Blew out the nut - what do you recommend?

Big bummer. I blew out the nut.

I was getting a little carried away, I guess, on filing the nut slots to improve the intonation on a couple of strings, and - I blew it out. Buzzing bad now.

I have read of people *repairing* that by filling the slot again with something and then re-filing. Is that a hack that will cause problems, or is that a legitimate thing to do. If it is, what material would I put in the slot?

Thank you.

I have read of folks taking a dab of super glue to build back up the slot, but haven't done it myself. As long as you keep it off the wood, I don't see how it can hurt to try as the alternative is replacing the whole nut.

UkeKiddinMe said:

Big bummer. I blew out the nut.

I was getting a little carried away, I guess, on filing the nut slots to improve the intonation on a couple of strings, and - I blew it out. Buzzing bad now.

I have read of people *repairing* that by filling the slot again with something and then re-filing. Is that a hack that will cause problems, or is that a legitimate thing to do. If it is, what material would I put in the slot?

Thank you.

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You can replace the nut - not a big deal - or use a dab of superglue. Apply using a pin very carefully and in the smallest amount possible. Let it dry for 12 hours before restringing. It should do the trick. It is a good idea to mask behind the nut and in front using painters tape.

Remove the nut from the instrument. Using masking tape, create dams on both the front and back. Use medium CA glue (not the thin kind) to refill the slots. Let dry (an hour or so should do it, less if you use accelerator) and recut the slots.

I mix a little baking soda with the super glue to thicken it up but it's only a temporary, emergency fix. Make a new nut for it and the long run.

Put baking soda in the nut slot and apply a drop...a tiny drop...of thin superglue using one of the micro-pipettes that LMI sells.

NO need to remove nut from instrument. NO need to make dams which will just get stuck to the front and back of the nut. The baking soda/thin superglue mix is a lot harder than superglue alone...it should last a long time...not as long as bone, but I've done this with steel string guitar nuts and had it last for months and months.

Also, the baking soda kicks the superglue pretty quick. You can refile the slot in less than ten minutes.

The big thing is not to get superglue beyond the nut slot. It bonds beautifully and horribly with nitro lacquer, though you can clean it off with acetone or superglue solvent from polyester. But better not to get it where it shouldn't be than to have to spend extra time cleaning up.

I consider this to be an entirely legit "street repair". Cheap, easy, and effective. Not conservation quality, but certainly works.

You also can inlay bone into an enlarged slot at the string slot location...this is a restoration trick that Paul Hostetter does on vintage instrument that have original ivory nuts and even saddles. Check his site out at www.lutherie.net and on this topic http://www.lutherie.net/nuts.html Paul really knows his stuff.

Note that the other approach is to shim the bottom of the nut and recut slots appropriately.

Not every budget accommodates a new nut...

Baking soda - as in bicarb of soda? Or baking powder? Actually, is there a difference? I need to sort out the nut on my Le Paul, as the slots are too deep (not done by me) ..... sounds like a trick to use whilst I wait for a new nut and saddle to arrive ......

Despite Rick's post, I still recommend that you remove the nut before you attempt to fill the slots. Unless you are an experienced repair tech like Rick, the chances of getting thin CA on your uke's finish is pretty high. Better safe than sorry.

I see you are in the Hudson Valley. I am in northern Westchester. If you're reasonably close, you're welcome to stop by and I can help you.

Baking Soda, not baking powder. And like they said, put a dab of soda in the slot and then hit it with the glue. The earlier post that said "mix baking soda with the glue" implies something like making a paste out of it. The baking soda will set up in seconds when the glue touches it. Just dampen it while in the slot.

I've shimmed up an entire saddle with the stuff. In this case, I did remove it. I then formed a "dam" with scotch tape (on the bottom, not top), sprinkled it with baking soda, and then carefully dropped in the glue. A few treatments of this and I had a solid mass a few MM tall that I could then file down the sides and sand the bottom flat. It was an easy fix and I didn't have to wait to order a replacement saddle.

Instead of the baking soda, you can also use fine bone dust. Its much harder and will last longer than the soda. My first choice would be to replace the nut.

If you're doing a lot of repair work, you'll run into situations where there isn't the time nor money in the client's pocket for a new nut. For instance doing work on cheap instruments at a festival...as I just did...and a $15.00 quick fix gets the clients playing NOW, not next week. A lot of folks have ukes worth barely more than the cost of making a new nut. It's all very fine to get all high an mighty about what one SHOULD do in terms of repairs...as though all instruments were worth the bucks...but the reality is that often enough a quick, reasonable, even somewhat temporary repair is the RIGHT thing at the time. I did both bone dust/superglue fixes as well as shimming nuts up at Strawberry last week for very, very happy clients. They knew that the best fix would ultimately be spankin' new string nuts, but for on-site and for something that would last at least three or four months, they were really happy.

One way to really turn off potential long term clients is to go all highbrow on them and insist on work that is beyond their budget or that is just not appropriate for the quality and value of their instruments.

