Hard time squeezing strap on button

Mik

Mik

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Title says it all. I know there's a bunch of strap threads here, but I can't anything that addresses my issue.

Anyone else have this problem? I've been having difficulty squeezing the leather attachment with its hole on my ukulele button because the leather is on the stiff side. I called a shoe repair shop nearby to ask what to do to soften the leather, and he recommended a leather conditioner. I'm afraid to put anything on the untreated leather in case it might react to the uke finish. The material feels a bit thick, so I was thinking of hammering it to make it thinner.

Also, with this dilemma, do you all just leave your straps in the case? Mine is the mandolin type wherein there's a lace tie attached to the headstock, so it's a PITA to keep untying the ends. I suppose my strap is a bit of an overkill because I have the 2" width, but I really love the comfort of the wide strap.

TIA!
 
Mik, get a razor or an Exacto knife and slit the slot a bit. Slitting it a little bit bigger than the button won't hurt it.

If I were you, I'd leave it on and use it all the time. Try rolling/folding it up in the case to make it fit. You need to work on your problem solving skills.

"Just Do It"!! :eek:ld:
 
Last edited:
Mik said:
Title says it all. I know there's a bunch of strap threads here, but I can't anything that addresses my issue.

Anyone else have this problem? I've been having difficulty squeezing the leather attachment with its hole on my ukulele button because the leather is on the stiff side. I called a shoe repair shop nearby to ask what to do to soften the leather, and he recommended a leather conditioner. I'm afraid to put anything on the untreated leather in case it might react to the uke finish. The material feels a bit thick, so I was thinking of hammering it to make it thinner.

Also, with this dilemma, do you all just leave your straps in the case? Mine is the mandolin type wherein there's a lace tie attached to the headstock, so it's a PITA to keep untying the ends. I suppose my strap is a bit of an overkill because I have the 2" width, but I really love the comfort of the wide strap.

TIA!
Click to expand...

Put the leather end in some warm water, it will become soft. I use a "AA" battery in the hole to make it a bit bigger.
Put the battery in the hole and let the strap dry. No cutting required.
 
I have trouble with this too, and I leave mine on. I asked my luthier once if this was a bad idea, and he said if I was planning to store a uke long-term it could be, because the chemicals used in tanning the leather might affect the finish. But in my case, since the ukes get taken out and played every day, it shouldn't be a concern. So far, so good - I have one uke that has had a strap on it for 5+ years and I can't see any damage from it.
 
janeray1940 said:
I have trouble with this too, and I leave mine on. I asked my luthier once if this was a bad idea, and he said if I was planning to store a uke long-term it could be, because the chemicals used in tanning the leather might affect the finish. But in my case, since the ukes get taken out and played every day, it shouldn't be a concern. So far, so good - I have one uke that has had a strap on it for 5+ years and I can't see any damage from it.
Click to expand...

This is reassuring to know. Thank you all to those who gave me ideas. I appreciate it. UU rocks!
 
I prefer it to be tight, reassures me it won't fly off.

Just continue to use it and it should open up over time. My mya moe strap is exactly the same way, I get one lip of the button through the slit first which allows me to get the other flap of the slit over the other side of the button.
 
I remember years ago when I got a new baseball mitt that the first thing to do was to get the 'leather mitt oil' or whatever it was called, and you'd oil up the mitt really well, all over, and wait about an hour, wipe off the excess, and then stuff a baseball inside and close the mitt, and then wrap rubberbands or what-have-you to hold the shape around the ball, and leave it for a few days.

The oil would help protect the leather from rain, dirt, sweat, etc for YEARS. while making the glove soft on your hand from the inside and easy to use to flex open and closed to catch the baseball...

Why am I telling all this? Maybe such a product would help the leather strap end, without causing harm to the uke.

Having said that, for all my ukes that are strapped, I leave the strap attached when it goes in the case and bundle up the excess length along side the neck in the top area of the case, and have had no problems yet in 2 yrs of doing so.

When the strap end eventually wears out and slips off the endpin, (or just start using it now) you can get a small thing called a 'strap keeper' which is plastic and locks the strap to the button, but is also easily removable. I've seen them for sale for like $12 on http://www.elderly.com.
 
Booli said:
I

When the strap end eventually wears out and slips off the endpin, (or just start using it now) you can get a small thing called a 'strap keeper' which is plastic and locks the strap to the button, but is also easily removable. I've seen them for sale for like $12 on http://www.elderly.com.
Click to expand...

I use grolsch gaskets for this - found on eBay, the cheapskate's solution! :)
 
Wow! Talk about a mountain out of a molehill. If the end "wears out" just get some leather and make a new one. If the slit isn't big enough, make it bigger.

Doesn't anyone fix anything or make anything work better? "Just Do It"! :eek:ld:
 
Down Up Dick said:
Mik, get a razor or an Exacto knife and slit the slot a bit. Slitting it a little bit bigger than the button won't hurt it.

If I were you, I'd leave it on and use it all the time. Try rolling/folding it up in the case to make it fit. You need to work on your problem solving skills.

"Just Do It"!! :eek:ld:
Click to expand...

This is your answer. I did the same thing.
 
