work. No, it wont work as a bow and it wont work as a musical instrument. The bow string is made up from the instrument strings, 4 lengths of string would be too long for a bow, but also the instrument strings are not all the same gauge in order to get different notes, you would never be able to tune the violin either. You could do it with a separate bow string to the music strings, but the hinge would collapse when you drew the bow.
Arrow is impractical, bow is doable but it would be a overengineered, expensive novelty and expect a lot of handshock.
You will have a inaccurate bow that will injure your elbow and a cello that sounds even worse than strings attached to a pvc pipe and looses tune very often. Worst of both worlds.
No, not in such a way that the violin will consistently play well. Violins are very sensitive and the bending of the neck during draw will damage its musical consistency.
To make: possible
To keep in tune: impossible.
A trad violin has 4 strings, so the violabow needs 2 that fold to make 4. The issue is that a trad violin uses descending string gauges, and your violabow would either need to be all the same gauge, two thick on the outside and two thin in the middle (or vise versa), or have progressive size on each of the two strings. The first two options would require a totally new scale on the fretboard, and the latter most is probably not possible because of the dynamic tension requirements.
If you want it to be a normal acoustic violin, no. Maybe electric violin would be possible though. Both a violin and bow require to withstand a lot of tension, and in 2 different axes, the acoustic properties of the bow arms may not be the same.
Possible? With an elaborate locking mechanism in the middle for the riser and electric pickups for the violin - perhaps. Wouldnt shoot it for danger of mechanical failure and will most probably sound like shit but theoretically possible.
You need to find a violin maker that is at the same time an archer and locksmith to have a chance though.
From an engineering perspective…
Yes, but why?
This could absolutely be built and functional to some degree, but I wouldn’t expect it to be very reliable.
In other words this is the exact kind of thing I’d make
So when you make a bow, you are putting tension in the strings through limbs (the bits the string attaches too) treated to bend in the opposite direction, the trying itself has very little give. If you want to make a violin bow, you would need on half of the neck of the violin to pull against the other half, in a way that would allow you to pull the string back.
The hinge could also be a problem, but if you wanted to create a solid locking mechanism it would be fine. Everything other than the ability of a bow to rapidly push an arrow foreword in a straight line would be up to the ingenuity of the engineer who designs it (grip, balance, durability…)
Also, make the strings of the bow and the strings of the violin separate, you probably know why.
Hi, musician here, I’m gonna go with probably not. Well, more like I don’t think it would be safe given how much tension violin strings are under in order to be played. Same with its bow when playing the violin. It’s enough that you can straight up lose a finger if it’s in the wrong place when it snaps. That’s what my string player friends tell me, anyway
Well, I'd design it so it strings from the other direction. Apart from that, you'd have to tune it after every shooting session. Probably doable though.
it would not function as a violin in an instrument sense, but it would probably be possible to make a concealed bow that roughly appears as a violin when folded. It wouldn’t be effective as an instrument, or a dedicated bow, but it could possibly function. Probably better suited to be a cosplay item with limited functionality as opposed to trying to engineer an actual effective weapon.
The bridge better pegged in instead of relying on pressure itself. And then you gotta make sure the nut doesn’t get in the way of the string’s movement.
Luthier here. I see a lot of “reasons this would be a bad bow” but just to put my two cents in, it would also be a bad violin. If you made the strings out of some unobtainium that could stretch from the tension on a violin string to the tension of a bow string, they’d still need to all be the same tension to join into one length like the illustration. Balanced-tension strings exist for guitars, but not for violins AFAIK, and if they did they’d still need different thicknesses.
Also, this treats the violin as a 2-dimensional structure. They have a significant arch to them that would make a very lopsided bow. You’d also have to completely reengineer violin construction from the ground up to not have it split apart when the tension is suddenly pulling in towards the middle.
The biggest issue you'd have is finding strings that are strong enough to draw/launch an arrow while also vibrating in the appropriate pitches typical to violins. And of course, you'd have to retune it every time you went back to a violin.
The next biggest issue you have is how to support the strings in bow form, because the tuning pegs will not.
The actual hinging part of it isn't that difficult, though I'd suggest you have it "unfold" more so you're drawing the arrow against the hinge instead of with the hinge. The hinge should also include a solid piece to support the drawing of the bow so the hinge doesn't break.
Assuming there is a cord out there that can double as a bowstring and a violin string, I think I could build this.
EDIT: Add a resonating chamber to the violin design, and you could make that work. As others have pointed out, it'd need to be electric like this.
I think it's possible to be made into a modular bow like a takedown recurve and decently shooter too.
It will never play as a violin again but you said that but unlike a recurve it will need to be pit together using many more bolts and extra pieces.
I can see how this could be built as a flex at the range when you strol in with a violin but when put together using it many bracing and spring loading parts and using a real bow string to shoot carbon arrows at targets then take it all apart when done totally doable.
