I used then to make some banjo nuts out of bone. It was a while ago, but I think I used a fine razor saw to put in the slot for most of the depth and finished by using the proper size rod. the ones I used were very fine and slow cutting. They are hardened wires with circular ridges on them. They worked, but the short length was annoying and they would bend if you got to vigorous with them.
So, if you need to do only a few nuts a year then this sort of tool will get you by, Professional welders seem to have the Wypo brand on the torch cart.
The tip cleaners will work as nut files - poorly. The main problem is the flexibility; you can't work accurately.
IMHO, unless you're working one-off on a very cheap disposable instrument, it is worth investing in proper set-up and maintenance tools. The StewMac stuff is a little pricey for what it is (sometimes adaptations from existing non-luthier tools), but they are tried, tested and proven to be the right tools for the job.
Good nut files and good fretting tools save a lot of headaches. Money well spent - and probably saved in the long run.
When we first started putting together sets of Uo-Chikyu files we included a few ukulele sets but there wasn't any interest. If luthiers here would like to get some specific sizes (Uo-Chikyu offers more variety) I could try again. We sell them for $11.50 as our regular price but we file a bit off the top (sorry) when we put them together as pre-assembled sets.
These are the sizes around the general ukulele range:
We measured a bunch of popular string sets for a variety of uke sizes and quite a few were between 0.020" and 0.024" so the 24 was for smaller gauges. If you're stringing your ukes with, for example, a Martin M-600 set with a 0.022" and a 0.026" and are of the philosophy that you either match files exactly or go larger then the 24 and the 26 make sense. Lots of string sets have a 0.027" or 0.028" string, too.
That was our thinking, anyways. Of course, none of it really matters if nobody's interested! Just thought I'd try to get some feedback from the people who would be using nut files on ukuleles.
On guitar I always file the slots to accommodate the heaviest gauges of strings I use (for half-tone drop tuning). So long as the slots are correctly angled and the bottom of the slot nicely rounded, I never have problems even when using much lighter strings.
Not sure if that would be any different on uke as I always use the same gauge Worths and the same set of files, which are a pretty close match.
So, based on the guitar experience, I agree with Liam. I don't really see a need for a bunch of files a couple of thou apart.
You can get those torch tip files at Home Depot for $3 and no shipping.
I've used them and they are very slow. They are also not marked for diameters so you have to pick the right size by feel unless you have a set of calipers around. You'll need a saw to start the slot too or you'll never get accurate positioning with these. Otherwise, they do a descent job of making a round bottom slot in various sizes. OK if you can muster the patience to use them
