A-4 Handel tuner repair

[bluegrasssboy]

Well, I picked up about a 1918 A-4 today. #Pretty clean original condition. #It has the Handel tuners. #It only had 3 very ancient strings on it when I bought it, so the first thing I did after removing the self destructing pickguard was to string it up. # Two of the tuner buttons are slipping on the shaft and won't turn the gear. # I'm assuming that since the buttons are somewhat loose, they shouldn't be too hard to remove. #Is there anything I can use that will hold tight enough for them to be functional again? #Also, some of the others are pretty hard to turn. The rest of the mandolin is in nice condition and I'd hate to have a new shiney set of tuners on it. #Any ideas/tips?

Todd in IN.

[krishna]

You HAVE to get those buttons fixxed! I have my own way of doing this sort of repair(putting in crazy glue) but DON'T do this untill some of the big boys weigh in on this. It might do some thing...bad? So tell us about the mando,how did you get it,how much,pics?...Kerry

[bluegrasssboy]

How did I get it?

I found it on ebay. It was local. The auction had sort of bad pics. I take that back, they were good pics, but only close ups of the peghead and the soundhole basically. No full shots. No back shots...etc It was hard to tell it's condition. You could tell by the description they didn't know much about it. The bidding was low 2 days into a 7 day auction.
For the heck of it I wrote and said I was local and would they think of ending the auction if we could strike a deal. They replied with the reserve and that they'd end the auction for that. Between their schedule and mine, it took me two days to get to go see it. In the meantime, I was nervous that if the bid got anywhere close to the reserve, they'd change their minds about ending the auction. Or it might just cruise past the reserve. Either way, it wouldn't have been good for me.

I took off work today so I could go this morning and see it. I did, and I left with a nice looking A-4 in a nice looking old case!

I'm working on some pics.

I would like to use these tuners. It'd be a shame to have to put new ones on it.

Thanks,
Todd

[Michael Lewis]

It will be difficult to find machines to fit your "new" A4, as the string post spacing is different than current machines. So, take your machines off and lube them with quality lubricant and test them for smooth operation. Probably thin CA wicked into the tiny gap between the shaft and the button will solidify them. Let them dry for a few hours before using them, so that the glue hardens completely. A tiny drop of CA in each screw hole will help stabilize it so they don't strip out. When you replace the screws just snug them up, don't reef them down or you will strip out the wood and glue.

[krishna]

If I might be so rude,how much?...Kerry

[bluegrasssboy]

Well, I'd tell ya, but I might want to post it for sale here someday!


Todd

[krishna]

Point taken .But you could ask me to kill myself if you tell me the number though. Under mandolincafe rules I would be obligated. (Was it under a 'k'?)...Kerry