Best advice for removing glued tuners...

[YeRedHouseOverYonder]

Yup, someone added glue to the bottom and ream of the headstock. I was able to tap out 5/6, but one has remained stubborn. I tried heating it, but it's slow going and I'm getting worried about repeated tapping of the headstock. Haven't tried any solvents yet. Would naptha or acetone work? Looks like wood glue possibly. I'm all ears.

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[DavidRavenMoon]

Best advice for removing glued tuners...

Are you sure the finish didn’t stick to the tuners? Wood glue does not stick to metal, especially polished metal.

Acetone would melt the lacquer-it’s what they use to remove nail polish. Naphtha won’t do anything. If it is wood glue then heat will release it. But you could damage the finish.

I’d grab them in padded vice grip jaws from the back and twist.


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[Darg1911]

Re: Best advice for removing glued tuners...

Vinegar will soften wood glue but it takes a while.

Edit ... like David suggests, it looks like the finish stuck to them.

 

[YeRedHouseOverYonder]

Re: Best advice for removing glued tuners...

It possibly lacquer due to the age of the guitar. There seems to be some white material in the reams too. I will try twisting it off with a vice grip and applying vinegar. I didn't try much after the soldering iron since I had a VA appt. I'll try this soon.

Edit: Okay, I'll try David's method. Would scoring behind the tuner help? Thanks guys.

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[DavidRavenMoon]

Re: Best advice for removing glued tuners...

The white stuff is polishing compound left over from buffing the lacquer



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[YeRedHouseOverYonder]

Re: Best advice for removing glued tuners...

The white stuff is polishing compound left over from buffing the lacquer



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Where the older kluson tuners drilled for 8mm or 10mm? It has Schaller tuners from the 70s. I kinda assumed it got drilled to fit them. The guitar is nowhere near mint or stock.

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[DavidRavenMoon]

Re: Best advice for removing glued tuners...

Klusons don’t have the threaded barrel that goes in from the front. Normally you use a reamer to open the hole. They probably left it too tight.


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[YeRedHouseOverYonder]

Re: Best advice for removing glued tuners...

Your advice and knowledge is much appreciated good sir. I'll try your advice once I get home and report back.

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[YeRedHouseOverYonder]

Re: Best advice for removing glued tuners...

I ended up scoring the lacquer, heating, and tapping it out. Worked like a charm. It was indeed stuck to the finish. I guess that happens after 46 years or so. Thanks.

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[Darg1911]

Re: Best advice for removing glued tuners...

I ended up scoring the lacquer, heating, and tapping it out. Worked like a charm. It was indeed stuck to the finish. I guess that happens after 46 years or so. Thanks.

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Cool.

I assume that you had to use the conversion bushings for the replacement vintage style tuners?

 

[Adieu]

Re: Best advice for removing glued tuners...

Wait.... you removed German Schallers to install Korean Klusons???

 

[YeRedHouseOverYonder]

Re: Best advice for removing glued tuners...

Yup, used the conversion bushings to fit the tuners in. Haven't had any issues with replacement klusons in the past. I have a set on my melody maker. I wanted to go hipshot, but they don't have double ring buttons.

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[Adieu]

Re: Best advice for removing glued tuners...

Yup, used the conversion bushings to fit the tuners in. Haven't had any issues with replacement klusons in the past. I have a set on my melody maker. I wanted to go hipshot, but they don't have double ring buttons.

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Yeah but WHYYY????

Its reversing like the #1 favorite "replace flimsy with solid" lester uograde of all time

 

[YeRedHouseOverYonder]

Re: Best advice for removing glued tuners...

They're heavy and chrome. One man's upgrade is another's downgrade. You see them as such, I don't. Losing all that heavy hardware, including the stoptail and Nashville, will bring the guitar under 9 lbs. That's worth it.

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[Adieu]

Re: Best advice for removing glued tuners...

Unless it's neckdiving hard, you want tuners as heavy as you can find

 

[Jeff_H]

Re: Best advice for removing glued tuners...

Sometimes creationism is so blatant in makes fun of itself.

I have never had any issues with Klusons and they are historically correct. They are not an inherently poor tuner. Yes, there are other tuners with higher gear ratios, but I too like Klusons for their light weight on Les Paul's. Now, my favorite tuners are the Grover 106 locking series, but they don't offer them in nickel, which is what many people want on their Les Paul. If I bought a Les Paul with those installed the only reason I would change them is to reduce weight, like RedHouse is doing. However, the Kluson tuners I have used never give me any issues with performance or tuning instability.

People are free to do whatever they want with their gear, period. If they are asking for advice on how to do something, give them the requested advice. That's what this forum is for. If they ask for advice about which tuners to use, that is an opportunity to tell them what has worked best for you.

 

[Jeff_H]

Re: Best advice for removing glued tuners...

It's too bad you can't reuse those original washers to cover up the lacquer damage they caused. I have never looked, but I wonder if someone makes a wider washer or flange on the conversion insert?

 

[Darg1911]

Re: Best advice for removing glued tuners...

It's too bad you can't reuse those original washers to cover up the lacquer damage they caused. I have never looked, but I wonder if someone makes a wider washer or flange on the conversion insert?

Not a huge Grover fan these days but I probably would have used the Grover vintage style machines. They are made to replace machines that fit the 10mm holes. They have the threaded bushing and washer like "modern" machines. Not as vintage but maybe a pretty good compromise. They don't have the double ring knobs though. That could probably be remedied but it would probably take a little work and Stew Mac's knobs ain't cheap.

 

[YeRedHouseOverYonder]

Re: Best advice for removing glued tuners...

It's too bad you can't reuse those original washers to cover up the lacquer damage they caused. I have never looked, but I wonder if someone makes a wider washer or flange on the conversion insert?

Not a huge Grover fan these days but I probably would have used the Grover vintage style machines. They are made to replace machines that fit the 10mm holes. They have the threaded bushing and washer like "modern" machines. Not as vintage but maybe a pretty good compromise. They don't have the double ring knobs though. That could probably be remedied but it would probably take a little work and Stew Mac's knobs ain't cheap.

Yeah, I definitely hear you guys on both accounts. The lacquer damage bugs me a bit, but in retrospec, it's only a small "offense". What has been done to the guitar has been done. The guitar has most of the typical '70s-'80s mods you can think of. Drilled hole for a dpdt switch, Dimarzio Super D's, Schallers, chrome nashville/stoptail, and sloppy routing for the HBs. Only thing missing is the kahler lol.

Edit: I'm just trying to give her some memories prior to the mods and lighten the weight. All the heavy hardware weighs about 10-14 ozs. The guitar is 9lbs 3 oz. I think I can get it to be 8 lbs 12 ozs.

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[Adieu]

Re: Best advice for removing glued tuners...

It's too bad you can't reuse those original washers to cover up the lacquer damage they caused. I have never looked, but I wonder if someone makes a wider washer or flange on the conversion insert?

I guess that's part of what my surprise was about... to actually go so far as to do damage to remove em, and to use bushings too, how does one get to hating German Schallers so???