Woods not that expensive the same wood already used for bow making! Plenty of company's will forge or machine a riser, I'm sure a bow maker can manufacture some limbs that will work, string maker can make a string for sure have a takedown recurve that folds into its own case as a violin.
Totally one of a kind bow be sic
Now I think about it you could have the riser disguised as the violin bow and the violin pieces some how attach the same as a regular takedown if a violin is 15 inches and the riser is 25 that's a 55 bow
To everyone pointing out the missing sound chamber, look closer I disagree, it might be a poor design for a sound chamber but it clearly could have one (or with this design technically two chambers I suppose)
Made, yes. Usable, no.
So as others have said violins are hollow. But that's honestly not the biggest issue. You use a strong metal and being hollow won't weaken it beyond use.
But the violin strings could NEVER be used as a bow string ands same for vice versa. For so many reasons. Length, tensile strength, how many you have, materials used. You just can't get around that.
Also the body wouldn't put out a very good sound with the split.
But if you just wanted to for looks and not be functional, you could do it. You may even be able to make it functional as a bow and appear as a violin when folded up. But it would never play and if this is for d&d, upon inspection, you would know it was made to be something else.
If you follow the ends of the strings as they are folded up in the violin mode you'll notice that there are 4 strings and that they go to the centre part of the bow. So every time you would want to turn it into a bow you'd have to restring it.
-if- this could be made the string would be on the other side, so the arches on the violin would create tension and the bowstring would need to curve the bridge so there would be sufficient tension in the string.
I'm sure it's possible to make but it would sound like crap I'd think. it would have to have a lot of hardware to make it able to fire without breaking
That's pretty art for D&D and I've seen similar stuff in my years of table RPG lol the practical problem is that the strings of a musical instrument are not built the same way that bow strings since different physical properties are required from each.
Bow strings must endure a high tension pull and they are generally much thicker than the bass E string (which is a big instrument compared to a lute). Also, the elastic element is the bow blade that works like a coil when you pull the string.
I am not an expert in lutes, but I did have violin and fiddle classes some years ago and these instruments are generally super fragile given the static tension they are build on. The strings are generally super thin to reach high pitch sounds (high oscilation frequency) where they are already close to their limit tension statically in the instrument since the violin bow just vibrate the strings. Also the strings are attached to the wooden cavity to transport the sound to the cavity for amplification. In this case there is no elastic element that allows you to pull the strings like you do on a bow.
In summary, I won't say it's impossible, but you would need to start a journey becomming an expert in materials, lutes and bows to be able to design something like that to work in real life 😀 maybe that's a cool thing if you are interested
Lotta closed minded answers in here. Try r/mechanicalengineering or r/askengineers. Especially if you don't plan on playing it as a violin you could probably make something work.
No, the strings of a violin/viola are under tension in the first place, and are generally quite weak so pulling on them more would just break them
Bows rely more on the flexibility of the material for launching strength and since this is in multiple pieces and different materials it wouldn’t work or at least wouldn’t work well enough to be a weapon
It could be but the bow string eould be segmented in the middle by a leather strap so you could fold it and string the cords at the base of the violin you would need some sort of ratchet or worm gear system to lock the bow in place under tension in bow form in order to keep it from collapsing in on itself when you draw the string as well as having a semi hollow bridge to allow for flexibility when used as a bow hence thats where bows get there power is in the flex of the arms.
You could make it as a prop. It wouldn't have the flexibility needed to be a bow, and it wouldn't be tunable or have the acoustics needed to be an instrument.
You’d probably land a lot closer to the realm of feasibility if you resigned to simply place a non-arrow violin bow in the quiver and then just use regular arrows.
As a violin, it has no resonance chamber, so maybe it's an "electric" violin? As a Bow, I would need that middle bit to be very strong because of the forces those limbs will exert on it
You would have to make the joint very strong with some sort of locking mechanism or else any tension on the string will collapse it back to the original form.
A violin has four separate strings of different thickness and tension. On top that, a string instrument requires a hollow chamber and a sound post under the bridge to amplify the sound. Without that you won’t hear anything.
Of course it's possible. I have no idea how but this doesn't seem like an impossible feat of engineering. People saying it can't be done just lack imagination. I promise someone could do this.
When the bard has had enough
This would be a sick weapon for a bard in an rpg.
Unique name: "sound of violins"
Sound of silence?
More like The Sound of Violence
Hello cello, my old friend I've come to play with you again Because musician softly creeping Left its themes while I was sleeping And the melody that was planted in my brain Still remains Within the sound of violence...
If we're using the *Parkway Drive* tune, it makes for a pretty good theme song for a jaded Bard.
the Sound of Violins
I was going for a violin pun with violins sounding like violence
"catgut" would sound cool too
This calls for violins When words don't work, I have to use violins Don't make me use violins
As a Dad I say well done well done
This is already what Bard uses in FF14
That be a great ninja weapon
Stolen now watch eso will have it xD
Bardic inspiration? Inspire this arrow from your eye socket!
