Fitting a strap to a Fluke

Alternative strap fastening

I tried to come up with a different solution for my fluke, one that didn't involve any kind of adhesives.

This is what it looks like:

StrapSolution.jpg

The idea:
That a tigthening loop with a noose was supposed to move further up the body in stead of slipping off due to the shape, and that the strap across the bottom should prevent it form moving to up to the strings.

The reality:
That it rather easily slips off anyway. it will hold the fluke if you are careful, but it is not practical when you need to pay attention to it.

Next project:
I'm thinking about making a loose fitting loop of webbing without a noose in it, and then sewing in an ekstra inner-upper-half-loop of elastic band from old suspenders. Point being that the weight of the fluke will rest on the non-elastic webbing, and the elastic might keep it in place.
Anybody who tried that?
 
UkingViking said:
I tried to come up with a different solution for my fluke, one that didn't involve any kind of adhesives.

This is what it looks like:...
Click to expand...


Interesting concept. Not sure I would trust it myself.

The least invasive WHILE a bit more secure way to affix a strap end will be with adhesives, either with the zip-tie-mount or with some super-lock velcro.

Otherwise, you may be looking at getting a 1.5" cube of hardwood cut, to use as an endblock and just put a traditional strap-button on the butt of the uke, which will sacrifice it's ability to stand on it's own.

Hot-melt glue has a decent tack strength which makes it hold well, but very little shear strength which makes it easy to remove, and leaves virtually no residue. Just be careful not to burn your fingers...
 
As this topic comes up fairly often I wonder why MFC don't pu the same loop/hood that Lori showed is in the Flea. It would seem logical to do it on the Fluke. Or, just put a strap button on the top of the body behind the neck joint. I would think there is lots of thick polycarbonate plastic at that point.

I think the strap button drilled and installed on the top edge of body just up from the flat bottom look to be a good solution. If I'm reading it correctly just drill a pilot hole between ridges and screw in the strap button,
. As pointed out.........you can still stand up the Fluke that way.

I've tried the Velcro and wasn't happy with that. For me it would be a strap button.
YMMW
 
Booli said:
Interesting concept. Not sure I would trust it myself.

The least invasive WHILE a bit more secure way to affix a strap end will be with adhesives, either with the zip-tie-mount or with some super-lock velcro.

Otherwise, you may be looking at getting a 1.5" cube of hardwood cut, to use as an endblock and just put a traditional strap-button on the butt of the uke, which will sacrifice it's ability to stand on it's own.

Hot-melt glue has a decent tack strength which makes it hold well, but very little shear strength which makes it easy to remove, and leaves virtually no residue. Just be careful not to burn your fingers...
Click to expand...

The problem with the adhesive solution is that it is a shear force you apply to the body of the uke when you hang it from a strap. This is true whether it's a strap button or a self adhesive zip-tie mount. I use self adhesive hooks to hang my back door keys on ceramic tiles out of site of anyone looking in through the door and I've had mixed results with them. Sometimes they last years and other times they've failed after only a few months so, after my recent experience with my Fluke I decided not to rely on adhesives alone. The small screw will be better able to resist the shear force of the strap as it's actually not all that great even though the body is quite thin at that point. I used a small self tapping wood screw and drilled a pilot hole fractionally smaller than the diameter of the screw's core. I Stuck the zip-tie holder down, drilled the pilot hole then screwed in the screw and it bit in fine. If, at some point, it fails, I will have to think of something else - probably look for something like a hollow door mount if I can find one which will work on the thin body of the instrument. I do expect it to last a good while, though.
 
If I am going to screw something to my fluke, I would consider using a riffle button, perhaps with a couple of washers for protection. Hope I translated it correctly.
I would need to find a way to put the screw in from inside the fluke, but I guess a magnet on a stick will get it in position so I could screw the button onto it.
I have been messing around with a homemade strap which has a hole in the proper size for that.
 
This is an old thread, but I am getting a basic Flea and was looking for ideas. On my earlier Flea, I drilled a hole in the body (about 3/16") and fed a 1/8" leather into it, put a knot on it and the other end went to the headstock. Worked fine. The Flea is light enough that I did not feel a need to pad the leather thong for reduced pressure on the back

flea strap feature.jpg
 
I've been using this strap from Honu Picks.
The key feature is a stick on flat metal plate that can go on the base of my Fluke and doesn't interfere with its ability to stand up right.
The other side gets the standard shoe string behind the nut, which is what I like. There are other options of course.

http://honupicks.com/honupicks/products_ukeloop.html
 
On my Flea I’m using an adhesive tether anchor intended to be used as a backup attachment for GoPros mounted on vehicles, helmets, etc. I use it with a Uke Leash attached via a cow hitched hairband (otherwise known as “that thing you do to attach a luggage tag”).

This anchor uses 3M VHB acrylic adhesive. VHB stands for “very high bond,” so I’d suggest reading up on it before deciding to apply it to your Fluke or Flea (or anything else). It certainly won’t detach easily.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00JFS1TC6/

3BCD3BB0-D9AF-4FC8-895C-423AE3DF7E55.jpg
2276B7EB-223C-4CCD-9756-F17225161C44.jpg
 
ralphk said:
This is an old thread, but I am getting a basic Flea and was looking for ideas. On my earlier Flea, I drilled a hole in the body (about 3/16") and fed a 1/8" leather into it, put a knot on it and the other end went to the headstock. Worked fine. The Flea is light enough that I did not feel a need to pad the leather thong for reduced pressure on the back
Click to expand...

