Help me get my nut!

[mis5dis6gis7]

But seriously...

I'm having trouble replacing the nut on my acoustic.

I can't seem to get the new nut to stay in place after I start restringing it.

Any words of advice?

Even better would be a full walk-trough of replacing nuts.

[johnrambo]

glue it down

[mis5dis6gis7]

glue it down

I tried white glue.
I didn't want to put anything permanent on it.

[Kid Icarus]

[WWW]

You have to make sure the mating surfaces are pretty clean and straight. Clean off all the old glue *carefully* with a small knife, razor or the tip of a chisel. Then use elmer's (I used wood glue but others have reported success with the white stuff) on the mating surfaces. Try to put some pressure on it while it's drying. Lay it against a wall, down on a table, use a few clothespins or rubber bands etc. Let it dry for 24 hours. That should do the trick.

EDIT: don't use the strings for pressure while drying. There will most likely be uneven pressure on the nut causing it to slip one way or another. Just wait til it dries to restring.

[ermghoti II]

I use string pressure as the clamping force. I glue the nut down with a tiny amount of Elmer's wood glue, and put the strings into the slots. I don't really tighten them up, just take out the slack. Then, I wrap the nut tightly with blue painter's tape, and tighten up the strings. The tape keeps the nut from drifting, and the strings provide plenty of clamping force. Quick, easy, no chance of any damage.