And this is one of the reasons I do do lutherie on-site at some festivals...it keeps me in touch with the reality of what people are playing and keeps me flexible to their needs. It's like knowing when to just go ahead and use superglue to fix a crack and when to fire up the hot hide glue pot. I think it's perfectly fine to build at one consistent level, but to repair rather flexibly. Not all of these instruments are future valuable vintage pieces, yet they are tools of musical expression and joy to their owners.

This year it was mando city... I did a partial refret on a nice Gibson F5-L, did a full refret...and nut shim...on a Kentucky F-5 copy, a fret mill on a Gibson F-5G (varnish finish...all crackled), and turned down a refret on a 1914 A-2 because it didn't quite need it yet...yes, the frets were divoted like mad...but it didn't fret out or buzz, so I told the new owner to just live with it for a few months and then do it. Also put railroad spike capos in three 5 string banjos, attempted to reglue about a half dozen loose top braces in a Korean Ovation double neck..one of the worst pieces of s..t I've ever had to work on, and found the most f'd up 1942 Martin I've ever seen...a 00-15 with the mahogany top painted off white to emulate spruce...and done a long time ago...multiple horrible cracks "repaired" with Titbond smeared all over, a Brazilian rosewood fingerboard once painted black with the deepest fingernail divots I've ever seen. It's a guitar that you could easily sink $1,500.00 worth of repair into...and it would be...maybe...an $800.00 guitar. Oh, did I mention it needed a refret? The guy dropped it jumping over a stream and the top was separated on the lower bass side bout. I glued it...

Rick - it is a blessing having you offer your experience here in the forum.

If we lived closer to each other, I'd be seeking you out to pay for your services in getting my uke back into shape.

Too many luthiers want to live in ivory towers...

I love building expensive, great instruments...

More than that, I like to see folks really enjoying the instruments they have.

Rick Turner said:

Too many luthiers want to live in ivory towers...

I love building expensive, great instruments...

More than that, I like to see folks really enjoying the instruments they have.

Click to expand...

Nicely said. It is great to have the ideal as well as other options posted. This is one of the true strengths of this forum. I would have said new nut - not that expensive from eBay or even StewMac, and maybe educational to accomplish - but everyone is at a different place, so what do I know. Real expertise is irreplaceable

By the way, what I've been saying here is absolutely consistent with my assertion that a good luthier should have a lot of experience "in the trenches" of repair and setup work...especially NOT on their own instruments. I quite deliberately put myself into the position of working on anything they bring me at these festivals. It does wonders for my chops both as a luthier and as someone communicating to musicians and being open to their needs.

Don't turn your nose up at "street level" repair and setup work. You'll miss out on a lot of what matters if you do.

Reminds me of my younger days playing in bands in dance halls..and sharing band rooms with the old pro musicians (The type that could play anything written down straight off) I saw Sax player's sanding down reeds with matchboxes, and using a coin and a match to trim the end..fixing broken springs with rubber bands...Trombones held together with gaffa tape etc:...My Hofner bass had a loose heel and I had a wooden door wedge jammed under the fretboard extension to hold the neck in line it was like that for months...some of the Tips I picked up from these old guys were amazing..like "what do you do if your shirt is too dirty to show on stage" ? (You turn it inside out)...what if it's a white bow tie job and yours is black ?(make a white one out of paper and pin it on)...You've left your patent black shoes at home and turned up at the gig in white plimsoles? ( you put a pair of black socks over them)..I can remember many times when guitar players had to replace broken strings with any old odd string that they could find in the case eg: 1st in place of a 3rd...seen them tied together as well .. Happy days

I've done the "temporary" baking soda/ca glue (and bone dust/ca) method on a numerous guitars for tight clients and friends and the "temp" fix has lasted in excess of 5 years. On a uke it must last for ages.

Q- "Why does it cost so much [$65] to put a little bone nut on my $7000 custom martin...."
A- "bye"

Then again, as Rick says, it is a pleasure to do a nice quick job for an appreciative person who can't afford more work

My Ivory tower is build with baking soda and ca glue

Fixed my nut on my Epiphone using the baking soda and CA glue trick this evening - worked a treat!

Mahalo to all for a great tip!

What is recommended for the filing tool - when one can't afford the very expensive files from Stewmac?

I have used all of these in the past:
- Single file purchased at home store
- Sawing motion with a wound steel string
- Folded sandpaper

I know these are all hacks. Was thinking about trying a metal nail file when I attempt something next.

What would some of you recommend?

This is one of those situations where I have to say that the right tools for the job are the right tools. You could get away with using a needle file or any of the hacks you listed, but...

Do go and read Paul Hostetter's treatise on filing and string nuts. That's the best I've ever seen on the whole subject, and you'll notice that his method requires that the nut actually fit the string...as in round bottomed slots ever so slightly larger than the strings and ramped correctly. That calls for the right tools for the job.

And...I wasn't going to claim such long life for the baking soda/superglue trick, but yes, it can last for years even with steel strings. My experience with that is similar to Beau's, and it may just be that the first few frets wear down at the same rate as the nut slot fill!