Booli said:
I remember years ago when I got a new baseball mitt that the first thing to do was to get the 'leather mitt oil' or whatever it was called, and you'd oil up the mitt really well, all over, and wait about an hour, wipe off the excess, and then stuff a baseball inside and close the mitt, and then wrap rubberbands or what-have-you to hold the shape around the ball, and leave it for a few days.

The oil would help protect the leather from rain, dirt, sweat, etc for YEARS. while making the glove soft on your hand from the inside and easy to use to flex open and closed to catch the baseball...

Why am I telling all this? Maybe such a product would help the leather strap end, without causing harm to the uke.
Click to expand...

Booli, that's interesting. My next door neighbor, a professional guitarist, owns a few Martin guitars and he mentioned to me that there is a warning on the "care" of Martins regarding leather contacts on their finishes. Apparently, the nitro cellulose finishes on Martin will definitely react to some materials like leather or pleather. Other guitar finishes like Taylor are not prone to this due to its different type of finish -something about UV-cured type?

In my case, I use 2" wide guitar-type straps (yes, a bit of an overkill) because they are the most comfortable for me. They're nylons lined with cotton but the ends have big leather straps. So there's hardly any place in my case at all, and I have difficulty closing my cases unless I go buy new cases that are the next size to accommodate them. I suppose my next simpler option is just to make my straps smaller like the 1 inch type.

Looks like from anecdotal evidences here, there really isn't much of a problem at all with leather contacts with regards to their instruments in storage for a certain length of time.
 
Last edited:
Down Up Dick said:
You need to work on your problem solving skills.

"Just Do It"!! :eek:ld:
Click to expand...

Trust me, I wouldn't have resorted here if I knew the answers. I have limitations in my case sizes (as aforementioned), thereby I am asking members' advise here. I know that it sounds very simple on how to fit the strap in my case, but my cases don't have large enough interiors to accommodate my wide straps. The other issue (again as I previously posted), is my uncertainty on the leather contact of my strap with my uke considering that I don't have any data on its finish.

Thank you for all your advises. I think I am going to get the smaller straps from now on, and not worry much about the leather contact.
 
Mik said:
In my case, I use 2" wide guitar-type straps (yes, a bit of an overkill) because they are the most comfortable for me. They're nylons lined with cotton but the ends have big leather straps. So there's hardly any place in my case at all, and I have difficulty closing my cases unless I go buy new cases that are the next size to accommodate them. I suppose my next simpler option is just to make my straps smaller like the 1 inch type.
Click to expand...

Interesting...

When I started with the ukulele 2 yrs ago, at first I was using 2" wide guitar straps on my ukes and realized that this was overkill for me, then went to making my own with 1" poly strapping material (think dog leash), and now I'm down to using a simple length of 5mm-wide black paracord, tied to the headstock and the endpin. I found a 25 ft. length in the package at Michaels craft store for like $12, and I've used this kind of strap on 4 ukes so far with no issues. When you have more than a dozen ukes, getting multiple straps is very costly.

I just need something to hold it from hitting the floor, not a fancy or tactical military-grade solution, and I found wider straps to feel too cumbersome. Most of my ukes seem to weigh less than a pound (yes including the baritones), so there's no real stress over your shoulder, and the paracord does NOT cut into your body from the weight.

Plus, the paracord basically disappears when you lay the uke down in it's case.
 
Yeah, Booli, being resourceful makes hobbies a lot more interesting. I've made a coupla Uke Leashes from some old suspenders that had lost their elasticity. They work just fine. I know a guy who also uses paracord with his Ukes. When I was an archer, I made all my leather stuff and strings and fletched arrows. I also do all the maintenance on our bikes.

I see doing all that stuff as a worthwhile part of the hobby. :eek:ld:
 
Down Up Dick said:
Mik, get a razor or an Exacto knife and slit the slot a bit. Slitting it a little bit bigger than the button won't hurt it.

If I were you, I'd leave it on and use it all the time. Try rolling/folding it up in the case to make it fit. You need to work on your problem solving skills.

"Just Do It"!! :eek:ld:
Click to expand...

Down Up Dick said:
Wow! Talk about a mountain out of a molehill. If the end "wears out" just get some leather and make a new one. If the slit isn't big enough, make it bigger.

Doesn't anyone fix anything or make anything work better? "Just Do It"! :eek:ld:
Click to expand...

I understand your handle now.
 
Phluffy the Destroyer said:
Actually this was the answer. Much nicer than how I was going to say it, btw.
Click to expand...

I knew this type of replies would happen. I will not expound on this topic any further.

Once again, many thanks to those who are supportive of noobs like me. I should've known better what I got into when I joined this board.
 
Mik, no one's being mean to you. Learning is sometimes difficult. Everyone was trying to be helpful, including me.

When folks ask questions, they should listen to the answers, and, then, do as they see fit. No reason for hurt feelings. :eek:ld:
 
Come on guys, really . . . some of you need to refresh yourselves with the rules of this forum. Especially rule #1 . . .
1) GOLDEN RULE: DON'T BE A JERK
All members are equal. Your fame/experience/expertise does not give you the right to disregard the golden rule.
Click to expand...
 
Good Lord, Kanaka916, who was being a jerk? Who was being unequal? It seems to me that everyone was trying to be helpful to Mik. How much "Aloha Spirit" do we hafta have?

I guess to keep from being scolded by the Mods, it would be better not to post at all. :eek:ld:
 
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