Forum - Banjo Ben Clark

First time installing 5th String railroad spikes

#1

All of my banjos have the sliding 5th string capo, but I decided to try installing the rail road spikes on a cheap 70’s banjo that I got at a thrift shop and recently restored. I ordered the spikes from Banjo Ben and watched the tutorial video. Took me about an hour and went a little rough, but in the end, they work.

Even though I used the smallest drill bit my hardware store had, it was a little big. I drilled the holes shallow and used superglue to try and hold the spikes in. I ended up bending one spike. Also got superglue on the neck which I’ll have to scrape off with a razor blade.

After the install, I had some buzzing on the fifth string when capoed, so I had to file down the tops of the spikes until it went away. Despite my sloppy job, they seem to be working good now. I don’t think I’m ready to try this on an expensive banjo yet though.:joy:

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#2

Yeh. I bought the RR Spikes and the right sized drill bit watched all the videos on the topic 16 years ago, never did have the courage to do it! applaud

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#3

It’s definitely a little intimidating, but I think it’s within most people’s capability to do. I would definitely practice on beginner level instruments a few times before I tried to install them on a good banjo. That’s why I like tinkering on cheap instruments.

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#4

I did the same thing last year. I decided it was safer to buy a banjo from the general store and let the pros do it for me. Haha

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#5

Yeah, if you don’t have the right bit size, you’re not setup for success :slight_smile: Good job trying, though! No one was hurt and like you say, they work!

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