Installing tremolo studs without drill press

[Mandalie]

If I put my studs in the freezer and then wax them will they go in easier? I was planning on driving it in with a dowel and a hammer. I also read someone used petrolium jelly to help them in... is that bad for wood? There is no finish on this guitar so that should help too

 

[Cagey]

Mounting bushings aren't shrinky-dinks. They're only roughly 10mm in diameter to start with; freezing them isn't going to change their size enough to measure. Wax probably isn't a bad idea; I wouldn't use vaseline. It never dries and will probably soften the wood.

If you want to hammer them in, I'd use something larger than a dowel to start with. A hunk of 1" x 2" or larger wood. Less chance of missing it and hammering your top. Be very careful about the bushing being square with the top. It's easy to get them started on an angle, and once that happens the hole gets distorted. Once they're down close to flush with the top, then maybe a dowel to drive them the last bit.

 

[bagman67]

If you have a C-clamp with a deep enough throat, you could use that with an appropriate caul (i.e. scrap lumber, or really anything that will keep you from marking up the surface) to drive the studs in.  I would steer clear of petroleum jelly if it's an unfinished body for fear of potentially contaminating the surface.  Wax will cling to the stud better and won't have the potential to get all over the place like petroleum jelly does.

 

[mayfly]

Another trick is to find a bolt that has the same thread pitch / diameter as the stud.  Get one that extends about an inch (about 2cm - when I say 'about' I really mean about  ) above the stud when it's screwed almost all the way in.  Then gently tap on that while maintaining the stud perpendicular to the hole.  You can control how far it goes in as well.

 

[Mandalie]

Damn. Hopefully it goes well. Would it be better to use a rubber mallet or a regular steel hammer

 

[Cagey]

Rubber mallet will just bounce off. Not much weight to them. Unless you get a dead-blow, but even that might be more work than it's worth. Carpenter's hammer will work just fine.

 

[Mandalie]

Well I got them in but the bridge isn’t operating right.... it’s supposed to be a drop in replacement for an American standard 2 point

 

[Cagey]

Did you cuss at it? You have to cuss at it.

 

[Mandalie]

I’ve been cussing up a storm at it. It’s as if it doesn’t even know what it’s done wrong

 

[Cagey]

Yeah, that's stud bushings for you. Pesky little rascals. Not a care in the world.

They make me so angry!  I could just pinch them!​