MANDOLIN STRING BREAKAGE Problem

[rayc]

Hello All,
I know! It's not a guitar but I figured you folk might have some ideas.
I've broken three madonlin strings in a week tuning the thing. Top E strings.
Each time I get within a semi tone of E the string snaps - twice at the stop and once along the string.
I'vw used a couple of diff tuners along the way to get one that ricks up the signal best - settled on a Quik Tune set to chromatic - was fine for the other strings.2 of the three broken were Pure Tone 8020 Bronze wound (well not the E but still...) Light Gauge 11 - 32.
I tuned them slowly over a couple of days so the strings would have time to stretch and not be too stressed. (me too!)
None were strung on the dog leg as the stringing when bought was stright up from the stop. there are the perpendicular stops to string them the trad way if that's recommended.
The last one to break came within a 1/4 of a semi tone to being in tune. I was being cautious so put the mandolin down gently to rest & stretch for a while, walked away & heard BING! Turned back & the string was dangling from the tuner.
Any ideas? I don't want to spend a fortune buying packs of strings just to get an E & then break it.

 

[didgijimmy]

I'm not sure if mandolins have metal tuners, or if they have wooden ones like on my violin, but if they are metal, you could have what are called burs on the tuner. A bur is like a niche that gets worn into the tuner and then can cause strings to break. I believe they can be filed out easily, though Light may have a better answer.
James

 

[Anfontan]

You know Ray, I have a couple of mandolins and the last time I restrung them-both broke an E string when I was removing the strings! Very strange.
I might suspect that tailpiece which has you threading the string loops through the brackets. A picture is worth 1000 words-See below.
The nut could be another suspect worth checking for a sharp edge. Other than that you may check the tuners calibration-it may be causing you to tune the strings too high.

 

[up-fiddler]

Definitely vertical

Yeah the pic is worth a grand. Definitely use the vertically aligned anchors though. I have had similar issues on even high end mandolins when using the horizontal anchors. If there aren't enough verticals then put two strings on the same anchor. If the same string (IE One of the two E strings) breaks all the time then switch anchors for that string and see if the problem corrects itself. If so, then take a bit of folded 400 wet or dry and sand the inside edge gently to remove the burr. As Light says, the saddle can be an issue also. On my mandos I always use a bit of pencil 'lead' in the groove for lubrication just as you would on a violin bridge. It seems to help but won't cure a sharp burr if one exists. Good luck, Dave. aka up-fiddler

 

[rayc]

Thanks fellows,
I had them strung vertically. 2 of the three broke in the loop - diff string & anchor too. I'll do all as advised: graphite in the grooves,vert, careful tension - check the tuners for burs.
Seems strange I can't get quite to E!
Whilst I have some knowledgeable folk on the line - I can't play chords in 1st poistion; the string tension is too great & the gap between fretboard & string possubly too high - bridge is at bottom of its adjustment & the nut seems a little high.
Obviously not a high end mando - in fact I'd say a recent chinese cheapie but I'm not good enough at anything to buy good gear - it was a gift from the missus so I'm keen to be seen using it by her as well as keen to use it on my latest project (I've used it once before on Eyes Wired Open - but only did single note runs - and not any on the E strings).
Any suggestions?