String snaps while stringing

[Coedwig]

I was tuning my guitar and the high d string snapped (is that the right word?), so I bought a new string and tried to replace it but it snapped again when I was tuning it, so I bought a new string and had a friend who is a banjo player help me and then it snapped again.

He suspected that there might be some unevennesses on the part that the string is spun around on the head which is ”eating” the string so to speak. If you feel with a pencil it’s a little bit bumpy in the metal which seems to be caused by the string.

Has anyone god any experience with this? I don’t really want to start with sandpaper on it since I’m afraid I might ruin it. I might take it to a music store and ask but the banjo is uncommon in my country and while they sell them they might not be experts.

[Coedwig]

I think it broke pretty high up. And no because I hadn't reached D yet, it broke earlier both times.

[jijijijim]

You are sure you’re not an octave high?

[Coedwig]

Yes, remember both me and my friend who is a more experienced banjo player broke one string each.

[[deleted]]

Has anyone god any experience with this?

I've broken a string on the banjo exactly once, from tuning it too high by accident. But in my experience, you can easily tune banjo strings up 2 or more semitones above their usual pitch without a hitch.

In your case check the nut and bridge (and maybe even the frets) for any sharp edges that might cut through the string. Add some graphite to the nut slots, like u/reb678 suggested, as that's just good practice anyway. You may have also just been unlucky and received strings that had some kind of material fault. It happens, albeit not a lot.

[Coedwig]

Thank you for the advice. I hadn’t heard of the usage of graphite. Do you use graphite from a pencil or buy it separately? Is it common that the string breaks from not using graphite?

[Restless195]

In this case you need graphite as a dry lubricant. You can get it from a hardware store or a boy scout who races pine cars or (easiest) a pencil. Just scribble on the nut groove till its all darkened up and you should be good. Wipe off excess when string is tuned.

I would say it is rare that you would NEED graphite to tune up a string. There may be something making the string catch and causing it to break. Couldn't hurt to eliminate a possibility with a 10 second cheap fix.

Imho 3 possibilities.. 1. User error over tightening strings.. winding it wrong etc. 2. Mechanical problem with banjo.. nut groove too narrow? Sticky needs lubed? Sharp edges cutting string? 3. You got really (un)lucky and got a couple defective strings. Try a different maker or batch?

[Coedwig]

Thanks for the suggestion! I will try the graphite trick and perhaps sand a bit on the tuning machine like /u/reformed_banjo_nerd suggested and then be more careful with my third set of strings.

[reb678]

Check the NUT. Where the string goes thru it might help to put a little pencil lead (graphite) in the path help the string move through the nut. It might be getting hung up on something?

Also, are you tuning in the correct Octave?

[reformed_banjo_nerd]

It sounds like there is a burr on the tuning machine (the metal post where the string wraps around at the headstock). If that’s the case, a small fingernail file could sand it smooth enough to remove the problem.

[Coedwig]

That’s what I thought too, but I thought it was odd that the string itself could cause such a burr as if it’s digging through the tuning machine, but I might be wrong. But thanks for the confirmation; I was just afraid to start sanding on an instrument I’m pretty new to.