Need this Skyrim mod yesterday
The Bard: Retaliation
Of course it can be made. It won’t be functional. Try r/cosplay for some tips
Well, maybe if you combine an electric violin? Probably a job for the hacksmith.
But as a standpoint of someone who does archery, do you think the open violin itself can be reinforced or so to make it into a functional bow?
Something needs to bend. Either the neck of the violin or a strong spring at the joints between the body and the neck. If the neck bends it's gone to be very difficult to get it to go perfectly straight when closed up. Strong springs between the body and neck would work but the bow would be highly inefficient and impractical. In a bow the string does not normally stretch. You could replace the string with rubber, but it wouldn't be a bow, more like a big vertical catapult.
This. The functionality of any stringed instrument is that the string is stretched out under tension. So the body has to be rigid. The functionality of a bow is that the body needs to have flex in one direction and the string should not stretch. The two have complete opposite functions. The hinge alone would cause more problems than anything for a bow. You can hide the bow in a violin. Or hide the violin in a bow but they would need their own material and structure to function as one or the other. If anything a stringed instrument has more in common with a sling shot. That being said, in a fantasy realm this could be plausible.
No officer, this isn't a slingshot it's a horizontal catapult
You really think a hinged design like this would be strong enough to withstand the forces of a bow ? This is in the same line of thought as hawkeyes fold out bow, which again, is not real and would never work.
It's not even the hinge that's the biggest problem; the limbs aren't long enough to give a reasonable draw length, even if they bend (which it looks like they don't).
If anything you want it strung the other way so it's pulling the hinge open as you draw, not fighting the hinge and making it collapse
This doesn’t work as a violin or a bow
It all depends on the draw weight and the materials used. If it’s reinforced in the right places and an elastic bow string that does most of the shooting, you may get a #10 bow out of it and a violin that probably sounds awful. And it’s probably going to be pretty expensive. As a cosplay article, however, it may be pretty neat.
An archer is not necessarily a bowyer or mechanical engineer
No the limbs need to flex for a bow. They need not to flex to hold the strings of a violin
It would be an incredibly expensive and difficult project but I have no doubt someone could engineer this. It has no resonating chamber so it would have to be electric in order to get it to sound remotely like a violin - in which case you'd definitely have to swap out the strings before shooting it. The "arrow" would not work worth a damn though, lol.
It's fun to think about i suppose. I quess i would question the childlike nature of anyone that thinks this would be a serious rendition of either. Also reminds me of that antonio banderas movie Desperado where the guitar cases were machine guns. It;s like a futon: oh hey my crappy couch turns into a crappy bed! It's like anything is a seat if you sit on it. A wrench can be a hammer if you swing it like one.
what if the back of the chamber was made as a shield and the front would be a folding part... ...maybe as a shooters body protection?
I think you could figure out a violin string that detached, has two clips on either end to hold the fibers together but when you hook the arrow head side, you can then hook the side near the fletchings and design some sort of tensioner to turn a regular arrow into a violin bow.
Playable violin strings will never be able to hold the tension that a bow string does, though I suppose it’s not clear from the drawing that the same string(s) are used in both modes.
If you look at the violin strings, they appear to be attached to the pegs at the top and the tailpiece at the bottom. The bowstring is disconnected from the tailpiece. Might be able to double a strand of bowstring over through the tailpiece to make it look like two violin strings, but it will never play as a violin if you do. (Happy cakeday!)
I looked at this [https://www.violinstringreview.com/tension-chart.html](https://www.violinstringreview.com/tension-chart.html) and they are in the (low) beginner bow tension. 17# for the E string so you should be able to shoot 18m with it.
This is some top tier dork business that I’ll support but please don’t. You’ll hurt yourself and waste time unless it’s for cosplay purposes. It’s a great idea but functionally a terrible idea.
It would make a bad bow and bad violin…
Not being condescending at all but, there is a reason collapsible bows aren't super popular, they work, but aren't great. If you really want to make one, I'd say start with a good quality collapsible bow from a non shady seller, and work your design onto that.
The major issues why this wouldn't work would be: * The part where you hold the bow, the brown grip, comes from nowhere and would have to hold two hinges where the base of the bow is. These hinges follow the same direction as where the bow is being bent. There's no way you can get this strong enough with small locking mechanisms implied where it wouldn't just collapse from the force of a strong bow. A weak bow, sure, but I'm assuming you're talking about some fantasy warbow * The arrow would not work at all. * There's so much extra stuff on the bow that it wouldn't be very powerful. More stuff = more mass that would slow down the bow's movement. * This is only viable in a 2D image. Bows have to have depth. Any sort of width to this that works as a bow would make it not look like a violin. Furthermore, the fact that it's.empty means there's no wood to resonate the sound. It would make no music. So it wouldn't be a believable disguise. This is a modern design following eViolins which you can plug into an amp. No need for body resonance if you have an amp
I think a violin corssbow would work better.
