Two of the most common problems with violins are having pegs that either keep slipping or are too stuck to move. Nothing is more annoying on a violin than having it fall out of tune all the time because of slipping pegs, or not being able to tune it at all because the peg is so stuck, you can't even turn it anymore.
Luckily, in most cases, this is pretty easy to fix. Please note: These solutions are best to sort the situation quickly at home if you are unable to get your violin pegs properly fitted or fixed straight away by a professional luthier. We do recommend to have the pegs professionally fitted where needed. This can be arranged from our Blackburn store.
Slipping Pegs
You will need small piece of fine sandpaper, blackboard chalk and a clean toothbrush/paintbrush.
1. Remove the peg completely out of the scroll/peg box. This will involve turning the peg anti-clockwise (or down toward you) until the string is loose enough that you can take it out of the peg. You can then take the peg out.
2. Run the sandpaper over the peg shaft VERY lightly, to remove any excess product from the peg. This way we will start with a clean surface.
3. Next, you can take the chalk and run it over the shaft of the peg, concentrating on the two contact points that the peg has once it is back in its place. (Don't worry about being too precise or neat here. We have the clean paintbrush to dust away any excess chalk later). If you are using a grey lead pencil for this, be generous with it, as it is not as effective.
4. You then want to place the peg back into the peg box and replace the string (see our blog about how to change a violin string). Tune the string back up to the correct pitch. Please note: Try and only remove one string at a time from your violin, as the bridge is not affixed to the violin and will fall out of place.
Sticking Pegs
You will need small piece of fine sandpaper Hills Peg Paste (available at Music Junction). Firstly, go ahead and complete steps 1 & 2 from the 'Slipping pegs' section above. If you cannot remove the sticking peg by hand, we recommend you take your violin to a technician or luthier so they can safely remove it without causing damage to the violin. We are happy to recommend someone if needed.
After you have completed the first two steps, take the Hills Peg Paste and run it over the shaft of the peg, concentrating on the two contact points that the peg has once it is back in its place. Step 4. from the above section can then be repeated.
Of course, you can always bring your violin into Music Junction Blackburn, where you can have both of these problems fixed. Alternatively, you can give us a call on 03 9877 5200 with any questions. These procedures are also suitable for viola and cello. Feel free to leave us a comment with any other questions or suggestions for any blogs you would like to see here.