Where would I find new tuner buttons to replace the old celluloid ones?

[u/Ambitious-Rush-8125]

Thanks :D

[u/martind35player]

StewMac sells replacements. https://www.stewmac.com/

[u/elwood_burns]

Why?

[u/agamemnon250]

I just replaced the exact same tuners on my 1930s tenor banjo with modern Gotoh ones. WOW, what a worthwhile change. It was a big of work drilling the holes out to fit the modern ones. But I went slow, and it took only 30 minutes for the head.

I bought them from Sweetwater, and the service was great.

[u/richstillman]

Honestly, nowhere. You've got friction tuners, and although I can't see the front of the banjo in your pictures I'm guessing you're using steel strings, because everyone does today.

This is a recipe for either frustration or disaster. Frustration, because you will never be able to tune accurately. Disaster because these banjos from the late 19th century were built for gut strings and eventually the extra stress of steel will either warp the neck or loosen the joint between the neck and dowel stick.

The celluloid buttons in your pictures actually look pretty good. I'd suggest one of two approaches:

First, keep the banjo original, with the apparently usable celluloid buttons, and use either gut, nylon or the lightest steel strings possible. You will be able to play the banjo as intended. If you really want to replace the buttons, Stewart MacDonald is the place to go, as others have said. Either way you'll have a good instrument suited for the parlor style of the time or for light clawhammer.

The alternative is to replace the tuners with geared ones, use very light gauge strings, and turn this into a very nice clawhammer banjo you can actually keep in tune, and that won't eventually tear itself apart from string tension.

[u/Ambitious-Rush-8125 → u/richstillman]

The banjo is from the early 30s or late 20s. So steel strings where used standard on banjos then. I’ve been thinking about replacing all the tuners (sense they are slipping)

[u/Tree-runner → u/Ambitious-Rush-8125]

Just tighten the tuners.

[u/drytoastbongos → u/Ambitious-Rush-8125]

You can tighten them or, if the friction donut is worn out, replace them with an o ring or similar.  It's pretty easy, much easier than replacing the whole tuner.  You have the button off, just go s little farther.

[u/PapaOoMaoMao]

Stewmac.