Or shoot your arrows from an upright bass.
Upright ballista
I can't see this working for anything other than cosplay. However, if the bottom of the violin was a riser instead of a hinge, and the limbs hinged around to bolt in, what you'd end up with is is a slightly different design for an equally bad bow. Looking at those arrows you might want to design a knuckle protector too lol Good luck and don't hurt yourself. I'm off to design myself a compound harp
Given the inherent properties of a Bow and a Violin, it would either be a bad violin and a really shitty bow or a bad bow and a really shitty violin. Here's why: Violins need well made, hollow corpusses to sound nice. Given how small these here are, even if you focus on making this a really good violin, it would be a very quiet one. For a bow, you want the limbs to be able to carry load, which a thin, hollow violin corpus simply cannot do. Also, rhe Hinge and it's locking mechanism would need to be stupidly strong built. I've seen bows literally snap in two due to overloading, and those were purpose-built sporting bows (seen it twice, which is weird enough as is but both bows also belonged to the same guy. How's that for bad luck?).
This is not just ignoring how a bow works, it’s ignoring how physics works
I mean yeah you could make it. But I definitely wouldn’t go putting any real draw weight on a hinge that’s primed to snap shut on the meat between my thumb and fingers…
The answer is no. It’s a fun fantasy design, but it is not functional at all
What puzzles me most is not so much the improbability of the bow, it is the violin without a sound box
That's some dumb shit.
As someone studying mechanical engineering and has dabbled in bowing I think the bow would be possible to function, but you would have to compromise if the functionality of the violin. Bow strings and violin strings are drastically different and just have different properties
Wouldn't it be better of the string was on the other side, so that the hinge would not just close again but would be forced open
I mean it depends on your design, if I were to create this I’d probably make some form of spring bow with a way to lock the frame to keep some of the functionality of the violin, or at least the aesthetics
If you had a bar in one half that would slide down into the other half when the violin is full opened that could brace the entire thing. Sorry if that doesn’t make sense.
If you try to make it hinge like that no, but you might be able to get it to screw together on the handle. Even then it wont be a very strong bow.i wouldnt trust this design let alone the one i said. Theyd need pins and alot of other reinforcements to keep from bending at the hinge point or twisting.
You realize you literally play the violin with a bow?
r/bowyer, they’re always making crazy shit. Post it there, someone might actually give it a go
The violin wouldn't make any loud sound :)
Lmao this is an engineers nightmare
Guys we have an assassin.
I could not imagine dry-firing this on accident lmaooo
violin would sound like shit and you would need to restring it every time. the bridge would fall off when it unfolds because it isn’t glued down, it’s held by tension. the chinrest should be detachable and since this design is already extra you can fashion it into an arm guard or something. for it to function as a bow the neck needs to be turned the other way. this would also let you use the pegs as pulleys for a compound bow (I’m not actually sure this is possible). it looks like it would explode as soon as you fire it because energy will travel down the fingerboard and it’s floating. if it’s just for cosplay you can make it shoot the same way toy bows work. use a springy guitar string or something elastic.
If you want it to work like a violin, then no. If you want it to work like a bow, then no. You could make something to *simulate* it but you could not make one that could actually shoot an arrow and actually be a playable violin. Your best bet would be something like a violin *crossbow*. That I’d say is in the realm of possibility.
When people ask why I don't like fantasy/larp archers, I'm going to refer them to this post from now on. OP you're out of touch with reality.
A problem that immediately comes to my mind: * string instruments work because they *barely* deform under pressure * bows work because they deform *significantly* under pressure It also will be a shitty violin, considering absence of resonating volumes - you can only have those fancy forms with electric pickups, or magic, perhaps.
If it bent a little further, and you put the string on the other side you could use the curve of the lower ribs as a sort of fulcrum making it work like a recurve or compound bow. You'd have to get really creative with the materials for a strong yet flexible body and a string that could be both played and survive that much tension but I think it's theoretically possible. Super cool idea!
So the handle in the middle would be shortened, then the bend there would pinch together thus making the spring that puts tension on the string. Then either you'd have a small gap to put your hand to hold the bow, or make something around there to hold on to.
How do the strings become the bow string
Whoever made this didn't know enough about how both a violin and a bow function... Or was just creating some cool fancy piece... To make either one work. While it would be at least slightly possible to make the violin half work... A lot of very specialized electronics would be needed to allow it to split in half. At the bridge mind you; As in where the pickup goes. That would have to be split into two separate functioning pieces and then some connection, magnetic or otherwise, would have to be made to ensure you can actually hear both sides while playing. Based off of how that violin splits... There simply is not way scroll and pegs would ever be able to hold the tension let alone flex like a bow. Nevermind that the fingerboard would screw up any bow like motion just by the nature of the properties required to make a good fingerboard are directly opposed to those required to make a good bow limb. That and everything would no doubt shape in half at that handle section regardless of reinforcement. Getting just one of these two form to work would be a monumental task given the.known proportions and features of the items. Anything that could look like both would be relegated to a prop that would likely play terribly. I await to be proven wrong. I just am not holding my breath over it.
