Don't Bite Pegs to Tune!!! Fix Stuck Violin Pegs Quickly and Easily!

What to do if you can't tune your violin because your pegs are stuck or are sticky.
When you want to play your instrument, but can't even tune it.
Master Violinmaker and Restorer Olaf Grawert shows you a simple way to fix a sticking peg.
Be fully informed when you buy your next instrument. Get Olaf's free 7 essentials when buying an instrument report here: olafgrawertviolinstudio.com/7...
00:00 Intro
01:00 Why do pegs stick?
01:31 How to apply peg paste
08:43 Different types of pegs
09:57 Conclusion
#myviolinmaker, #olafgrawertviolin #violin
Website:
www.olafgrawertviolinstudio.com
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[@neonsamurai1348]

I would generally suggest doping your pegs (peg paste is also known as peg dope) when changing strings, as it is ever so much fun trying to restring with used curly strings.

[@rossthefiddler5890]

Needle nosed pliers is a violin repairers friend. 😉

[@amandas.6500]

Soooooo timely! My teacher just suggested to me, and I've been looking for a video on the proper way to do it. Glad it's your video!

[@rossthefiddler5890]

I haven't waited for this video to start, but pegs will stick as humidity increases from dry conditions, causing the wood to swell a certain amount, including the pegs & a peg can become quite stuck. To loosen it I use a pin or taper punch (& with a small hammer) to apply impact to the (narrow) end of the peg to loosen that taper. Trying to twist it out will only break the head of the peg off etc., this is why I always advise players to adjust the pegs for tuning now & again & not just with the fine tuners, particularly in changing humidity conditions to avoid stuck pegs or the reverse, finding all the strings slack because the pegs shrank in dry conditions. Sorry if I stole your thunder. 🙂

[@czar-das]

oh

[@stevecrockett6619]

I wish I had seen this before one of my violin peg tuners seized on my 100 year old ukulele. The peg split and became pulverized 😢 I ended up having a violinmaker install peghead planetary tuners, which is much easier for tuning but I have a small regret for not keeping the instrument original. Oh well, it's a player and the peghead tuners are very lightweight so the ukulele is still nicely balanced. Thanks for the great video!

[@michaelbonesmusic]

I've used Hill&co (I call it peg grease instead of paste) for as long as I can remember. As a treat I usually do this for any violin that comes in for a set-up, repair or string change as well. Great video as usual :)

[@philiptruitt]

Thank you!

[@Dansback21]

Can you do a video on replacing and reeming hole for end buttons?

[@lloydsplace101]

I have liquid peg drops I've had them for a long time . I didn't know about the paste yrs ago. but it works good.

[@hrobert745]

I was using pliers, ha ha. My violin teacher was NOT pleased. I got wittner pegs, so happy with them.

[@anjinsanx44]

Interesting

[@David__.]

My pegs are hard to turn but also slip progressively when I'm tuning. A bit of a 'contradiction' but that seems to happen. I've used peg paste which helps a bit with turning. It was recommended by someone that I should finely sand the pegs to stop slipping. What do you think?

[@AmandaViolinGirl]

Is peg paste made from graphite?

[@johnsharpe734]

I really wanted to know how to get the stuck peg out in the first place. No vids show this, so ill deal with it myself...

[@molotulo8808]

Use glycerin, olive oil works good too.

[@neilfromclearwaterfl81]

Are the Boxwood pegs kinder to the peg box than the harder Rosewood or Ebony pegs? To me the easier poison to swallow would be going with the softer pegs and deal with those wearing out rather than the peg box itself. Best!

[@rossthefiddler5890]

Actually, boxwood is used to plug worn peg holes & is called 'bushing' the peg holes. The worn holes are reamed out extra large before fitting & gluing the tapered boxwood which is later trimmed & retouching (as artistically as possible) with varnish, to be then freshly drilled & reamed & usually fitting new pegs.

[@syntaxlost9239]

Thanks Olaf. Quick question: Would a violin maker be averse to peg work on a traditional style flamenco guitar with friction pegs? It's a bit tricky to find a guitar luthier familiar with pegs as machine heads are far more common.

[@rossthefiddler5890]

I would say it depends on the taper used. If it is the same taper as the modern violins then I would not see a problem, however if it uses the shorter taper of earlier German violins those reamers are more difficult to source, or if it is different again, then it may more of a job that some may avoid.

[@syntaxlost9239]

@@rossthefiddler5890 Thanks. Online checking shows viola pegs are typical, so I'm guessing that's what I have. So, I'm guessing it should be okay..?

[@rossthefiddler5890]

@@syntaxlost9239 Yes, I would think so.

[@syntaxlost9239]

​@@rossthefiddler5890 Many thanks.

[@rossthefiddler5890]

@@syntaxlost9239 I hope you can find someone to do the job then. The current taper for violin & viola is 30:1 (cello 25:1), but I use adjustable peg shapers & with that I can also change the taper too, so if they were different & needed new pegs then a peg shaper like that makes it easier, otherwise someone may use a 30:1 reamer to create a new surface for new pegs.

[@Louise-zs9rl]

Olaf, I was wondering if a cartoon mouse had a nibble on the peg on your thumbnail. I managed to stop them chewing mine with Wittner finetune pegs.

