I have bought a 1950 OAHU double neck lapsteel. The knobs on the pegs are very brittle and crumble or break while tuning the guitar.
I can’t find any resources on the internet that describe the proper alternatives for the knobs. I am also interested to find out how to fix them at the pegs. Do I need to heat the pegs before attaching the (plastic) knobs or will a strong glue be sufficient? Or is there another way?
Any advise on which knobs to use, where to find them and how to attach them will be very welcomed.
First you want to remove the current tuners. If you take a pair of plier to them they will crumble like dry cake. Then clean the posts with some sort of wire brush.
These buttons from Kluson will also work. Get the butterbean model with the straight slot. The heat helps mold the tuner on the shaft.
I've gotten pretty good at replacing these knobs, and I am not exactly Mr. Fix-It. I remove what's left of the knobs, and clean up the shafts with a wire brush on a drill. You want to get as much crud and whatnot off as possible. Then I stick the tuners in a tabletop vice just to hold them steady. I take a heat gun - $20 at Home Depot - and heat up each shaft individually until the button slides right on. If it's not hot enough, you'll encounter resistance - don't force it, or the knob may crack. Rinse and repeat with each successive shaft.
Some folks use soldering irons as the heat source. If it works for you, great, but I found that it took several times longer than the heat gun.
Thanks for your suggestions. Regarding the suggestion to use Kluson buttons with a straight slot. It's hard to find the Kluson buttons in Holland/Europe. I am wondering if buttons with a round slot will be usable as well. Round slots are easier to find than straight slots. I assume by Staight slots, you mean slots with a square hole instead of round.
And photos from an Oahu Tonemaster I fixed recently. I did exactly what Noah describes, heat gun and all. Buttons were from Kluson, which is distributed by WD music I think? For sure someone in Europe sells Kluson products.
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