Paul, that's some great info. Thanks. I'll probably end up getting a few nut files from Stew Mac and see what I can do with them.
Paul, that's some great info. Thanks. I'll probably end up getting a few nut files from Stew Mac and see what I can do with them.
A luthier may charge his shop minimum, $60 in mine, to slot your nut. That's a bit less than a decent set of nut files. If a luthier goes too deep, he'll make a new nut, if you go too deep...
Since no one has mentioned it yet (or I think no one has..), I'll add that razor saws of various types are very good for roughing in the slots. You have to use a light touch because they cut quickly. For larger strings I use the saw to locate the slot and then finish it with files. Exacto makes some very thin saws that good for the smaller strings, but watch out because the thinner the saw the quicker it cuts. One advantage of the thin saw is that once you have marked out the location of the string on the nut, you can place the slot very accurately.
I posted that I use and like the welders torch cleaners and Paul said he has tried them but didn`t like them, I am sure he does a whole lot more repairs than I do so I should have said if you only do small time repairs every once in a while they should work fine, I can`t say how they hold up over the long haul...Thanks for your insight Paul, I am sure nut files would be a better choice for someone that does repairs for a living, but a pretty high cost for a person that only has one mandolin and wants to file the nut slots to his liking though...
Willie
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