Your pegs need to be turned, fitted or sharpened until true. Different pegs have different pitch, so the builder is the best choice. Some keep a "peg sharpener" on hand, a couple of twists, and voila, the pitch is restored; the peg is true. But shorter, of course. In addition, you may have to true the peg holes with a tapered file designed for just such a task. Good european plum wood, even from old barns, makes nice pegs, as does the naturally oily Cocobolo (dalbergia retusa).
Peg goo will only make your pegs gooey. Chalk will make them chalky. Once in NY I had a frozen peg; I removed it with vicegrips. That's how NOT to do it. dt At 06:56 PM 8/5/2008, you wrote: >Most music stores should carry it. It's used by violinists and what have >you. In the US, at least, I've usually heard it called "peg dope" rather >than "peg paste". > >Use it sparingly. You don't need very much, and too much can cause more >problems than it solves. There are also a variety of other substance that >folks various folks swear by, like chalk or soap. YMMV. > >That said, you should first check to make sure your pegs aren't oval. Pull >them out and look at where the peg rubs against the hole. If there's just a >couple of small shiny sections on opposite sides of the peg, it's ovalized >and may never work all that well until you return it to something closer to >round. > >It's not that hard to rework ovalized pegs, but I wouldn't want to try to >explain it in text (I learned how from Grant Tomlinson at an LSA several >years ago). Find a luthier to help you. > >Guy > >-----Original Message----- >From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] >Sent: Tuesday, August 05, 2008 5:57 PM >To: lute@cs.dartmouth.edu >Subject: [LUTE] Re: The Lute Diary > >Peg paste? I think that is just what I need. Where can I get some? >Another thing is that I often have problems tuning the strings who's pegs >are >in the most awkward positions. For that problem I have mostly finished >constructing a helper from a disk of wood and a guitar string-winder. >-plh > >At Tue, 5 Aug 2008 10:29:01 -0700 (DST), you wrote > > > >August 4th=2C 2008 > > > >Dear Lutenists: > > > >Thank you for your responses. I have managed to loosen all the pegs save > >three and will continue to work at it. I don't think the peg heads are > >oval=2C although it would be a very slight occurrence and it would be > >difficult to tell with the peg paste. I used the peg paste because I could > >not get the peg to tighten at the right note=2C it was as if I did not have > >enough strength to set the peg in properly. Ideally how often should the >Lute > >be tuned? Ron said he tuned his Lute every day=2C perhaps this would > >alleviate the consternation around pegs stuck in the wrong key (and it >might > >encourage Lute playing as well). Many Thanks! > > > >love=2C > > > >Rebecca > >Tea at Tympani Lane Records > >www.tympanilanerecords.com > >_________________________________________________________________ > >Try Chicktionary=2C a game that tests how many words you can form from the > >letters given. Find this and more puzzles at Live Search Games! > >http://g.msn.ca/ca55/207 > >-- > > > >To get on or off this list see list information at > >http://www.cs.dartmouth.edu/~wbc/lute-admin/index.html > > > >----
