Stiff tuning pegs

[manvera]

A couple of my Eastman mandolin tuning pegs are very hard to turn. I'm thinking about lubricating the bad ones with a drop of machine oil. Any thoughts on this solution? Thanks.

[Mandobart]

Just to clarify - these are geared tuning machines and not simple pegs (like on a violin), right? In that case a little oil like 3-in-1 out of a dropper is fine. There are other great lubricants like WD40, Tri-flow, etc. but I don't want any aerosol spray getting all over things other than the tuners.

Another possibility if lube doesn't work is they may be too tight. You can slightly loosen the machine screw on the gear. Finally, unlikely but possible is the bushings are wrong or cocked, or if tuners aren't the original ones and weren't mounted correctly.

[manvera]

Just to clarify - these are geared tuning machines and not simple pegs (like on a violin), right? In that case a little oil like 3-in-1 out of a dropper is fine. There are other great lubricants like WD40, Tri-flow, etc. but I don't want any aerosol spray getting all over things other than the tuners.

Another possibility if lube doesn't work is they may be too tight. You can slightly loosen the machine screw on the gear. Finally, unlikely but possible is the bushings are wrong or cocked, or if tuners aren't the original ones and weren't mounted correctly.

They are geared tuning pegs. Thank you.

[mandobassman]

You’re much better off using a dry lube. Tri-Flow and 3 in 1 both make a dry lube that works wonders. Machine oil stays wet a long time and can attract dirt and dust that will eventually just make the gears stiff again. Dry lube goes on wet, lubricates and loosens gears beautifully, then drys quickly, leaving behind nothing to attract dust.

Here’s a excellent resource for work on tuning machines by Cafe member Paul Hostetter.

http://www.lutherie.net/tuner.maintenance.html