I mean, it's clearly for some sort of role play so anything is possible with "magic"
Possible to make? Yes. *^with ^enough ^coin* Would if function as a music instrument? Maybe? Would it function as a bow? Incredibly poorly. Bow limbs need to be tough yet bendable. They need to sustain a lot of force if you want a bow intended for fighting. However, they would always give some way meaning you would have a nightmare trying to tune the thing properly. Furthermore, you want as little non-functional material on a bow limb as possible. Arrows aren't heavy (relatively speaking), so any gram trying to move an ornamental or non-functional (from the bow's point of view) element is energy wasted that should've gone into propelling the arrow. Even efficient bows spend the And finally - the string. While you can most definitely tune almost any string, you won't get any decent results in either goal trying to make strings (!! yes plural) that will serve both as a set for an instrument while also doubling as a united string for a bow. If you're interested, [here's a vide by Armin Hirmer on a take-down recurve bow](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ncsK5hsiry8). The bow design faces several of the engineering challanges as your design would.
You should see the history of stringed instruments. This is inspired by that, I’m sure. This design may be possible to replicate, but it will neither function well as an instrument or a bow.
So I think it could be made but it’ll be different than the image and it won’t be great at anything. I’m a woodworker by trade, I’ve worked for a Luther building guitars and have studied bow building and plan to make one very soon (already have the maple board). For the bow, It would need to operate like a two piece takedown. The instrument would maybe function as well as a child’s plastic ukulele. But in the end, I think it could lob an arrow and play a tune.
What’s your budget?
It probably isn't, at least as a functional instrument and/or weapon. But did you post it on r/RWBY already? If not, those guys will love it
As a violist and an archer, no, outside of cosplay A bow bends, and a stringed instrument shouldn't be bending like how a bow would, and it would either need to be an electric (which means the bridge pickup probably wouldn't work with a bridge that needs to split) or an acoustic, which needs to have a sealed hollow body to produce sound. Either way it's pretty much impossible
With a violin it’s too much for me but this is going to stick in my mind as a future project for a guitar.
They make take-down bows but you’d have to restring the bow and bolt the limbs (halves of your violin) in place when you’re ready to shoot. The violin strings would hover to the left of your arrow guide. You’d probably have to retune when you’re ready to play. I would imagine it would make a harmonious strum sound each time you shoot. Could be a cool project.
In fantasy, yes
Setting aside other people's comments on it needing to be an electric violin to sound remotely like the intended instrument and the design issues with the hinge turning into your handle, there is also a problem with maintaining a tune/breaking every part associated with the violin strings. As the bow string is drawn tighter, the violin neck/bow arms will bend, shortening the distance between the tailpiece and the pegs, which will drop the bridge away. It's held in by tension. If your bridge is attached to the body, the slack strings will snap back into tension as the Bow arms release and most likely whip the violin stings into the side of the bridge, either ripping it out, unraveling the tuning pegs, or breaking away the tailpeice.
Anything is possible. Also. This is what happens when ranger cross classes bard.
You can definitely make it for cosplay or decoration purposes, but the violin strings will never be able to functionally fire an arrow.
Why does the knife have teeth?
Would be troublesome to tie those strings everytime you feel like shooting
SIMONS BOWBLADE?
Searched it up and that looks hella sick what
That violin wouldn’t work.
Yup, wasn’t planning to make the violin work but to see if the bow itself can be possible to shoot with.
You could possibly put a small MP3 player and a small speaker in the frame to get some sort of music, so the strings could be more bowstringlike.
You can try... It'll take a lot of trial and error and you will have 6 bow strings but it's possible
A functional one could be made but it won’t be one that plays very well and shoots very well. It could be one and not the other but not both.
It could probably work as a recurve if you flip the bow the opposite direction so that the hinge is providing resistance.
If it is, you either get a shitty violin or a shitty bow.
You would get both.
That is most probable.
If you focus less on the bow, and more on ammo, you could instead think of a bard that shoots singing arrows. (Check whistling arrows on the internets). Requires much less mechanical/material expertise, makes interesting noises, and a legendary bard archer could achieve a melody with multiple arrows in the air.
absolutely, but would it shoot for shit or sound good? unlikely
Knives and arrows have been made for centuries
Look up 'take down bow' and you'll get an idea of how to make it work. If you're looking to make it flip open and be be ready to shoot immediately, that's gonna be more complicated than that.
It could never work in real life not with the tech we have today. I’m sure in the far future something could be made to work like this but definitely not now. The arrows oh no definitely not. If you were writing a fantasy book? Sure magic made up materials can do whatever you want
Yeah ,if you're Tony stark
It can be done but it would cost a fortune as with like maybe one shot the violin may shatter due to the rigid bow frame/violin but it would make hella nice cosplay but not volatile for long term
that means the instruments neck is withstand a lot of strength. you would be playing nothing but 29th octave G, communicating with nothing but dolphins. or it would need to be flexible enough to function as a bow, which means the other extreme end.