I like the concept and do wonder whether this issue is generally being over thought in a bid to avoid any possible damage. Personally I’d have drilled the centre of the base and put a rubber washer (tap washer) on the chord inside the body (that spreads the load). I’ve witnessed similar working well but YMMV - can’t see how though when you think of the tiny loads involved.
 
Graham Greenbag said:
I like the concept and do wonder whether this issue is generally being over thought in a bid to avoid any possible damage. Personally I’d have drilled the centre of the base and put a rubber washer (tap washer) on the chord inside the body (that spreads the load). I’ve witnessed similar working well but YMMV - can’t see how though when you think of the tiny loads involved.
Click to expand...

My reasons for starting this thread was I wanted to avoid drilling a hole in the base to fit a standard strap button as the flat base of both the flea and the fluke allows you to stand them up without needing to usei a stand, a very handy feature of both. The solution I came up has worked fine for me.
 
I tried the grip strips and they are still on my Fluke. I have since added the strap sold by Magic Fluke. Didn't want to drill and if I was going to go with an adhesive and/or Velcro might as well go with what the maker had come up with. Hey the Fluke back is plastic, not some nice high end wood, and I'm not a big fan of Velcro, but so far the Magic Fluke strap is working out just fine for me.
 
Tootler said:
My reasons for starting this thread was I wanted to avoid drilling a hole in the base to fit a standard strap button as the flat base of both the flea and the fluke allows you to stand them up without needing to usei a stand, a very handy feature of both. The solution I came up has worked fine for me.
Click to expand...

Apologies for not re-reading the thread from the beginning before commenting (which is something I would normally expect to do) and yes I do see your point. My post quoted and was in response to ralphk’s solution (#27) which I liked and wanted to add to for the benefit of others in general; and as Ralph said the thread is old, so a degree of drift and shift away from the original post wouldn’t be unusual. Here’s an extract from #27: “This is an old thread, but I am getting a basic Flea and was looking for ideas”.

My response doesn’t add a bulky strap button. A cord is also so thin and flexible that it might well be possible stand a Fluke on its base if it’s also lent against a wall. That’s just an alternative idea for others as I appreciate that you have found your solution.
 
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I didn't read all four pages of replies, but a good alternative to a strap is the set of two strips that Magic Fluke sells. They adhere to the back of the uke, and when you hold it against your chest, those strips grip very well. I have them on my Flea and Fluke. Since they're black, they practically disappear on the back of the uke. They're a bargain for five bucks.

https://www.magicfluke.com/product-p/gripstrips.htm
 
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Jerryc41 said:
I didn't read all four pages of replies, but a good alternative to a strap is the set of two strips that Magic Fluke sells. They adhere to the back of the uke, and when you hold it against your chest, those strips grip very well. I have them on my Flea and Fluke. Since they're black, they practically disappear on the back of the uke. They're a bargain for five bucks.

https://www.magicfluke.com/product-p/gripstrips.htm
Click to expand...

They don't seem to be readily available in the UK, at least, I've not seen them and at that price postage would be more than the items themselves to buy direct from the States. I have used Lori's uke leash and they're quite effective. I've converted mine into straps for my sopranos by getting her strap button button adaptor.

The grip strips plus uke leash look like they could be a good combination.
 
Tootler said:
They don't seem to be readily available in the UK, at least, I've not seen them and at that price postage would be more than the items themselves to buy direct from the States. I have used Lori's uke leash and they're quite effective. I've converted mine into straps for my sopranos by getting her strap button button adaptor.

The grip strips plus uke leash look like they could be a good combination.
Click to expand...

If it is too costly to ship to the UK, you could try to locally source something like these bathtub adhesive strips from a hardware or housewares retailer, or from Amazon in the UK:

https://smile.amazon.com/Yblntek-Adhesive-Treads-Stickers-Scraper/dp/B0792P66V9/

or a similar item, but as tape on a roll:

https://smile.amazon.com/Anti-Slip-Tape-Clear-Textured-Slip/dp/B01LXNE096/

They LOOK white, but in fact are clear once you peel the backing tape off.

These bathtub 'strips' also come in shapes like stars and animals and in different colors if you want something else funky looking on the back of your uke, but you can see those in the related items on the pages linked above when you scroll down the page...
 
Reviving this thread to ask whether or not my idea is insane :D (it probably is)

Suppose I were to install a magnet inside the bottom of the flea (using one of those 3M wall adhesive things), and sew another magnet inside a strap...?
 
happyconejito said:
Reviving this thread to ask whether or not my idea is insane :D (it probably is)

Suppose I were to install a magnet inside the bottom of the flea (using one of those 3M wall adhesive things), and sew another magnet inside a strap...?
Click to expand...

Likely you'd need to use a pair of matching neodymium magnets, each of at least 30mm dia x 5mm thick in order for it to hold. Also, dont let your fingers get inbetween them, they have very high magnetic strength and can actually cause injury when you get to the larger sized ones.

Ferric-Ceramic or Alnico magnets will typically have too weak a magnetic field to be useful, even though they are fine to stick things on the fridge.

Amazon has neodymium magnets that come in a multi-pack and all different sizes. I'd look there for one with Prime shipping (which is free if you have Prime).
 
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