Dulcimer Pins Slipping

[Steve Flinchum]

Hi All,
I built a couple of hammered dulcimers a few year ago and now some of the strings will not tune. The pins won't hold the tension. I'm looking for suggestions on how to fix this other than pulling the pins, plugging, and redrilling the holes. Pins are set in a maple frame with a thin redwood layer on top.
Any ideas?

Thanks,
Steve

[Jamie Buxton]

Try rosin -- y'know, the stuff which string musicians put on their bows. It works for them because it is a little sticky. Maybe it is just sticky enough to stop your pins from rotating.

[Jim Kountz]

A good friend of mine builds these things and he used rosin for this exact purpose.

[John Bailey]

I think rosin will work better, but some of the old timers use flour to hold tuning pegs in violins. Might work for the dulcimer also. I make mountain dulcimers, and flour works on those, but that's wood on wood. Again, rosin will probably work better.

John

[Cliff Rohrabacher]

Are you sure that the tapers match?

If they don't they will self release.

If the tapers are out rosin won't help a whole lot.

[Steve Flinchum]

I appreciate you taking the time to reply. Wood against steel in a straight hole is not an ideal situation for tuning pegs, but they have been done this way for years. I built flat tops; if I do any more I think I'll add a slant to the pin board to take some of the stress off of the pins. Out on the farm, if I have a roped calf and bend the rope around a post or tree it is much easier to hold him than to pull straight on. This same principle should work for this application too. Plus I have seen others done this way.
Looks like powdered rosin and peg swell stuff for violins are options to try. I may even try some locktite. Whatever happens, I can always plug and redrill.
Thanks again for your help.

Steve

[Ray Knight]

There is a whole science to this, especially in tuning pins in pianos. I forget the name of the the stuff, but there is a liquid that can help on loose tuning pins. I forget the name of it, but google piano tune/repair pages and you can find it real quick. Ray Knight

[Steve Flinchum]

Pull the pin and coat the wall of the hole with the violin swelling solution. Coat the metal pin with powdered rosin and replace in hole. Wait a day or so and retune. So far this is working GREAT.

Steve

[John Lucas]

"Wood against steel in a straight hole "

if that is the case, how about removing peg and use a tapered reamer very gently on the steel hole.

[Steve Flinchum]

Hi John,
The holes are in the wood and the pins are lightly ringed steel. I ordered some .010" oversized pins just in case the chemicals didn't work, but it looks like I may not have to use them at this point. At $3.00 apiece, they are very expensive for repair if you have many to replace since there are (I think) 58 pins on each instrument. It's funny how some of the original pins still hold fine and some are practically loose in the holes. I guess it's like me, as I get older some of my parts are wearing out too.

Steve