Members happy-man Posted October 6, 2007 Members Share Posted October 6, 2007 I've read that a nut can be built up with CA glue and baking soda. I've searched on this topic but I haven't read if it can be done with a plastic nut. I didn't think superglue would stick to plastic. I need to raise my low E string. Scott O Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Stackabones Posted October 6, 2007 Members Share Posted October 6, 2007 You changed your avatar! I barely recognized you. Sorry, no answer for your Q. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members DonK Posted October 6, 2007 Members Share Posted October 6, 2007 Dan Erlewine has described using baking soda and super glue for this purpose in one of his books. I have a couple of them and will check to see if I can find the reference. I've never heard of a problem using super glue on a plastic nut. I used it on a Tusq (a polymer, i.e., plastic) nut just last week, and could barely get the thing set before the super glue set. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members bjorn-fjord Posted October 6, 2007 Members Share Posted October 6, 2007 I've done the CA glue/baking soda trick on plastic nuts with no problems at all. If anything, it works better on a plastic nut because plastic is not porous like bone. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Scott-Darla Posted October 6, 2007 Members Share Posted October 6, 2007 Iv'e used super glue and baking soda for the past 20 years. I have used it on everything from guitars to radio controlled sailplanes. It can even be used to fill a stripped out hole, drilled and re-threaded. Here is what you do:1. Tape off the fingerobard and head so you dont get glue where you don't want it. 2. Prepare your baking soda! It can get lumpy sometimes from humidity. Chop it with a razor blade (like druggies chop coke) and get it into as fine a powder as you can.3. Lay a very fine bead of superglue in the string slot (I prefer Zap or Hot Stuff ) with the very fine pipette.4. Dust the slot with baking soda. Pinch it between your fingers and gently let it fall like snow into the slot.5. You can use accellerator, but I prefer to wait. Superglue and baking soda seem to be more durable when you let them dry naturally.6. Here is the hard part: you might have to lay in two or three layers to get it built up high enough.7. Use string (hemp twine) to polish the slot by dragging the string back and forth in the slot. (just like flossing teeth)8. If you spill any, you can use remover to clean it up. (acetone works just as well - your wifes nail polish remover will also suffice) Good luck. Remember, when you push down a string at the 2nd fret, it should not touch the first fret, but should be so close you you have to look twice to make sure. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members happy-man Posted October 7, 2007 Author Members Share Posted October 7, 2007 Thank you all for the input. I'm going to print it and file it away with my setup up printouts. I decided to go ahead and make a new nut instead. Scott O Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members guitarcapo Posted October 7, 2007 Members Share Posted October 7, 2007 I usually just replace the plastic nut with bone when that happens Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members garthman Posted October 7, 2007 Members Share Posted October 7, 2007 I would replace the nut if it was one of my guitars. I have used epoxy resin occasionally to repair other people's guitars - it works better than superglue + soda. Just mix up small equal quantities of resin and hardener, pop a blob on top of the nut, leave overnight to harden (this stuff sets hard - they stick airplane wings on with it). Next day just sand level and cut a new slot. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members happy-man Posted October 7, 2007 Author Members Share Posted October 7, 2007 I would replace the nut if it was one of my guitars. I have used epoxy resin occasionally to repair other people's guitars - it works better than superglue + soda. Just mix up small equal quantities of resin and hardener, pop a blob on top of the nut, leave overnight to harden (this stuff sets hard - they stick airplane wings on with it). Next day just sand level and cut a new slot. I actually tried that except I didn't put a big blob on (I should have). I posted the question at night and after a while didn't feel like waiting any longer for a reply, so I put some epoxy on it so it would be dry in the morning. Problem was that the slot was not too deep (only half of low E string) so filling the slot didn't give me much room to work with. I would have had to put more on to build up the entire nut not just fill the slot. In the mean time I broke a string. When I went to the store to get a new one it turned out that they had bone nut blanks for $3.50. It had one beveled edge and wasn't much bigger than I needed so I didn't have to remove tons of material. Scott O Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Freeman Keller Posted October 8, 2007 Members Share Posted October 8, 2007 Scott, two more to add to your notebook. Here is a pretty good explaination of how to make a nut from scratch - it is for an electric, but that doesn't matter, and of course, they are trying to sell a bazillion little tools, plus some more setup information http://www.stewmac.com/freeinfo/A-NUTS.html http://www.stewmac.com/freeinfo/I-5350.html Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members happy-man Posted October 8, 2007 Author Members Share Posted October 8, 2007 Scott, two more to add to your notebook. Here is a pretty good explaination of how to make a nut from scratch - it is for an electric, but that doesn't matter, and of course, they are trying to sell a bazillion little tools, plus some more setup informationhttp://www.stewmac.com/freeinfo/A-NUTS.htmlhttp://www.stewmac.com/freeinfo/I-5350.html Thanks for the references. I'm surprised the feeler gauges they sell are generic and not nut string height feeler gauges. I mean if you're going to have a nut and saddle vise, why not nut string height feeler guages? I didn't have a nut and saddle vise so I was forced to use my Panavise. For next time I really would like at least a single narrow gauged saw. I used a fine tapered file to start the slots and torch tip cleaning files to round the bottom of the slots. It worked fine for the wound strings, but for for the E and B the file I used made for a wide slot. Scott O Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Freeman