[@czar-das]

finally

[@pedrosalguero5664]

why don't violins have tuners like those on a double bass?

[@AmandaViolinGirl]

Brompton's Auctioneers from the UK came to NZ to value people's violins. They said mine would sell for £3000 pounds in the UK, that would be equivalent to $6000 in NZ and I saw in the US a violin like mine was sold for $4000 US dollars which would add up to more than $6000 NZ dollars. Mine is a French antique Jerome thibouville-lamy violin. What do you say? Because of my epilepsy I want to sell mine because I would never be able to replace it if something happened to because of a seizure..It Is either sell it or let it collect dust. I would rather keep my violins that I got from Philip Whitehead a luthier near by me because they can be replaced and are regularly used. The value of my French Antique is stopping me from using because I never know when the next seizure will happen.

[@AmandaViolinGirl]

Because of my epilepsy and a seizure my good violin got stolen (thank goodness it wasn't the antique one) and because of a seizure another violin of mine got badly damaged. At least they were replaceable and I had to save up for them at different times but I would never be able to replace my antique. What do you say and is it worth $6000 NZ dollars? Brompton's Auctioneers said it is worth that. and in the UK it would be sold for £3000 pounds. I have seen in the US a violin like mine got sold for $4000 US dollars and converting that to NZ dollars is more than NZ$6000.

[@EbertFabianAmayaAyala-qv4sr]

What material are the pegs in the video?

[@AskOlaftheViolinmaker]

Not chocolate 😄 Ebony are the ones I often use. Rosewood was the one with the bite marks. The lighter coloured ones are boxwood

[@TheSpinTensor]

Your pegpaste seems to be much softer than mine. Mine is also quite brittle, so it was quite hard to get any to stay on the peg.

[@neonsamurai1348]

Not sure where you are in the world but Australia is heading into summer now, and the paste is affected by ambient temperature.

[@rossthefiddler5890]

There is another brand (Pirastro) where it appears to have a lot of graphite in it & is grey & I never really liked it. Maybe that is what you have. Hills Peg Paste seems to have waxes in it, among other ingredients & has always been a favourite in Australia.

[@TheSpinTensor]

​@@neonsamurai1348 Ah yes, the temperature. I forgot about that. I'm in Germany (Winter is coming!). @rossthefiddler5890 The pegpaste I have is a german one Götz Wirbelseife (No idea why it is called "Seife" -> "Soap" in german).

[@stephend50]

My A peg always like to slip

[@quest-cequecesttonvisage]

Push it in

[@rossthefiddler5890]

Take the peg out & follow Olaf's advice, but before applying peg paste, use very fine sand paper or steel wool & take the shine off the peg & apply chalk, then a little peg paste & that should cure the slipping peg, but if it is a soft peg (blackened softer wood), it may be the problem & in need of replacement.

[@rossthefiddler5890]

@@quest-cequecesttonvisage That's just a good way to crack the pegbox if over doing it, especially the A peg where it is less wood & weakest point in the pegbox.

[@libertangowu-8117]

Omg😂😂😂

[@Mario-jn5zq]

Just Frankenstein it and fit guitar tuners in the peg Holes 😂

[@EvilAzn3000]

Wait...do people really bite them?! 😱😱😱😱

[@michaelblaney4461]

OR get geared pegs join the 20th century ! (I know its the 21st , thats my point😮)

[@rossthefiddler5890]

They're very expensive, but are ideal for those trying to enjoy life with arthritis etc. Wittner make them.

[@quest-cequecesttonvisage]

Its all fun and games untill you have to change a string

[@rossthefiddler5890]

@@quest-cequecesttonvisage Then you have to buy a power winder! 😂

[@Daviduarte_27]

Haha. Stuck pegs that you don't have the strength to rotate? That's never the problem for me, the problem is that if I try to force it they will break.

[@TheUncleRuckus]

🅾🅱🅻🅸🅶🅰🆃🅾🆁🆈 🅰🅻🅶🅾🆁🅸🆃🅷🅼 🅱🅾🅾🆂🆃 👍👍

[@SideWalkAstronomyNetherlands]

Pegs...we call those keys... :)

[@rossthefiddler5890]

Keys are on pianos (& for opening locks). 😅

[@quest-cequecesttonvisage]

I'm guilty of this 😅 my peg was so stuck that i couldnt turn it. I used to use a wrench😂 and it broke

[@Protestant_Paladin440]

The wrench or the peg?? 😂

[@quest-cequecesttonvisage]

@@Protestant_Paladin440 the peg 🫠

[@rossthefiddler5890]

See my comment above. A stuck peg can be loosened with a pin punch without any damage or effort & then follow through with peg paste etc.

[@quest-cequecesttonvisage]

@@rossthefiddler5890 if only I knew that when I was 11

[@jcortese3300]

1. Get them removed. 2. Get planetaries installed. 🙂Problem solved!

[@rossthefiddler5890]

If you have difficulty & the money then Wittner do produce those pegs. I modified a violin into a Hardanger Fiddle & used them for tuning the under fingerboard resonant strings. Those pegs are not cheap though.