Sal Monella

These tuning machines use a fiber washer or a pair sometimes. The fiber over the years will deteriorate and no longer hold the tune as well. So replacement of the tuning machines may be in order. Like John said, a local guitar shop may be able to do this for you. There are some builders on this site, John included, who may help you if you don't mind packing and shipping your dulcimer to one of them. Best wishes on getting it up and playing.

Took you a screen shot of an Amazon offering...E-bay has some individual Grover tuners, and used tuners as well... I can't tell from your picture what "exactly" is causing it to "fall apart", but if it is something age/wear related, it would probably be best to replace them all. They may all be at the end of life stage....

Hi, Sal!  Welcome to the group!

You have a wonderful dulcimer made by Musical Traditions in New York, and it has Grover "banjo" pegs on it. 

These pegs were common on dulcimers as well as banjos and ukuleles built back then-- McSpaddens used them as well as other makes.  These worked OK-- they worked on the friction principle, that is, the screw in the knob was tightened or loosened to the proper tension to hold the string in tune.  The fiber washers were the bearing surfaces in the peg assembly. 
Happily, there are better options now.

If you wish to retain the look of the Grover pegs, replacement sets are readly available. If you want better tuning function, you could get some Wittner pegs, or Perfection pegs.  These two peg designs use internal gearing to facilitate finer tuning than the Grovers, yet they look like ordinary violin pegs. A guitar repair shop should be able to install them if you don't want to try it yourself.  I hope this helps.  Best wishes!

Hello friends.
I write to you all in need of help. Last year I was given a dulcimer by a friend who thought that I would play it more than her. I resolved to do just that in 2025 and today I was trying to tune it up and one of the tuners came apart. I got it back together once, but then...it came apart again.

So, I was wondering:

1 - how do these things work?

2 - are there more modern versions that make them easier tune? (I like the way they look)

3 - should I get guitar tuners instead, could I even install them on this type of dulcimer?

4 - Any thoughts, guidance, or helpful advice would be much appreciated!

Thanks a lot,

Sal

Hey Sal, welcome aboard. Glad ya found us.

Welcome to FOTMD Sal. It is good to have you aboard.

Ken

"The dulcimer sings a sweet song."

Welcome Sal Monella to Friends of the Mountain Dulcimer. Glad you joined. This is a great family of folks who love the dulcimer. There is much experience and knowledge represented here. Please feel free to ask questions and join in the discussions. Best wishes on your dulcimer journey.