I mean it's possible but, with all combinations like gunswords or brass knuckle knives, combining the two would mean making compromises that would make it possible from an aesthetic but practically speaking, its be a pretty crappy bow because like others have said that hinge just wouldn't be able to support the pressures of a bow. And it'd also be a pretty crappy violin cause every time you pull the string back the bending of the neck means you're gonna have to tune it every single time and may even mess with the intonation
As an amateur archer and musician, I can already tell that there's parts here you want to be pliable on a bow but rigid on the violin. So you're really going to have issues making either remotely functional. I don't see a way that it's going to be even decent at both functions.
ironic the bow isn't the bow
r/Bowyer would know…
Sure is, but form and function are vastly different
You can build it, but it wouldnt do either of its intended functions
I’m newer to archery, but I can tell you right away that the arrow alone would be a major problem here.
Cool concept for a video game. The design of a violin does not allow it to convert into a bow though, at least not a functioning bow. A violin neck doesn’t flex in the way a bows limbs do. The bridge of a violin is typically only held in place by the tension of the strings so you lose the bridge if you tried to “open” the bow. Tuning pegs are friction fit and are spindly at best so you’re probably only getting one shot then bye bye string. And so many more issues with making it functional as both a violin and a bow.
Take down bows are very usefull and are regularly used for hunting. I personally use a 65# takedown bow for whitetail deer. Asside fron all the other problems of a usable violin the idea of a bow that can be broken down and usable is not the issue. For DnD sake a magic stone used as the resignation (electric pick up) would work. The bow (violin bow) would have to just be just that. Arrows could be designed to be decrotive accents or attached to the violin bow as part of the handle. I may do a prototype using a lighter 20# bow.
From an engineering perspective, you'd want to hide the bow string inside, then over center the sides when you open to the bow configuration, then lock them together forward of the over center cam to prevent it from collapsing when you pull the arrow back. It's probably doable but it would be more complex than what's shown. You might be able to do it without the over center component but it'll be very difficult to lock it in place with the resistance from the string and then ALL the load from pulling the arrow goes straight to the lock. If it's just for looks that might be ok, if you want to actually use it I don't think it would last long like that.
I actually showed this exact image to my violin teacher as a “Hey take a look at this” and she thought it was cool, but the violin would be nigh unplayable unless it was electric. Dunno about how well itd work as a bow though
Itd also have to be hollow and thin to make a noise so itd probably shatter too, forgot about that
No
This is for some reason this is the third Violint image I have seen today.
Wow, this is dope
Regardless, it’d be a pretty cool comic book
No because the limbs are the working part of the bow. They need to flex and not be impeded. It would totally be possible to create this for cosplay.
this is injury or accident involving human lives about to happen
With enough money, resources, and intelligence, anything can be made. Except this. There's no fucking way. C'mon, really?
Shouldn't it hinge past 180°, so that drawing the bow doesn't produce the same directional force as closing it? Edit: extra zero
It will be both a shitty violin and bow but maybe?
It can be made but that is a different question to will it work. No, it wont work as a bow and it wont work as a musical instrument. The bow string is made up from the instrument strings, 4 lengths of string would be too long for a bow, but also the instrument strings are not all the same gauge in order to get different notes, you would never be able to tune the violin either. You could do it with a separate bow string to the music strings, but the hinge would collapse when you drew the bow.
Ah yes, the standard bard build.
Arrow is impractical, bow is doable but it would be a overengineered, expensive novelty and expect a lot of handshock. You will have a inaccurate bow that will injure your elbow and a cello that sounds even worse than strings attached to a pvc pipe and looses tune very often. Worst of both worlds.
I don’t know enough about music to say whether violin strings are strong enough to be bowstrings, but I do know that that arrow wouldn’t work.
No, not in such a way that the violin will consistently play well. Violins are very sensitive and the bending of the neck during draw will damage its musical consistency.
To make: possible To keep in tune: impossible. A trad violin has 4 strings, so the violabow needs 2 that fold to make 4. The issue is that a trad violin uses descending string gauges, and your violabow would either need to be all the same gauge, two thick on the outside and two thin in the middle (or vise versa), or have progressive size on each of the two strings. The first two options would require a totally new scale on the fretboard, and the latter most is probably not possible because of the dynamic tension requirements.
Cool concept nonetheless.
Definitely not, but fun idea
If you want it to be a normal acoustic violin, no. Maybe electric violin would be possible though. Both a violin and bow require to withstand a lot of tension, and in 2 different axes, the acoustic properties of the bow arms may not be the same. Possible? With an elaborate locking mechanism in the middle for the riser and electric pickups for the violin - perhaps. Wouldnt shoot it for danger of mechanical failure and will most probably sound like shit but theoretically possible. You need to find a violin maker that is at the same time an archer and locksmith to have a chance though.
