Fitting and dressing boxwood pegs

[Guido]

Sometimes I fit and dress boxwood pegs, and find I have to dress them over and over again over the first few months.

I dress with soap and chalk.

It's almost like the boxwood absorbs the dressing and runs dry before it saturates after several applications.

This isn't always the case and I know "boxwood" can be all sorts of wood; but above situation doesn't seem to relate to quality (or price) of the pegs.

On my next set I'd like to try and seal the stem with some shellac before I dress them. Maybe even try to get them as smooth as possible with some micromesh.

Anyone else having random trouble with boxwood pegs and/ or tried some shellac on the stem?

[Deo Lawson]

I would not put shellac on any part of the peg that may enter the pegbox. Have you tried simply fine polishing / burnishing?

[JacksonMaberry]

I really can't stand "boxwood" pegs, unless they are made specifically from good, old European boxwood, which they rarely are. The ones that are not are too soft, and coloring the shafts after shaping with nitric acid or ammonia fuming is a nasty chore. 

There are so many better materials for pegs. I rather like tamarind/tetul, which is very hard, stable, and looks nicer than most rosewoods in my view. 

[Shunyata]

Danish oil works well on the shafts of boxwood pegs.  Just be sure to let it fully dry and harden.

[JacksonMaberry]

1 hour ago, Shunyata said:

Danish oil works well on the shafts of boxwood pegs.  Just be sure to let it fully dry and harden.

How many Danes do you have to squeeze to get a liter of oil?

[Deo Lawson]

2 hours ago, JacksonMaberry said:

How many Danes do you have to squeeze to get a liter of oil?

Yikes... I could learn to stomach collecting rabbit urine in this line of work, horse dung even... but I don't know about squeezing a room full of Danes!

[JacksonMaberry]

3 minutes ago, Deo Lawson said:

Yikes... I could learn to stomach collecting rabbit urine in this line of work, horse dung even... but I don't know about squeezing a room full of Danes!

It would be difficult. Judging by the ones in my family, they're not very in to hugs. 

[JonnyFW]

5 hours ago, JacksonMaberry said:

How many Danes do you have to squeeze to get a liter of oil?

You just squeeze their pastries. 

[jefcostello]

7 hours ago, Shunyata said:

Danish oil works well on the shafts of boxwood pegs.  Just be sure to let it fully dry and harden.

Do you mean to apply it directly on the peg and wait until it becomes oily?

Thanks!

[Davide Sora]

Has anyone ever tried impregnating the peg shafts with thin cyanoacrylate? A colleague of mine used it on cheap violin pegs and said it worked very well. I'm just reporting, I've never tried it myself. But it seems like an interesting possibility to me, it should certainly seal and harden the shafts quite well.

[Shunyata]

3 hours ago, jefcostello said:

Do you mean to apply it directly on the peg and wait until it becomes oily?

Apply directly to the peg shaft and wait 72 hours.

Danish Oil is a thinned mixture of other oils (such as Tung and Linseed), is extremely penetrating, hardens cheap pegs nicely, and gives them an even color.

Since it doesn’t use Danes, it is also vegan.

[Brad Dorsey]

14 minutes ago, Shunyata said:

Apply directly to the peg shaft and wait 72 hours...

Before or after shaving the pegs?

If it's after, I don't like the idea of waiting for three days before the fitted pegs can be used.

[Shunyata]

After shaving.  Since I am only fitting pegs to new instruments, waiting isn’t an issue for me.

[GoPractice]

On 12/20/2024 at 5:24 PM, Guido said:

 ( ... )

This isn't always the case and I know "boxwood" can be all sorts of wood; but above situation doesn't seem to relate to quality (or price) of the pegs.

 ( ... ) 

9 hours ago, Davide Sora said:

Has anyone ever tried impregnating the peg shafts with thin cyanoacrylate? A colleague of mine used it on cheap violin pegs and said it worked very well.  ( ... )

First, turning pegs for those who care, requires some thought/ knowledge. Know where to cut. Sharpen the blades. 

The process ( of CA ) is used in many ways, but the techniques matter. I do not ask about particulars but we do address aspects of technique.

I have used thin, quickly as an experiment, on very humid days. There have been very softer pegs on the market - fact. And it holds for awhile? but not a long term/ time solution. Cross grain orientation. But might wear more over time?

" Impregnating, " how? I have no answers...  thin might get absorbed on the sides. Then it matters where we drill.

I suspect grain orientation matters at the lower end of repairs. Not sure at the hostoric/ higher ends of restoration/ repair.

[JacksonMaberry]

Fiber/grain orientation always matters, in my view. My main complaint about purchased fittings is that, even when you spend a good bit of money, they can arrive with an insensible orientation. This is why I'm moving towards making my own - I can make them from split stock for better durability.

[Nick Allen]

13 hours ago, Davide Sora said:

Has anyone ever tried impregnating the peg shafts with thin cyanoacrylate? A colleague of mine used it on cheap violin pegs and said it worked very well. I'm just reporting, I've never tried it myself. But it seems like an interesting possibility to me, it should certainly seal and harden the shafts quite well.

I've "bushed" peg holes on cheap mass market violins with medium CA when the pegbox was either far too soft or riddled with chatter from a dull reamer from the factory. 

They always ended up being the best working pegs that I would install. Bar none. And it seemed to last as well. 

I would apply the CA with a stick to the inside of the peg hole, taking care to not get it on the outside, then ream it clean. 

So I don't see why doing the same to a shitty peg would be bad. 

 

[Brad Dorsey]

55 minutes ago, Nick Allen said:

I've "bushed" peg holes...with medium CA...

When you have done this, do you mean that you glued in bushings?  Or did you just seal the peg hole bores with CA and then ream them?

[Guido]

I have tried it with some shellac to seal the shafts before dressing. Initial results were excellent. Could have added some more colour. Will have to see what happens over time.

I may try Danish Oil next time (if I can be bothered to find some without harvesting it myself).

[JacksonMaberry]

14 minutes ago, Guido said:

(if I can be bothered to find some without harvesting it myself).

From what I've been told, Swedes actually have a higher linolenic acid content, so Swede Oil might cure faster. Will have to do some tests and report back. 

[LCF]

3 hours ago, JacksonMaberry said:

From what I've been told, Swedes actually have a higher linolenic acid content, so Swede Oil might cure faster. Will have to do some tests and report back. 

Danes probably very buttery.  And don't even think of using Norwegians:

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-21141244

 

 

[Nick Allen]

On 12/25/2024 at 9:41 PM, Brad Dorsey said:

When you have done this, do you mean that you glued in bushings?  Or did you just seal the peg hole bores with CA and then ream them?

I just essentially sealed the existing holes with a few layers of medium CA, let dry naturally (no accelerator) and reamed gently. 

It really makes some of the smoothest turning pegs. 

Think of how spiral bushings tens to make the pegs turn unbelievably nicely, because of the PVA that's used in them. I think that it's a similar concept here.