Loose tuner knob

[ivancook]

On my second set of Waverly A-style tuners (ivoroid) and a knob has come off yet again. Fantastic customer service from StewMac, but is this normal? I get that on the A-style they don't have screws and it's just basically superglue holding them on but still... Would ebony adhere better?

[Mandobart]

I had a similar problem on two sets of Stew-Mac Golden Age tuners. The buttons didn't come off but they were loose. Did you try wicking some thin superglue in there? It worked for me.

I don't think ebony will hold any better than plastic/galalaith. You could use epoxy if they come completely off again.

[ivancook]

Did you try wicking some thin superglue in there? It worked for me.

Yeah. That's what I did on the last one that failed and it worked. I'll do it again on this one. Just curious how common of a problem this is.

[Richard500]

Don’t know how common it is, but CA, or superglue doesn’t adhere very well to smooth surfaces, like chrome plate and or very smooth plastics. Then too, after curing, it’s not very hard. This combination can lead to buttons slipping if that was the original adhesive. If the adhesive isn’t hard, it can be deformed by normal tuning, eventually allowing space to slip off.
Normally, a smooth surface is roughened for best adhesion, either chemically or with abrasive, and a filler can be added for hardness.
These are details most likely ignored by suppliers of even expensive items.
I’ve noticed the builder people use baking soda as a hardening filler for repair of nut slots where plain CA wouldn’t be sufficient. I haven’t tried this, but it seems useful information for other purposes.

[multidon]

Assuming the button comes all the way off, would epoxy be a better choice than superglue?

[pops1]

Assuming the button comes all the way off, would epoxy be a better choice than superglue?

Yes

[ivancook]

We'll see how it holds. Just put it back on this morning with some CA. Epoxy seems way too messy, but who knows.

[pops1]

If the button comes off a toothpick with some epoxy on it placed in the hole of the button will be easy enough to not have mess.

[HoGo]

Both glues should work well, but epoxy is generally thicker and better suited if there is enough space between shaft and button that needs to be filled.
If the button is loose but fits the shaft tightly you could have problems inserting it back on with the thick epoxy (or any other glue) without filing a notch for glue and air to escape (be cafreful, the hydraulic pressure can blow the glue out with some force or cause the button to split). I think for this thin CA (the cheapest CA tubes are usually water thin) is best candidate. Insert the button on shaft either fully or partially, put a tiny drop of thin CA with toothpick on the shaft at the button and insert fully. The glue will wick into the tiny gaps by capillary action. Make sure the squeezed glue won't get on finish or tuner button. You can easily scrape off drop of leftover CA from shaft after it dries.
If you can remove the button from shaft I would advise making some scratches on the shaft with sandpaper or small file that the glue can bite into. Glue won't hold too well on polished plated metal.