Alternatives to Hill peg compound

[Victor Roman]

Are there any better and maybe cheaper alternatives to Hill peg compound ? Any diy recipe ?

I noticed that the original is not what it used to be - it does not work by far as well as it used to 20-30 years ago. It is much softer, too. Anybody has an explanation ?

[Pierrick584]

I never liked those pre-made peg stuff. I use some French-style soap and chalk. it work very well. you just apply soap, turn the peg in, then chalk, turn, repeat until it turns great with a reliable friction

[Mr. Bean]

I keep several types of compounds in an old cigarbox. Among them: JoHa (less slippery) and Hill (rather slippery-old tubes, no experience yet with the new ones) and a few more. In many cases pegs get a combination of JoHa and just a little Hill.

[Mark Norfleet]

https://www.etsy.com/shop/WoodlandStrings?campaign_label=epp_buyer_order_confirmation_v3_treatment&utm_source=transactional&utm_campaign=epp_buyer_order_confirmation_v3_treatment_010170_1100102541293_0_0&utm_medium=email&utm_content=&email_sent=1692534322&euid=4uCWwkhzQRBZjjNABndZwct11dVn&eaid=19017841882&x_eaid=4d4529b6c3

I've never used Hill much so cannot comment on it.  I did purchase the three part kit linked above a while ago and have been very happy with it and have not used anything else sense.  I mostly use the medium and only rarely the others.  It may not be cheaper, but it is VERY effective.  I believe I remember Michael Darnton liking it as well.

[arglebargle]

Ivory soap when they won't turn, lava soap when they won't hold.

[Dwight Brown]

I don't have a specific compound suggestion but I do have a person for you.  I would contact Chris Jacoby at Potter violins.  The pegs on the viola he made for me ar about the best I ever had anything to do with.  I don't know what he used but he really has a knack for it.  I am still using the same tiny tube of peg dope my dad bought for me 50+ years ago that is marked Rembert Wurlitzer (Now that's old!). I haven't found anything any better.

DLB

[Marty Kasprzyk]

I don't know what Wittner uses in their finetune pegs but it seems to work very well.

[Mark Norfleet]

5 minutes ago, Marty Kasprzyk said:

I don't know what Wittner uses in their finetune pegs but it seems to work very well.

Dope.

[Woodland]

4 hours ago, Mark Norfleet said:

https://www.etsy.com/shop/WoodlandStrings?campaign_label=epp_buyer_order_confirmation_v3_treatment&utm_source=transactional&utm_campaign=epp_buyer_order_confirmation_v3_treatment_010170_1100102541293_0_0&utm_medium=email&utm_content=&email_sent=1692534322&euid=4uCWwkhzQRBZjjNABndZwct11dVn&eaid=19017841882&x_eaid=4d4529b6c3

I've never used Hill much so cannot comment on it.  I did purchase the three part kit linked above a while ago and have been very happy with it and have not used anything else sense.  I mostly use the medium and only rarely the others.  It may not be cheaper, but it is VERY effective.  I believe I remember Michael Darnton liking it as well.

Thanks Mark, I'm glad you're happy with it.

Pssst..I have plenty right now...

[David Burgess]

10 minutes ago, Woodland said:

Thanks Mark, I'm glad you're happy with it.

Pssst..I have plenty right now...

Do any of these contain abrasives?

[Woodland]

29 minutes ago, David Burgess said:

Do any of these contain abrasives?

Yes, they're soap-based with fine abrasives.

[Mark Norfleet]

1 hour ago, David Burgess said:

Do any of these contain abrasives?

Yes, but they seem to be of a very low proportion and fairly fragile.  The two I’ve tried don’t taste bad either!

[Woodland]

25 minutes ago, Mark Norfleet said:

Yes, but they seem to be of a very low proportion and fairly fragile.  The two I’ve tried don’t taste bad either!

I also did a custom blend for Sweetwater Music, it was essentially a #2 medium with a lower mineral/resin content, available as #2.5. In short it was a higher ratio of soap to adjuncts, a bit less grip.

[jacobsaunders]

I always used “Bötel’s Wirbelseife”. It seems it is no longer produced. Does anyone know where one can still get it?

[Blank face]

In Norway

https://www.kvamme-fiolinmaker.no/produkt/beskyttelse-og-hjelpemidler/boetels-wirbelseife-skruesmurning-med-tykk-konsistens
 

If you’ll make an order, please let me know if they still have a stock of it.

[Andreas Preuss]

Years ago I got hold of a hundred year old piece of soap which is still my favourite peg dope. It seems that the soap gradually ‘waxified’ making a blend of stickiness and lubrication without using chalk or only very little chalk. Maybe one could imitate it by melting soap and a sticky wax together. 
 

However, in future I think gear pegs are a superior solution to traditional pegs. They will never widen the holes and make fine tuners unnecessary. They also prevent A peg cracks. The additional weight (compared to traditional pegs) has no measurable influence on the sound. 

[Victor Roman]

2 hours ago, Woodland said:

Yes, they're soap-based with fine abrasives.

Are they all "soap-based with fine abrasives" ? Aren't the abrasives wearing out the pegs and the holes ???

[JPherson]

1 hour ago, Woodland said:

I also did a custom blend for Sweetwater Music, it was essentially a #2 medium with a lower mineral/resin content, available as #2.5. In short it was a higher ratio of soap to adjuncts, a bit less grip.

And this is what I use for all cellos. And if I have my way I won’t use anything else. 
Jesse Pherson

[jacobsaunders]

1 hour ago, Blank face said:

In Norway

https://www.kvamme-fiolinmaker.no/produkt/beskyttelse-og-hjelpemidler/boetels-wirbelseife-skruesmurning-med-tykk-konsistens
 

If you’ll make an order, please let me know if they still have a stock of it.

I tried ordering 2 (one for you) but failed the inteligence test (in Norwegian)

[Blank face]

10 minutes ago, jacobsaunders said:

I tried ordering 2 (one for you) but failed the inteligence test (in Norwegian)

They are elitists.

[LCF]

1 hour ago, jacobsaunders said:

I tried ordering 2 (one for you) but failed the inteligence test (in Norwegian)

Perhaps @Anders Buen could translate for you?

[Woodland]

3 hours ago, Victor Roman said:

Are they all "soap-based with fine abrasives" ? Aren't the abrasives wearing out the pegs and the holes ???

Not that I have seen. I recall David Burgess put some Hill compound on a buffing wheel and it polished metal, so apparently there's particles in there that can act as an abrasive. The minerals I use are for the purpose of firming up the compound to give it body and grip, different proportions for different formulas. If preserving peg holes are of a top priority, then geared pegs may indeed be the way to go. After installing over a hundred sets of the Wittner Finetune pegs the past few years, I have yet to see any problems with the pegs.

[Ed Shillitoe]

The Hidersine company sell a peg paste which they say is made according to the Hill recipe exactly.  I use it and it does seem the same to me.   They list the ingredients on the tube, but not the proportions of each.  I suppose you could try making your own but with different amounts of each, but it sounds like a lot of work.  The ingredients are said to be:

Graphite powder,  Petroleum jelly,  China clay, Talc, and Red iron oxide

 

[Michael Darnton]

I keep a mix of things on hand, but the one I use the most is Woodland Strings'. It covers more cases than any one choice. Ardsley's peg drops is good for fine-tuning it, but not useful on its own.

A tip for Hill's and maybe for others as well is to start by putting only a tiny bit on the small end of the peg. If that works well, stop there.

[Blank face]

18 hours ago, Blank face said:

They are elitists.

There seems to be a payment problem, so I can't help either.