Nut Glue

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trev333

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It's almost the last thing I do on a build...

after I'm happy with the fit/string alignment and the nut slot depths after I've played it for a while..... I then wick a bit of titebond or clear nail polish with a toothpick into the ends of the nut slot to seal out any hand grunge/moisture from getting into the slot.... that usually does it....
 

telex76

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Most of mine have fit tight enough I don't use glue.
Least amount of Elmers possible if it's not that tight.
You may have to change it again sometime. You can destroy the nut slot trying to get it out if too much glue or the wrong kind of glue was used.
 

mgreene

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A couple drops of wood glue will work. Don't use super glue or anything heavy-duty, just something that will hold it in place. You don't need a permanent application in case if you ever have to remove it.

Humm - I thought a couple of dots of super glue was what people used for nuts. It was my understanding that since superglue is brittle, it will break free with a sharp blow.

Wood glue, especially something like tite bond, AFAIK is a permanent connection. I glued some Al to wood a few years ago with tite bond, as an experiment, and the connection was awesomely permenant (I didnt really believe that it would stick good).
 

Wally

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I would never use super glue....or anything else except two very small dots of white wood glue.
 

mgreene

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I would never use super glue....or anything else except two very small dots of white wood glue.

I like the idea of elmers. I used super glue in my last build because I thought that what people used.

So why not super glue Wally?
 

Wally

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There is no need for a permanent, strong bond there. The nut needs to be removable with a slight tap. Ime, when a nut is super glued in, either the wood will give up before the glue bond will or the nut will break. In either case, such a strong glue bond causes more problems than it solves. Just a couple of small dabs of white wood glue is sufficient.
 

jimgchord

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Two tiny drops of gel super glue. Quick and not permanent. If folks are having issues then they are using too much.
 

mgreene

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There is no need for a permanent, strong bond there. The nut needs to be removable with a slight tap. Ime, when a nut is super glued in, either the wood will give up before the glue bond will or the nut will break. In either case, such a strong glue bond causes more problems than it solves. Just a couple of small dabs of white wood glue is sufficient.

Sounds like we have a "failure to communicate" :D
 

schmee

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I use two tiny drops of thick superglue. Never had an issue getting it off. String tension is uneven and the nut will often pull to one side without something. The superglue gets it set fast so it doesnt end up in the wrong place.
 

Wally

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Sounds like we have a "failure to communicate" :D


I don’t see any failure to communicate on my end. I was taught guitar repair by Brian Galloup in method of Dan Erlewine in the shop he established in Michigan. Bryan worked with Dan for 5 years before buying his business when Dan went to Stew Mac.
I have had nothing but trouble with nuts that have been glued in with super glue. I have seen other repairs on guitars that have been render3d unrepairable due to the use of ‘modern glues’....super glue, gorilla glue. Super glue has its uses in guitar repair. IMHO and ime, those uses do NOT entail any work that may need to be undone or redone in the future.i use super glue for nut slot fills. I will use super glue for quick finish chip repair on poly finishes.
I use it for certain fret issues.
Many people seem to think that animal-based wood glues have been made obsolete by modern glues. Nothing could be farther from the truth for wood. Animal based glues allow for disassembly and future repairs in case of a rebreak. They also are easily cleaned up and leave no trace of use if used properly.
I have seen people ruin instruments both in a functional manner and a cosmetic manner with use of improper glues.....
 

mgreene

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I don’t see any failure to communicate on my end. I was taught guitar repair by Brian Galloup in method of Dan Erlewine in the shop he established in Michigan. Bryan worked with Dan for 5 years before buying his business when Dan went to Stew Mac.
I have had nothing but trouble with nuts that have been glued in with super glue. I have seen other repairs on guitars that have been render3d unrepairable due to the use of ‘modern glues’....super glue, gorilla glue. Super glue has its uses in guitar repair. IMHO and ime, those uses do NOT entail any work that may need to be undone or redone in the future.i use super glue for nut slot fills. I will use super glue for quick finish chip repair on poly finishes.
I use it for certain fret issues.
Many people seem to think that animal-based wood glues have been made obsolete by modern glues. Nothing could be farther from the truth for wood. Animal based glues allow for disassembly and future repairs in case of a rebreak. They also are easily cleaned up and leave no trace of use if used properly.
I have seen people ruin instruments both in a functional manner and a cosmetic manner with use of improper glues.....

Thanks for that. Others, and myself, specified two small drops of super glue. When I have used super glue in the past, it seemed to delaminate in the glue line itself - not taking part of the substrate with it, like wood glues seem to do, in general woodworking.

IN any case, I am glad to get the benefit of your expertise - even when you are cranky :lol:
 

jimgchord

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Thanks for that. Others, and myself, specified two small drops of super glue. When I have used super glue in the past, it seemed to delaminate in the glue line itself - not taking part of the substrate with it, like wood glues seem to do, in general woodworking.

IN any case, I am glad to get the benefit of your expertise - even when you are cranky :lol:
Exactly, if anything is going to take wood with it....it's wood glue .
 

rooboo

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I don’t see any failure to communicate on my end. I was taught guitar repair by Brian Galloup in method of Dan Erlewine in the shop he established in Michigan. Bryan worked with Dan for 5 years before buying his business when Dan went to Stew Mac.
…….

Of course there is a StewMac Video covering this. Dan recommends two small dots of shellac.

 

guitarbuilder

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A drop of yellow glue. Yellow and white glues are for porous materials. Bones are porous, so water soluble glue works. I would never use super glue on bone. If you need to remove the glue, hot water does it.
 
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