| Author |
Comment |
mycatmarti
Registered User
Posts: 51
(7/16/01 9:34:27 am)
Reply
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stuck
pegs
The pegs on my cello are stuck. Any ideas on how to unstick them.
Is it necessary to buy special peg soap, or would a vegetable based
soap work also?
My cello is in tune with itself, but not with
anything else.
Mia
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Victor
Sazer
Registered
User
Posts: 99
(7/17/01 1:23:36
am)
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|
Stuck
Pegs?
Try using some Lava soap. It has just the right proportion of soap
and pumice to keep your pegs lubricated enough to turn easily and at
the same time keeps them from slipping.
An LA instrument
maker who was going to market a product for this purpose decided to
analyze the content of the Lava soap he used for washing his hands.
He found that it had the same ingredients as the product he was
planning to produce. Needless to say, he gave up on his project.
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SW
Registered
User
Posts: 77
(7/17/01 9:14:37
am)
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stuck
pegs
I guess the soap is OK for "sticking" pegs, but if they are "stuck"
how are you going to get the soap on the pegs. The dealer we
purchased my kid's cello from suggested putting the instrument in an
air conditioned room for a few hours. I found that to be a scarey
proposition, because I was afraid the seams would open up, but was
told not to worry. It worked, but the pegs were really stuck and it
took an overnight stay in A/C to unstick them. Even with that, the C
string would not budge. The luthier at Christoffe Landon's shop
whacked it out--very scarey sound--but it came out. If you go with
the A/C idea, check the cello every so often. You don't want all the
pegs to slip and the sound post to fall. There are products
available for sticking pegs. Try Shar or other string mail order
outfits. The recommendation my daughter received was to tune her
cello several times a week with the pegs, so they don't freeze up.
That is also better for the bridge, because tuning with the fine
tuners exclusively can bend the bridge forward over time, due to
continual pulling in the same direction (or so we were told).
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playingfavorites
Registered
User
Posts: 121
(7/17/01 11:29:35
pm)
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|
Please, no lava
soap
With respect for Victor's otherwise very wonderful insightful
writing - I should butt in with the wisdom of experience about this
lava soap idea. Yes, it's used still even at some shops who should
know better. Pumice grinds against the wood and wears it out of
round more quickly than it otherwise would. Pumice also binds with
moisture and creates a concrete-like marriage of the pegs inside its
hole. I saw a peg which had to be broken off and pounded out (very
carefully) from the small end. The luthier who effected this repair
was very angry at the other shop which had applied the soap. Please
use only peg compound made for the purpose. If you can't loosen it
yourself, just take the cello to a shop where the pegs can be
loosened, cleaned, and shaped to fit if needed. Gosh, I'm sorry to
be negative especially with Mr. Sazer (sorry) but lava soap is
really a bad idea.
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mycatmarti
Registered User
Posts: 52
(7/18/01 5:40:19 am)
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stuck
pegs
I bought peg compound. It was only $3.95. The pegs are still stuck,
I'm going to put the cello in my air conditioned bedroom this
evening, and see if they shrink a bit. If not it's on to Digman's,
the local luthier. About how much does it cost to have your pegs
unstuck?
Mia
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drcello
Registered User
Posts: 502
(7/18/01 9:20:20 am)
Reply
| Edit
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Not much
practical help but.....
If the holes and pegs are truly round, you won't need any soap, peg
compounds, whatever. Take it to a shop somewhere and have the holes
and pegs made truly round, and you won't have anymore trouble for a
lifetime. I have had my cello for 40 years, and the pegs have always
worked without any problem at all.
Marshall C. St. John
drcello@vei.net
Wayside Presbyterian Church
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SW
Registered
User
Posts: 78
(7/18/01 9:54:10
am)
Reply
|
stuck
pegs
If they are really stuck, it may take an over-night stay in the
A/C. At Christoffe Landon's shop in New York City, I think they
charged $15-$25 to whack out the remaining unstuck peg. It's not an
operation for the faint of heart. Some of the more local repair guys
on Long Island wanted to go directly to the drilling, because they
were afraid of cracking the peg box. I figured that if they sell and
repair Strads, etc. at Landon's, they surely could take a whack at
my daughter's cello. If that hadn't worked, it would have had to be
drilled out. Drilling probably would have run into some bucks, but I
don't know how much. Good luck with the A/C...a lot cheaper and less
nerve-wracking.
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SW
Registered
User
Posts: 79
(7/18/01 9:59:52
am)
Reply
|
pegs
Yes, the holes must be round, but it's also a climate issue. Those
of us who live on the coast have ridiculously high humidity, and if
a player uses only the fine tuners during the April-June period when
the humidity is on the rise, the pegs will become hopelessly stuck.
That's what happened to my daughter's cello 2 or 3 years ago. Tuning
with the pegs on a regular basis is a must.
Edited by: SW
at: 7/18/01 11:24:32 am
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TerryM
Registered
User
Posts: 468
(7/18/01 5:36:21
pm)
Reply
|
Try a "cold
compress"
You could try applying ice in a sealed plastic bag to the problem
peg. If the peg gets cold enough it may contract sufficiently to
become unstuck. A bit odd perhaps, but worth a try.
Terry
Edited by: TerryM
at: 7/18/01 5:37:02 pm
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mycatmarti
Registered User
Posts: 53
(7/20/01 5:47:23 am)
Reply
|
stuck
pegs
My stuck pegs are now unstuck. I used the air conditioned room
method, and found a strong friend, to move them after they shrunk up
a bit. Than I applied peg compound. However, in the process of
retuning, my A and C strings both broke. I guess that kink that
developes by not moving the pegs and only using the fine tuners were
to much for the strings. My new strings should arrive on Saturday.
Fortunately my D and G strings didn't break and are holding steady
and keeping enough tension to hold up my soundpost.
Thanks
for all of your help, guys.
Mia
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FrozenYankee
Registered User
Posts: 30
(7/20/01 7:36:38 pm)
Reply
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Broken
strings...
You said your A and C strings broke. Where did they break? If they
broke where they first meet the peg, then that's a sign that there's
too much friction at the nut.
Get a soft pencil and really
rub a lot of graphite in the groove and also on the string where it
meets the groove. Also on the bridge.
Richard (who has broken
a few strings too).
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AaronReeves
Registered User
Posts: 209
(7/22/01 10:02:52 pm)
Reply
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I replied at
I&E
It's been a couple days since the last post in this topic.
Hopefully you've gotten them unstuck by now, but in case you haven't
you can always try my drumstick method that I mentioned at I&E.
Probably not the best thing for your instrument, but I don't mind
doing it to mine. (Student plywood instrument)
Aaron
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