Filing a slice of the locking nut

[Silverburst]

Hi,

So I mean filing of some 0.1's of mm's on the base side of the nut itself. I was wondering of that is an option to lower the string height at the nut, is it something that is done sometimes ? I would only do it if it can be done with decent and precise machinery.

Problem is:
1. there are no shims to remove.
2. the curve of the neck almost starts straight away, so filing away a bit of wood under the nut isn't an option either or the nut's base will stick out of the neck (which is now already a tiny little bit the case because of the neck shape).

Thx

[moonlight]

I've done that a few times. I used a large medium flat file laying on a bench and just drag the nut over the file. After a couple of strokes you will see that these nuts aren't perfectly flat. Also there are letters and small circles on the back that you can use for indicating how much material you have removed and keeping an even cut. I'd rather be cutting on a $25 nut than a $300 neck.

[Silverburst]

Originally Posted by moonlight

I'd rather be cutting on a $25 nut than a $300 neck.

Exactly!

My only worry is that when doing this by hand, you could end up with a nut that is angled in any direction because you didn't file parallel to the original base of the nut.

[moonlight]

Yes you have to be careful but if you go slow and press down on the middle of the nut it's not too hard to get it straight. Those markings on the nut really help to see the progress and evenness of the cutting. When I think it's getting close I install it on the neck with both E strings to see how much farther to go. One more thing, I use a fine file, not a medium file.

[Silverburst]

Thx for the advice moonlight.

Other people who did this job by hand as well before I go into this ?

[Rich]

How long does it take to file 1/2mm + off a nut? Sounds incredibly slow!

[Silverburst]

How do you shave nuts Rich ?

about 1m above the 1st fret on the low E here. so about 0.7mm to go according to your specs. hmmm. since it's hardened steel I guess that could take a while and some fingernails.

[moonlight]

Maybe I'm not following your measurements but 0.3mm at the first fret seems too low to me. Anyway, the nut steel isn't all that hard and cuts fairly easy with a new sharp file. It does take time though, I probably had a couple of hours into filing off about .5mm including installing it a couple of times toward the end to check where it was with fit. I could probably do it faster now that I have a feel for it. I'm happy with the results though ,the nut height is right where I want it now. This is something I tried as one of those "I wonder if this will work" things so I would be interested in hearing the proper or easier way to do this if there is one.

[Rich]

Grinder - 2 minutes.

[Jem7RB MK]

Originally Posted by pmike

How do you shave nuts Rich ?

Originally Posted by Rich

Grinder - 2 minutes.

Damn, you didn't bite :P

[Rich]

I missed the reply!

They're cast pot metal, unless it's a 7 or 8 string nut, JPM, or a couple others made by Tekuchi.

[Silverburst]

hehe

pfeee... a grinder, like a rotating disc grinder or a band type grinder? Good to lose more than a fingernail. If you happen to be at it the next days, and feel fotogenic, would you take a quick picture of the nut on the grinding setup ? Thx.

[Rich]

A page I've been due to write for a few years, unfortunately I won't get to it anytime soon.

8" bench grinder.

[moonlight]

I'd be sure to screw it up on a bench grinder... like too much and crooked . BTW, Thanks for your great site, I've learned more there than all other sources put together. Much appreciated!!

[Rich]

It's easy to screw one up until you get used to it, I have a bag of them to prove it. But if the alternative is a couple hours with a file, I'll PASS!!