Strap pin coming out?

[cutiehawk]

I recently bought an Eastman MD304A from themandolinstore.com, and the pin that attaches the strap to the bottom of the mandolin is not glued in in any way, and comes out easily. Is it supposed to do that, or should I use some sort of glue to fix it?

[40bpm]

No glue! Wrap the pin with blue painter's tape and re-insert. Should solve the issue. Lots of other remedies and I'm sure you'll get some great suggestions soon.

[multidon]

Technically that is not a "strap pin", although many use it that way. It is an end pin, a design feature that carried over from the violin (where it actually has a purpose, anchoring the tail piece). It was never meant to attach a strap to, and that is where some of the misunderstanding occurs. There are some advantages to being able to take it out to execute certain repairs. It should not be glued in.There are some remedies. Some wrap a piece of plain white paper around it or use masking tape to increase the diameter slightly, acting as a shim for a tighter pressure fit. You can also coat the pin with a thin layer of superglue or clear nail polish to increase the diameter. Make sure if you do that it is completely dry before re-inserting it!

[Ivan Kelsall]

Don's perfectly correct - but. The 'pin' has taken on the role of a strap pin otherwise the builders wouldn't fit one.
I used a tiny dab of clear nail varnish 'wet' to 'glue' the pin in on my Lebeda. The varnish acts as a very weak glue. Pull the pin & it's stuck fast,give the pin a 'sharp twist', & the varnish breaks very easily,
Ivan

[MikeEdgerton]

No matter how one chooses to fix this issue (it's been discussed for years), I have always loved the Hans Brentrup mthod of making sure it doesn't end in disaster.

[Manfred Hacker]

They tend to come out around this time of the year due to a lack of humidity ...