Eyelet Repair/Replacement

[stazz]

Hi all,

I have a Dusty Strings Ravenna 34 of which is missing an eyelet (I suspect I didn’t notice it fall off when I changed the strings recently). I was curious if anyone has any advice for replacing them, and maintaining the integrity of the wood meanwhile.

I didn’t notice it for a couple of days so it seems that the hole may have elongated slightly. Since I noticed I have been unwinding the string a bit after I’m done playing to release some of the tension. Is there something I could stick in there in the interim, or is it best to just let it slack while it’s resting?

Also, curious if anyone knows if the Dusty Strings eyelets are hard to install. I’m a bit concerned because the hole has been elongated, and the Dusty Strings guide mentions that they are just fitted, not glued in.

Thanks in advance for any advice!

[Tacye]

I have replaced eyelets though not on a DS and it is very easy. Just fill any damage from the string with something that sets hard and pop them in. If the eyelet is too long cutting them is a bore, but not tricky.

Do you really need to play that string until you have it sorted? Better not to have it get worse and leave the tension right off, but if you have performances that is of course not possible. If you need to improvise a stopgap, any short hard tube the right size would be worth trying, a bit of the inside tube of a gel pen might be OK or an eyelet from something else.

[stazz]

Thanks for the reply – hopefully it’ll be just as easy for me to install new eyelets!

You’re right it’s probably best to avoid playing the string at all – I think I will stick to my lap harp for now until it’s sorted out.

Cheers!

[christy mooers]

I would try just pushing the eyelet in first. If it seems loose, or if it pops out when you put tension on the string, then you can use a tiny ball of putty epoxy to fill in the elongated section of the hole so that the new eyelet is a snug fit. You can find epoxy putty at a hardware store and it’s just like rolling a little ball of playdough – much less messy than liquid epoxy or other types of glue!

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