I was out jamming tonight and I thought my strap had come loose from the end pin on my guitar. I managed to catch the guitar before it dropped, but it wasn’t my strap. It was the pin itself that had come loose. Anybody got ideas on the best way to secure it back in place?
End Pin
My end pin (which is ebony) on my mandolin does the same thing about this time of year most likely due to less humidity. I wouldn’t think you’d have that problem in Florida, but what I did was gouge up the the shaft using a punch or screwdriver to increase the mass that goes into the hole. You can even use channel locks or vise grips to try to give it a knurled effect or anything to make it a little bigger. I tried wrapping it with tape first, but that didn’t work for me. I don’t know if yours is plastic or wood, but either way it should work.
Another option would be loc-tite or wood glue, but that could get messy & could be a problem if you ever wanted to remove it later, so I really wouldn’t recommend that.
The next thing I’m gonna try on mine if it loosens up again is drilling a few holes all the way through the shaft & run some toothpicks or small dowels through the holes with wood glue & let them stick out just a shade until it fits into the hole tight. Don’t know if that’ll work or not, but it seems like it would.
J.W.
Some people do glue end pins with a dab of wood glue. It is removable, but not very easy. I don’t glue mine as I remove them when travelling via airplane or shipping.
One thing that would probably work is to put a wrap of masking tape on it.
If you want a more permanent, but easily reversible fix, you could remove the end pin, dab a little super glue around the end pin and let it dry (I use a Qtip for applying it). Once it is well dried, it may be a little too big, but you can always tweak it with a bit of sandpaper. If it’s still not quite snug, put another coat on it. This method also works for bridge pins that need a bit more diameter.
By the way, the best way I have found to remove an end pin is to attach a snug strap and pull straight out.
I think it must be the weather that caused the pin to slip out, J.W. We’ve had a turn toward fall weather the last week and the temps and humidity are way down, plus I was playing outside last night, so I was totally exposed to the weather conditions.
I was pretty freaked out when it first happened. I feared I was going to find wood splintered away from the attachment point, but everything is in good shape. The pin just slipped out. Not something I want to have happen again, though. I could have easily dropped my guitar and caused serious damage.
Well, I popped the end pin back in place and it seems snug without any tape or other modification. Make me a little nervous that it might happen again, though.
I suspect it will be fine. You can always give a little tug to ensure it’s seated well when putting on the strap.