Making a new nut for a strat

[zjokka]

hi all,

I have Squier lefty project that stuck because it had a bad nut and by removing it, I broke it. It wasn't properly glued into the nut pocket in the first place, the top sticking well but the bottom was hovering in mid air. Serious issue as far as sustain in concerned.

When I examined the nut pocket, I found a shim on the top part, nothing on the bottom.

Now I purchased some 'fender type bone nut' intending to carve it myself. After I got it, it turned out that the bone was almost twice the height of a strat nut. And, more importantly, I forgot about the curve.

Does anybody have experience in cutting nuts? I bought different grains of sanding paper to sand it in a curve, but how do I cut it straight -- it's only 0,8 mm hight or something.

Simple saw will cut the bone, but it needs to be straight.


any help would be so welcome.
thanks
Johan

[RandomHero]

www.stewmac.com will give you step-by-step on how to cut a nut, but of course according to them, it's absolutely impossible to do without their $150 set of tools. It's true that without the right tools it -will- be a daunting task. Unless you're dead set on doing this yourself, in which case you'd better be prepared for some bouts of frustration and a lot of careful measurement, I would just bring your guitar to a good tech and shell out the $30 or $40 to have them carve you one.

[UnklMickey]

I read the topic line and thought to myself:
"Oh, PLEASE tell me we're not gonna have another "TAP" thread here!"

[UnklMickey]

saw this, thought it might be useful.

www.guitarnotes.com/links/guitars/guitar_making4.shtml


U.M.

[Runewalker]

unklmickey:

I saw the topic and nearly pulled the trigger, but restrained myself. I am so proud.

RW

___________________________________________

There is some guy that sells something he calls the "e" nut, I think, that has a little fold out set of files for (this is for you unklmickey) shaping the string grooves at the --- what --- 'Headstock Bridge'?

Anyway, the tool is workable for the occasional luthier. However the small files -- for the high E and B, are almost threads and don't hold up well to this job.

As far as shaping, if you have one of those curved bottom groove installations, that can be a booger bear. Typically the curved bottom will reflect the radius of the fretboard. So you could get a business card and trace the conture, then cut the curved, testing it in the bottom of the groove, adjusting to get it perfect.

Then you can shape the botom of you -- 'headstock bridge' to the conture on the business card. Progressive grade of sandpaper work fine. Wrap it around something like a broomstick dowel.

The flat top is the easiest. Just stand and shape with a sanding block. I like to waterfall the conture down the back of the 'headstock bridge' to make a nice guide for the string.

If you find a corian installer they usally have plenty of leftovers and since nuts don't take much material, you can get many out of small scraps.

This may be necessary if things don't work and you have to start over (voice of experience).

RW

[UnklMickey]

yeah this one would have be too easy. it just screamed for me to get silly. i'm amazed that we all could show this kind of restraint. maybe 'cause it WAS too easy? i mean gee can't you just picture that squirrel with a knife in his hands?

RW if you remember where you saw that tool, drop me some bytes. sounds like it would be cost effective for infrequent use.

"headstock bridge" eh? wonder where that originated?

U.M.

[Runewalker]

Looks like Z-man changed the posting title, probably for the best, but I did not know you could re-edit.

Uncle heres your link. The tool is not bad just requires patience and some frustration toleance. The B and E are especially vexing:


www.monteallums.com/Stretch_Tuning_DW.html

Tool is called the "Nut Slotting Tool"

RW

[zjokka]

yeah yeah... did change that though, what a ball breaker!

thanks uncle for the link, I bought the sanding paper without really having a clue, turns out that my intuition oké.

RW, that's the tool I ordered, I though well how could you go wrong for $10.
Well, let me tell you: it's not a dedicated slotting tool -- but a drill cleaning set. Haven't tried it yet, but will soon, U.M.'s link kind of gave me confidence.

RW -- So yours turned out ok with this tool?

ZJohan

[UnklMickey]

Aw man, changed the title! i hate it when THAT happens.

i kept getting the uncontrollable urge to giggle whenever i saw it. and i liked that!

yeah guys, i'm glad to find a tool that might work for $10. i don't expect to use it more than 5 or 6 times. even if it wears out after 2 times, that means i'd need 3 of them. still way cheaper than a set of nut files. and should be a better profile than the little triangular file i've been using. maybe first part with triangular, then finish with that tool?


speaking of change, i see RW has a new avatar. looks nice. thought the old one was kind of distinctive though. and "we fear change."



U.M.

[Runewalker]

Unk:

What an eye. Had a computer crash and lost a bunch of files including the Knightpiece rendering. Will resurrect as time allows. All of this is code, can't believe you noticed.

Had to rely on a Pauline as a temp, because no matter how much I play the field with stratties and GNtz Wiring configs I always come home to Pauline.

Alright, then. Zman here's the other secret to 'headstock bridge" shaping. Trying to cut the string channels with the cheapo tool alone will make you cry. The other hidden tool is a standard Xacto thin saw --- Michaels, Hobby Lobby, Home Depot, etc. This thin blade saw is great for establishing a straight guide channel, then finishing with the files.

A Key issue is to ensure that you do NOT cut too deep. Recovery is difficult from a too deep string channel, not impossible, just less than satisfactory.

I took a belt sander and sanded a conventional pencil until it is flat and about half way into the graphite. I then trace the curve of the neck by drawing over the frets and against the nut. This shows where not to go beyond, and you need to obviously come in above the line.

Another thing that helps is hand clamps. I clamp the nut to a table to work on, away from the neck.

Finally, what happens when you go too deep (don't you dare Unk). Earlewine has a completely unintuitive approach. He packs the too deep channel with baking soda, thats right, baking soda, then soaks it with super glue.

That freaks me a bit, so I fine sand corian or some other compatible substance into a fine powder like substance, then pack and soak with super glue. Sand and shape, then re-cut the ......

One last thing. I find the Xacto saw is about right for the high E, but since the saw kerfs leave a less than smooth bottom to the channel, some buzz can happen unless smoothed.

good luck. Success on this endeavor is really pretty satisfying. Most of it is common sense. Get some high powered reading glasses, or a magnifying hood from Harbor Tools (Cheap). This is highly detailed work.

RW

[RandomHero]

I once bought a nut made of brass with screws for the string channels. These screws were slotted in an "X", so they could be adjusted to a number of satisfactory heights... I didn't have the money or the time to wait for a new nut to be cut, so I bought and installed this one myself, and was quite satisfied with it. Just throwing it out there.

RW, like what I did with your post? XD

[Runewalker]

RW, like what I did with your post? XD

If you mean the wiring diagram proposal, then yes, that is excellent, thanx.

RW