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Nut files
Aug 3, 2022 21:25:52 GMT
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Post by purpleorange on Aug 3, 2022 21:25:52 GMT
Can anyone recommend an affordable sent of nut files?
I tried a cheap sent of keyring nut file of amazon but they were useless, anything decent is well over £100, too much for the small jobs I have in mind.
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Post by pete1951 on Aug 4, 2022 13:42:09 GMT
When i started messing around with guitars ( some years ago) I couldn’t find any special nut files. Eventually I found some needle files that would do large strings but had to flatten and grind old hacksaw blades for the small strings. StewMac nut files were so much better, I bought them a few at a time and they are very expensive for a tiny file. Pete Most of mine are the flat type, rather than the V shaped dual size ones
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Nut files
Aug 4, 2022 14:25:35 GMT
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Post by bonzo on Aug 4, 2022 14:25:35 GMT
I've found sets of small files on ebay. Though not of the highest quality they're cheap enough and have done the jobs I bought them for, bridges, nuts etc.
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Nut files
Aug 4, 2022 17:39:05 GMT
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Post by purpleorange on Aug 4, 2022 17:39:05 GMT
Thanks.
I have some files for harmonica repair that can dobthe bigger holes so it is the smaller ones I am struggling with. I might see if I can make any use of a junior hacksaw blade.
I will check ebay incase anything useful comes up.
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Post by slide496 on Aug 10, 2022 12:20:39 GMT
You might consider a set of mini craft saw files but the drawback might be that they are at best too thick and the blade might need to be replaced frequently - I don't have any to judge by. Any x-acto blade would be thin enough, a couple have a rounded tip and they are durable but those aren't serrated - I use those for other things and also have cleaned the small slots with them. The third in the category of hobby tools that I am aware of is the x-acto saw blade which I have and that is thin enough. I use a set of stewmac files that I got a long time ago when it was more reasonable priced.
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Post by pete1951 on Aug 10, 2022 14:12:31 GMT
You might consider a set of mini craft saw files but the drawback might be that they are at best too thick and the blade might need to be replaced frequently - I don't have any to judge by. Any x-acto blade would be thin enough, a couple have a rounded tip and they are durable but those aren't serrated - I use those for other things and also have cleaned the small slots with them. The third in the category of hobby tools that I am aware of is the x-acto saw blade which I have and that is thin enough. I use a set of stewmac files that I got a long time ago when it was more reasonable priced. I have used all sorts of narrow saws , but the problem is that the slot will not have a half round bottom and ,at best, will be roughly square . Blades, such as x-acto, could help the clean out a slot, but you can’t really get a good shape with a blade ( and it would take a very long time.) One thing I used to do ( before I had a set of files) was to use a guitar string to polish the bottom of the slots for wound strings. If it was an 024 slot I would put a length to 025 or 026 wound string in a fret saw frame, and use it as a saw blade. It’s many years since I did this ,but I seem to recall that it worked ok.
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Post by slide496 on Aug 11, 2022 9:09:12 GMT
Thanks Pete1951, I was hoping you'd give your opinion, I've had it in mind about these craft tools as a usable substitute for a while since the thread started.
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Nut files
Aug 11, 2022 11:18:45 GMT
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Post by snakehips on Aug 11, 2022 11:18:45 GMT
Hi there !
I bought the Stewmac files about 10yrs ago - and they have got a lot of use over the years on my own guitars and helping on some guitars for friends of mine.
I bought & installed Highlander pickups on about 5 (at least) National/NRP guitars, years back when they had NRP non-hot-rod taller cones. When NRP brought out Hot Rod cones I bought new Highlander biscuits & reinstalled the pickups with the new biscuits. I’ve done lots of other tweaks in guitars plus installing new biscuits on friends’ guitars.
Yes, they cost a lot BUT it’s been worth it over the years - and they still work fine.
I bought 7 files - 13, 16, 20, 28, 35, 45 & 56. These cover me for most instances including electric guitar - as the lightest I go is a 12, even when using a set of 10-46 strings for electric guitar). The 20 & 28 do me for 3rd strings, depending on if for wound or unwound 3rd string
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Post by purpleorange on Aug 14, 2022 21:32:28 GMT
Thanks for the reply, I think I will invest in a set of nut files at some stage. May even set up a search on ebay for 2nd hand stewmac files.
At the moment I have an uncontrollable urge to buy a banjo, so no hurry for the files.
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