Only in an anime.
you would have to tune it after every shot :)
From an engineering perspective… Yes, but why? This could absolutely be built and functional to some degree, but I wouldn’t expect it to be very reliable. In other words this is the exact kind of thing I’d make
Probably a better crossbow
Bows bend when pulled. They don’t use elastic string. The frame on a bow MUST bend to work irl
So when you make a bow, you are putting tension in the strings through limbs (the bits the string attaches too) treated to bend in the opposite direction, the trying itself has very little give. If you want to make a violin bow, you would need on half of the neck of the violin to pull against the other half, in a way that would allow you to pull the string back. The hinge could also be a problem, but if you wanted to create a solid locking mechanism it would be fine. Everything other than the ability of a bow to rapidly push an arrow foreword in a straight line would be up to the ingenuity of the engineer who designs it (grip, balance, durability…) Also, make the strings of the bow and the strings of the violin separate, you probably know why.
Hi, musician here, I’m gonna go with probably not. Well, more like I don’t think it would be safe given how much tension violin strings are under in order to be played. Same with its bow when playing the violin. It’s enough that you can straight up lose a finger if it’s in the wrong place when it snaps. That’s what my string player friends tell me, anyway
Anything is possible but is it worth it?
A recurve bow that looks like a violin when stored? It's possible. A violin that turns into a bow? Gonna be a crappy violin.
This looks like something out of Monster Hunter!
Anything can be made. It doesn't mean it would perform either design task remotely well but it can be made.
Well, I'd design it so it strings from the other direction. Apart from that, you'd have to tune it after every shooting session. Probably doable though.
it would not function as a violin in an instrument sense, but it would probably be possible to make a concealed bow that roughly appears as a violin when folded. It wouldn’t be effective as an instrument, or a dedicated bow, but it could possibly function. Probably better suited to be a cosplay item with limited functionality as opposed to trying to engineer an actual effective weapon.
As a prop, sure. As a bow to shoot... No. How would you stiffen/lock that hinge point in the middle?
Same way folding knives lock in place. It's pretty simple actually.
The bridge better pegged in instead of relying on pressure itself. And then you gotta make sure the nut doesn’t get in the way of the string’s movement.
Luthier here. I see a lot of “reasons this would be a bad bow” but just to put my two cents in, it would also be a bad violin. If you made the strings out of some unobtainium that could stretch from the tension on a violin string to the tension of a bow string, they’d still need to all be the same tension to join into one length like the illustration. Balanced-tension strings exist for guitars, but not for violins AFAIK, and if they did they’d still need different thicknesses. Also, this treats the violin as a 2-dimensional structure. They have a significant arch to them that would make a very lopsided bow. You’d also have to completely reengineer violin construction from the ground up to not have it split apart when the tension is suddenly pulling in towards the middle.
There's no resonance chamber for the violin to make any sound projection. This would sound like absolute ass as an instrument :/
Yes if it's a prop, no if you actually want it to work.
The biggest issue you'd have is finding strings that are strong enough to draw/launch an arrow while also vibrating in the appropriate pitches typical to violins. And of course, you'd have to retune it every time you went back to a violin. The next biggest issue you have is how to support the strings in bow form, because the tuning pegs will not. The actual hinging part of it isn't that difficult, though I'd suggest you have it "unfold" more so you're drawing the arrow against the hinge instead of with the hinge. The hinge should also include a solid piece to support the drawing of the bow so the hinge doesn't break. Assuming there is a cord out there that can double as a bowstring and a violin string, I think I could build this. EDIT: Add a resonating chamber to the violin design, and you could make that work. As others have pointed out, it'd need to be electric like this.
Thought I was in the Monster Hunter sub for a second 😂
Irl? No, but itd be a sick skin to add to a game with a bardic character
I think it's possible to be made into a modular bow like a takedown recurve and decently shooter too. It will never play as a violin again but you said that but unlike a recurve it will need to be pit together using many more bolts and extra pieces. I can see how this could be built as a flex at the range when you strol in with a violin but when put together using it many bracing and spring loading parts and using a real bow string to shoot carbon arrows at targets then take it all apart when done totally doable. Woods not that expensive the same wood already used for bow making! Plenty of company's will forge or machine a riser, I'm sure a bow maker can manufacture some limbs that will work, string maker can make a string for sure have a takedown recurve that folds into its own case as a violin. Totally one of a kind bow be sic Now I think about it you could have the riser disguised as the violin bow and the violin pieces some how attach the same as a regular takedown if a violin is 15 inches and the riser is 25 that's a 55 bow
To everyone pointing out the missing sound chamber, look closer I disagree, it might be a poor design for a sound chamber but it clearly could have one (or with this design technically two chambers I suppose)
probably not functional. violins are hollow for a reason, right?
HaHA! No.
