Nut file help - dont have the right size

Maynehead

Lewy said:

I'm not sure what a 10 gauge low E string is when it's at home, or a 10 gauge wound string either (do they exist on any instrument?), but I can say that I've managed to widen and deepen nut slots using the "floss" method a few times, when it's just been a case of slightly altewring an existing slot. Not sure anyone is suggesting it's the way to start a new nut from scratch. It may not be the most efficient but it took a lot less time than going to a hardware store and buying something more efficient or waiting for something to be delivered.....

It's a low E string from a 10 gauge string set, which is a 46 gauge wound string to be precise.

As I said before, the requirement is to lower the nut slots of an acoustic guitar. Granted it was not declared by how much, but it sounds like it is by a fair amount, and not just a minor adjustment, since all the slots appear to require work.

If you read through my posts, I never suggested that any new or specialist tools were needed. I simply stated that wrapping sandpaper around an existing smaller nut file was a better solution than using a welding nozzle cleaner or a wound guitar string to achieve the desired goal.

mbe

@Maynehead you need to conduct an experiment with a welding nozzle cleaner.  There seems to be a degree of confusion in this thread between the humble welding nozzle cleaner and the wound string offcut that has been proven to be virtually useless.

Dave_Vader

In defence o f the old wound string offcut, I converted my first fretless using a set of old rotosounds to file the nut down, it took no time at all. I suspect a very cheap plastic nut may have helped.

The fretless I did this summer was completely impossible using the same method - no idea what the nut was made of but it wasn't budging.

I am not admitting how I lowered the nut in the end, as it is not pretty.

ICBM

Dave_Vader said:

In defence o f the old wound string offcut, I converted my first fretless using a set of old rotosounds to file the nut down, it took no time at all.

That’s because Rotosound Swing Bass are actually flexible files .

And feel like it when you’re playing them too! Truly awful bass strings.

Oddly, their cheaper Roto Bass strings are some of my favourites - but they’re nickel wound not steel.

But even with Swing Bass, it isn’t going to work with any properly hard nut material.

Maynehead

mbe said:

@Maynehead you need to conduct an experiment with a welding nozzle cleaner.  There seems to be a degree of confusion in this thread between the humble welding nozzle cleaner and the wound string offcut that has been proven to be virtually useless.

I did mention further up that the reason I advice against the nozzle cleaners is because I’ve actually got a set myself.

The thicker cleaning rods do cut, at least better than strings do, but the thinner ones have little to no cutting power.

However the main issue with them is their flexibility, which is directly proportional to their propensity to ruin a nut.