Thanks John! You've been more than helpful already. Unfortunately we're in a bit of a covid hotspot and I'm shielding a relative, so won't be going near a Post Office, or anywhere, for a while,...
Type: Posts; User: MidwinterSun
Thanks John! You've been more than helpful already. Unfortunately we're in a bit of a covid hotspot and I'm shielding a relative, so won't be going near a Post Office, or anywhere, for a while,...
Absolutely, John knows his stuff ... but I don't! The day job is also an annoying interruption, and I know from past experience not to start something that might take longer than I expected :))
Sadly not, Poul. But I know I've seen identical buttons on charity shop instruments in the past, so reasonably confident one might turn up somewhere.
Yes, solder would be a good match ... the buttons have a nice curved profile, so sadly I'm not confident of making a convincing replacement by the carving method, although I've had another couple of...
Thanks Jim, I haven't taken off the tuner covers, and am hoping not to have to! They all turn smoothly; whether they'll hold or not is another thing, and some of the holes look like they might...
It's fascinating!
Thanks Chris, it's North London, so there must be someone. I think the only problem might be finding someone interested in doing the work, as I doubt the mandolin itself is worth a great deal,...
Yes, there is, Nick - one above and one below. Both seem really firm as far as I can tell without exerting too much pressure, although the block of indented soundboard runs across the top brace, so I...
Definitely not giving up, Richard, and won't give up on learning to play, either.
Just feeling that some of this is beyond me, as a first-timer. While I do "make stuff", I have no experience...
Hi Dave, it is a lovely old thing, and I'm very attached to it.
Sadly, it does need some fairly major work, so will have to remain as a future project until either I gain some repair skills myself...
Thanks - that's both good and bad to know. Good, in that it answers my question as to whether these would have structural implications, and good in the sense that it's not really a surprise to hear...
Hi again
After all the help and suggestions from you lovely people about my missing tuner button, I'm almost embarrassed to ask about something else, but there are a couple of other "issues" with...
I'll create a saved search on ebay, and keep an eye on it. In the meantime, after a rummage through my jewellery making stuff, I've found some acrylic faux jade beads - not even remotely a match,...
The nylon inside sounds like a useful feature! I think, though, I'd like to avoid too much outer shaping if possible. I don't mind a characterful "odd" button in the interim. If it sits well with...
Yes, some fabulous ideas here! I'm inclined to try the "halfs" solution, but it might depend on what I find to use. I'm pretty sure there's something in either dad's bits and bobs or my jewelry...
Thanks Nick, for more very helpful info! I'd seen the Luigi Dorigo one on ebay - the tuners look virtually identical, as does the headstock, but I wouldn't take a button off one like that for mine,...
Thanks Poul - That sounds like the ideal solution, but I don't think the ring will move; whether that's due to intentionally tight fit or rust I'm not sure. It's very encouraging to hear that it...
Thanks Richard. The "collet" bit, although that's probably not the correct term, is very firmly fixed. Maybe it's due to rust, but I suspect they are softish metal and were tapped/hammered onto the...
Clock keys ... ... well, my dad's hobby was watch and clock repairs and actually I'd been thinking that the collet looks a lot like the end bit of an old watch winder, and wondering if there are any...
Hello - I'm new on here, and also completely new to mandolin. This probably makes me completely nuts, but my Christmas gift to myself (and Tier 4 project) was an old Barnes & Mullins flatback...
Great - I've ordered some!
Newtone Strings have .008 to .030 as their lightest gauge - does that sound OK?
That would make perfect sense.
All very topical in the context of Brexit! And, in essence, that's what I'd been thinking. It feels matter-of-fact and German in all but the pickguard - which seems to me either Neapolitan or...
Hi - good to see this post, and thought you might be interested in a similar discussion here https://www.mandolincafe.com/forum/threads/153072-Older-Barnes-amp-Mullins-Flatback?p=1801654#post1801654....