Stiff Tuning Pegs

As mentioned in a previous post my bouzouki came with incredibly stiff tuning pegs. Since it was second hand I'm not sure whether this is how they always were or if they had deteriorated over time.
      Anyway, the remedy for this works a treat and only takes about 10 - 20 minutes. 

1) Remove the face-plate where the strings are attached at the bottom of the bouzouki by sliding it downward.

Face-plate slides to the left.

2)Remove strings by unwinding from the tuning pegs.

3) Apply roughly 5 drops of olive oil to each tuning peg and rotate them until the oil is spread evenly on the mechanism. More or less oil may be required.

Apply oil one drop at a time to the "cog".

4) Restring the bouzouki as it was before, ensure that the strings wrap around the cylinder at least twice but do not touch the wood at the side as this will cause extra friction. You can do this by cutting them down with wire cutters.

Hope this helps. Worked for me.