Keller Posted October 8, 2007 Members Share Posted October 8, 2007 Thanks for the references. I'm surprised the feeler gauges they sell are generic and not nut string height feeler gauges. I mean if you're going to have a nut and saddle vise, why not nut string height feeler guages? I didn't have a nut and saddle vise so I was forced to use my Panavise.For next time I really would like at least a single narrow gauged saw. I used a fine tapered file to start the slots and torch tip cleaning files to round the bottom of the slots. It worked fine for the wound strings, but for for the E and B the file I used made for a wide slot.Scott O Yeah, I just use my auto feeler gauges (stack blades as needed) and I broke down and bought some StewMac double sided nut files. Three files have been close enough so far. I just use my little Xacto razor saw to start the groove. I did buy that cool little spacing rule - the idea of measuring the diameter of each string and calculating the spacing works good on paper, but is a bit of a hassle in reality. Speaking of calculations, when I made the nut for my classical I wanted the centers exactly the same (strings are approximately the same diameter). I made the outside two grooves, measured the distance between them with my calipers, divided by six, marked and started cutting..... and made a really nice nut for a seven string guitar. Now, forget I told you that, my guru image has just bee destroyed. LOL Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members pharmboyjoe Posted October 8, 2007 Members Share Posted October 8, 2007 OT, but I was in no man's land on the Mexican border in Big Bend when my radiator decided it was time to leak. Luckily had some baking soda in the fridge (old motorhome) and super glue in the cabinet. Patched it right up. In fact it still has patch (that was 18 years ago). Too bad superglue and baking soda wouldn't fix the tranny........ should work for a guitar nut just fine Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members jd-drafter Posted October 8, 2007 Members Share Posted October 8, 2007 in the context of a visa commercial... ivory nut blank.....5.00stew mac nut files.....(? fill in the blank)x-acto razor saw.....(again?) hour's of calculating and cutting.... 2 or more... making a great 7 string nut for a 6 string guitar..... priceless! 8^) whatever happens to the rest of us- eventually happens to the best of us... thanks for sharing your personal moment- Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Freeman Keller Posted October 8, 2007 Members Share Posted October 8, 2007 in the context of a visa commercial... And to bring it back to the topic at hand, I actually filled the slots with a mixture of bone dust and CA, cut four new slots between the outside two, continued with the setup, went online to LMI and ordered a couple of bone blanks (right, about 5 bucks per) and played it that way until they came a few days later. Then I used that one as a pattern for a new one and gave the guitar to my son, without telling him the story. Shhhhhhh, he still thinks Dad knows what he is doing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members jd-drafter Posted October 8, 2007 Members Share Posted October 8, 2007 your secret is safe with us... indeed- Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Cripes Posted October 9, 2007 Members Share Posted October 9, 2007 Low viscosity CA and microballoons. http://ipmsstockholm.org/magazine/2004/02/stuff_eng_tech_microballoons.htm Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Dan Hall Posted October 10, 2007 Members Share Posted October 10, 2007 Scott, two more to add to your notebook. Here is a pretty good explanation of how to make a nut from scratch - it is for an electric, but that doesn't matter, and of course, they are trying to sell a bazillion little tools, plus some more setup informationhttp://www.stewmac.com/freeinfo/A-NUTS.htmlhttp://www.stewmac.com/freeinfo/I-5350.html Titebond?!!? Hummmph. I would have thought you'd want something hard setting. I thought titebond was a friction adhesive. You're wasting vibes man. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members guitarist21 Posted October 10, 2007 Members Share Posted October 10, 2007 in the context of a visa commercial... Isn't it Mastercard? "There are some things money can't buy; for everything else, there's Mastercard?" Sorry, I'm posting with a little more irreverence than normal. This Intro to Music Tech class is pretty boring! Ellen Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Freeman Keller Posted October 10, 2007 Members Share Posted October 10, 2007 Titebond?!!? Hummmph. I would have thought you'd want something hard setting. I thought titebond was a friction adhesive. You're wasting vibes man. Titebond is the tradename for yellow (aka AR) glue which is what most builders use for almost all guitar construction these days. There are four different adhesives used in traditional guitar making - hide glue (yeah, the stinky old horse hide stuff), yellow ("titebond"), white ("Elmers") and CA ("superglue"). Any of those will work to hold a nut in place - you only want a tiny drop or two so it doesn't fall out when you change strings. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members happy-man Posted October 10, 2007 Author Members Share Posted October 10, 2007 Titebond is the tradename for yellow (aka AR) glue which is what most builders use for almost all guitar construction these days. There are four different adhesives used in traditional guitar making - hide glue (yeah, the stinky old horse hide stuff), yellow ("titebond"), white ("Elmers") and CA ("superglue"). Any of those will work to hold a nut in place - you only want a tiny drop or two so it doesn't fall out when you change strings. I've worked on 4 nuts so far. The first one had been glued with a small amount of glue to the fretboard, and I've followed that example when gluing them all back on (with Elmers). Two of them had glue on the headstock, and knocking the nut off removed a small amount of wood so that I had to file the surface flat before reinstalling the nut. I guess I did have to, but I did. I figure the fretboard wood is much harder and less prone to chipping, and I like the idea of using white glue since I'm wanting something I may want to remove in the future. I learned about Titebond when I was a kid making model rockets. Scott O Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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