Calling guitarstrummer

[peiplayer]

Him Mike, I seem to remember some time ago you had a post about how you repaired one of the nut slots on one of your instruments (I can't remember which one). I believe the slot was a touch too low and you repaired it with glue? Can you briefly describe again how you made this repair and whether it has lasted well all this time. I think I have a similar problem...my B string slot is just a shade too low. Thanks so much.

[guitarstrummer]

You're memory is very good, as that was quite a while ago. Basically, what you might want to do first is to place a small piece of paper under the string that's giving you problems to see if raising the nut slot will solve the problem.

 

To raise it, you can take some bone dust, pack it into the nut slot and then drop in some superglue on top of the bone dust. Let it harden. This could take several hours. Then file a new nut slot.

 

You can also use just superglue (without the bone dust). They make some thicker superglue that works a little better for this, if you're not using the bone dust. Again, make sure you give it time to harden before cutting your new slot.

 

Also, you might want to apply some paper and/or tape to your headstock and fretboard area which surrounds the nut prior to doing this. It will protect it from the superglue spilling onto these areas by accident.

 

This is a more of a temporary fix, as the best fix is to install a new nut.

[peiplayer]

Thanks for that Mike, I'll try it. Even though perhaps a temporary fix, has it held up well for you?

[guitarstrummer]

Yes, it's held (knock on wood).

[ksdaddy]

I've had mixed results doing that, but let me explain why. Back in the 80s and 90s I would buy "A grade" super glue (Krazy Glue, Loctite, etc) at $3.00 a pop and it worked great for everything. I use super glue frequently in the shop but seldom in the sense that I need the "hard hat under a bridge" strength, so I buy them 8 tubes to a blister pack at WalMart for about a buck. You get what you pay for in this case. For the low-demand applications the cheap stuff works fine but if I were to mend a nut slot I'd splurge and get the good stuff. I suspect it might even be the same chemical makeup but the cheap stuff might be outdated or just plain old.

[gearbasher]

I really think they modified the "kick" in the more popular super glues (Krazy Glue, et al.) Probably because people were accidentally gluing various parts of their anatomy together. "Hot Stuff" brand always seemed to work better. It was available in different consistencies at hobby shops. I haven't used it in a while. So, I'm not sure if it's still around.

 

Edit: I did a quick search and "Hot Stuff" is still on the market.

[guitarstrummer]

I should also add that Stew Mac used to sell a super glue that was white in color. I haven't checked their website lately, but if you can afford to wait for it, that might be a good option for a bone nut, as the color would blend better.

[ksdaddy]

There used to be a small shop here in town that sold all the modeling paraphenalia, boy scout uniforms and such, and lots (lots) of comic books. What a nerdfest that was on a Saturday morning! I did venture in there at the risk of dealing with the passive aggressive virgin mouth breather behind the counter. They did sell small bottles of super glue, can't recall the brand but seems like the normal stuff had a purple label and the hot suff had a blue label. The hot stuff was great due to assembling the parts and THEN shooting it with the super glue. It would wick into place and Bob's yer Uncle.

[TommyK]

There are definitely different grades of SG, and yes, the mass marketed consumer brands were weakened in the wake of people gluing their fingers together. The 'good' stuff is out there, you just have to know what to look for. Would be nice if the purveyors of this stuff would include some sort of strength number so you could tell the difference.

 

Most of your lock tite thread lockers are cyanoacrylate (c.a.) adhesives, aka superglue. They come in different strengths. But... none are anything near bone colored.

 

Too, using c.a. in this application is not going to give you it's maximum strength. It takes an hour to 'dry' as that is what it does, it dries out. SG, cyanoacrylate (c.a.) glues, will adhere.. almost immediately upon being squeezed between two tight fitting components. This is because c.a. adheseives are anaerobic. They lock up in the absence of air. That's why the little toothpaste like tubes of the stuff hardens up once you've used it once. Most people will squeeze from the bottom with the tip up, thereby driving the little pocke of air out of the tube. Put the cap on and with in a couple days it hardens into a solid mass. Try this next time. After using it, squeeze the sides of the tube to suck the last bit of c.a. out of the nozzle back into the tube so it draws in some air. Cap it and you're good. I have tube of it in my tool box at work I first opened 3 months ago. Just used it yesterday to glue my glasses back together.