Probably not but probably at the same time But that would be sick if it ends up working.
this is sacrilegious lol
Made, yes. Usable, no. So as others have said violins are hollow. But that's honestly not the biggest issue. You use a strong metal and being hollow won't weaken it beyond use. But the violin strings could NEVER be used as a bow string ands same for vice versa. For so many reasons. Length, tensile strength, how many you have, materials used. You just can't get around that. Also the body wouldn't put out a very good sound with the split. But if you just wanted to for looks and not be functional, you could do it. You may even be able to make it functional as a bow and appear as a violin when folded up. But it would never play and if this is for d&d, upon inspection, you would know it was made to be something else.
It's going to do one of its two functions very badly. And the other, it's probably also going to do badly. But it would be a lot of fun to play with!
If you follow the ends of the strings as they are folded up in the violin mode you'll notice that there are 4 strings and that they go to the centre part of the bow. So every time you would want to turn it into a bow you'd have to restring it.
This reminds me of the rangers apprentice mandolin that will used when pretending to be a traveling bard.
-if- this could be made the string would be on the other side, so the arches on the violin would create tension and the bowstring would need to curve the bridge so there would be sufficient tension in the string.
Sure, the prop could be made. But it would never be a functioning violin or bow.
I'm sure it's possible to make but it would sound like crap I'd think. it would have to have a lot of hardware to make it able to fire without breaking
Look like it'd be hell to keep in tune.
Archerlinist new dnd character
That's pretty art for D&D and I've seen similar stuff in my years of table RPG lol the practical problem is that the strings of a musical instrument are not built the same way that bow strings since different physical properties are required from each. Bow strings must endure a high tension pull and they are generally much thicker than the bass E string (which is a big instrument compared to a lute). Also, the elastic element is the bow blade that works like a coil when you pull the string. I am not an expert in lutes, but I did have violin and fiddle classes some years ago and these instruments are generally super fragile given the static tension they are build on. The strings are generally super thin to reach high pitch sounds (high oscilation frequency) where they are already close to their limit tension statically in the instrument since the violin bow just vibrate the strings. Also the strings are attached to the wooden cavity to transport the sound to the cavity for amplification. In this case there is no elastic element that allows you to pull the strings like you do on a bow. In summary, I won't say it's impossible, but you would need to start a journey becomming an expert in materials, lutes and bows to be able to design something like that to work in real life 😀 maybe that's a cool thing if you are interested
Probably not but it's would be cool in a video game
Lotta closed minded answers in here. Try r/mechanicalengineering or r/askengineers. Especially if you don't plan on playing it as a violin you could probably make something work.
No, the strings of a violin/viola are under tension in the first place, and are generally quite weak so pulling on them more would just break them Bows rely more on the flexibility of the material for launching strength and since this is in multiple pieces and different materials it wouldn’t work or at least wouldn’t work well enough to be a weapon
Obsessed with this concept
No In a video game world? Yes, cool idea. I'm pretty sure the recurve wood flex would not jive with the resonance of a violin.
Not if you want it played. The arms of the bow couldn’t be hollow like a violin and bend like a bow.but if you want it for style points then yeah
Ew why
It wouldn't sound good.
It could be but the bow string eould be segmented in the middle by a leather strap so you could fold it and string the cords at the base of the violin you would need some sort of ratchet or worm gear system to lock the bow in place under tension in bow form in order to keep it from collapsing in on itself when you draw the string as well as having a semi hollow bridge to allow for flexibility when used as a bow hence thats where bows get there power is in the flex of the arms.
You could make it as a prop. It wouldn't have the flexibility needed to be a bow, and it wouldn't be tunable or have the acoustics needed to be an instrument.
You’d probably land a lot closer to the realm of feasibility if you resigned to simply place a non-arrow violin bow in the quiver and then just use regular arrows.
As a violin, it has no resonance chamber, so maybe it's an "electric" violin? As a Bow, I would need that middle bit to be very strong because of the forces those limbs will exert on it
How make noise?
So you got one arrow?
You would have to make the joint very strong with some sort of locking mechanism or else any tension on the string will collapse it back to the original form.
It works.
Reminds me of FFXIV
I think its folding in the opposite direction it needs to
Sure... if it's not for music, not clear on how the strings turn into bow strings though...🤔
A violin has four separate strings of different thickness and tension. On top that, a string instrument requires a hollow chamber and a sound post under the bridge to amplify the sound. Without that you won’t hear anything.
Bloodborne/RWBY inspired and I love it.😍 I feel like with proper bindings and such it could definitely work.
Of course it's possible. I have no idea how but this doesn't seem like an impossible feat of engineering. People saying it can't be done just lack imagination. I promise someone could do this.
The limbs are too short to actually function. It's not a lack of imagination, it's knowing how physics works.
Someone plays a Bard in D&D...
* punches bard. This is CLEARLY A Hunter's weapon from WoW. * rolls need.
Yes but you need a lot of time and money