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Thread: Eastman 305 strap button--friction fitted?

  1. #1
    Every day is a gift. Sheila Lagrand's Avatar
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    Default Eastman 305 strap button--friction fitted?

    Today while I was playing, the strap button on my Eastman 305 fell out. Other than raising my pulse for a moment, no damage was done. Is it friction-fitted in assembly, or has some adhesive given out? I popped it back into place and it seems to be firmly in there.

    Edited to add: Doh! Facepalm! All the "that was a stupid question" things! If the strap button were glued in place, how would one engage in the tailpiece-swapping championships?
    Last edited by Sheila Lagrand; Oct-17-2020 at 5:46pm. Reason: It was a foolish question.

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    Registered User sblock's Avatar
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    Default Re: Eastman 305 strap button--friction fitted?

    Actually, it's not a "strap button." It's an endpin. It comes from the violin tradition. But unlike the violin endpin, it does not hold the tailpiece in place. The end pin should be friction fitted, not glued.

    Some mandolin tailpieces incorporate an endpin in them, that's either screwed in or integral to the tailpiece: the Weber tailpiece is an example of this. But most don't.

    If I were you, I would never fully trust a friction-fitted endpin! I have a short loop of leather shoelace or nylon cord that goes though the slit-hole in the end of my strap and is passed around the base of the tailpiece. This bears no weight, but functions as a safety cord. If the endpin should fall out, the mandolin strap remains attached to the tailpiece by this loop of cord. This can avoid some very costly damage.

    Of course, you should always make sure your endpin is inserted tightly in the end block. If it's too loose, you can have a luthier re-ream the end hole for a better fit. You can also wrap your endpin with some masking tape (or similar) to shim it. Or get another endpin.

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    Default Re: Eastman 305 strap button--friction fitted?

    Try putting a bit of soft chalk on the shaft and twist it back in. If that is still too loose, shim with a shaving of wood or a piece of tape, but with the knowledge that when you turn the heat on in the house, it will shrink a bit and might slip out again.

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    Likes quaint instruments poul hansen's Avatar
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    Default Re: Eastman 305 strap button--friction fitted?

    Does anybody know why they are friction fitted?

    I have glued mine in, why not?

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    Every day is a gift. Sheila Lagrand's Avatar
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    Default Re: Eastman 305 strap button--friction fitted?

    Thank you, sblock, for the correction on the proper term for the endpin. It's a much better term. I will remember the next time I see it described as a "strap button." And thank you even more for the description of how to fashion a safety line to prevent disaster. Today it actually gave way as I was lifting my mandolin over my head so I could tend to some other task before returning to my practice, so it was firmly in hand. Whew! I have some thin leather cord that we used to attach my strap behind the nut of my mandolin. I think a piece of that cord will work nicely.

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    Every day is a gift. Sheila Lagrand's Avatar
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    Default Re: Eastman 305 strap button--friction fitted?

    Thank you, luthier88. My husband is a woodworker (but no luthier!) and has practice with extra-thin shims. He tapped it in (gently!) today. We'll see how that holds.

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    Registered User Cobalt's Avatar
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    Default Re: Eastman 305 strap button--friction fitted?

    Well, a traditional mandolin didn't have such an endpin, nor a strap button. Both are recent additions. Many mandolins have neither. Whether inspired by a guitar or a violin may be determined on a case-by-case basis. Certainly many that I've seen are more in the guitar tradition. The 305 though is of the violin-inspired style.

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    Default Re: Eastman 305 strap button--friction fitted?

    Quote Originally Posted by poul hansen View Post
    Does anybody know why they are friction fitted?

    I have glued mine in, why not?
    For some repairs it can be helpful to be able to access the inside through the end pin hole.

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    Default Re: Eastman 305 strap button--friction fitted?

    Which is presumably why Collings glue them in

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    Default Re: Eastman 305 strap button--friction fitted?

    Quote Originally Posted by Round2 View Post
    Thank you, luthier88. My husband is a woodworker (but no luthier!) and has practice with extra-thin shims. He tapped it in (gently!) today. We'll see how that holds.
    Be VERY CAREFUL tapping an end pin, they are tapered and can easily crack the block. Push and twist is the preferred method.
    THE WORLD IS A BETTER PLACE JUST FOR YOUR SMILE!

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  17. #11

    Default Re: Eastman 305 strap button--friction fitted?

    Quote Originally Posted by luthier88 View Post
    Try putting a bit of soft chalk on the shaft and twist it back in. If that is still too loose, shim with a shaving of wood or a piece of tape, but with the knowledge that when you turn the heat on in the house, it will shrink a bit and might slip out again.
    Chalk is also used to refine the fit of any taper, like pegs or metal parts. Used to indicate the high spots. The general idea is that uniform contact is best for holding, although that might not be true! Chalk, fit, rotate, remove, adjust. Before Henry Maudslay’s screw cutting lathe, tapers were universal. Musical instrument makers remained content to use pegs!

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