#1 resource for Cigar Box Guitars, Free Plans, How-To, Parts & More!

Rivet heads as string ferrules

i used rivets on my first build and had a problem with the strings pulling the rivets loose from the neck. i tried epoxy and super glue and neither would hold. im wanting to give them another shot on my newest build but i need to figure out a solution to this problem. what are you guys that use them doing (if anything) to keep them seated?

i added a picture for reference. its hard to see how they have pulled out in the pic but this is what im talking about

0 members like this

▶ Reply to This

Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Dan Sleep on March 8, 2013 at 2:44am

Make sure you use ones that have a longer shaft on them. The ones that are shorter have too much of a tendency to lean or tip over.

▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by Bad Wolf on March 8, 2013 at 3:31am

yes thats exactly what they did, like tip over. i will look for longer shaft rivets, thanks a bunch

▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by Mike Breen on March 8, 2013 at 4:09am

I have had good luck with spoke retainers, you can get them at a bike shop and they come in several colors and chrome. Also I have used rivet heads but the longer version like Dan mentioned

▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by Dan Sleep on March 8, 2013 at 4:59am

You can also find shoe eyelets that work pretty well, but you have to make sure that the hole you drill is smaller than the shank of the eyelet and that the eyelet has to be tapped into the hole. I do that with some brass eyelets I have, and I put a small dab of super glue on them and tap them home with a rubber hammer.

▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by The Phrygian Kid on March 8, 2013 at 7:35am

Try ball ends off old strings, much harder than alum rivets ;)
If u use d'adarrios then they come in 6 colours..

▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by Swamp Dawg Primal Music on March 8, 2013 at 9:21am

You want to drill a snug hole and the rivet length should be more than half the neck thickness. Also, what wood are you using for the neck? Soft woods like pine won't hold up well. I use oak or maple, 2cm thick, and use 4mm OD rivets 15mm long, and the hole is snug, then I tap 'em with a soft faced hammer to set 'em nice.

▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by Bad Wolf on March 8, 2013 at 9:26am

the one i used rivets on had maple which is what i mostly use

i do believe the problem was too short of a shaft, the rivets i was using only had 1/4" shaft. i picked up some new ones with 3/4" so that should make a difference. thanks everybody

▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by Ron "Oily" Sprague on March 9, 2013 at 3:46am

Go to HD or Lowe's, look through the hardware dept., these tiny little brass furniture inserts. They have a screw on the outside, and a threaded joint inside, are about 1/2" long with a notch at one end for a flat blade screwdriver, and work great - drill a hole just slightly smaller than the outer thread diameter, and carefully screw them in with the flat blade. I installed 3 on my SwampWitch, and they will not pull out.