Is it safe to file the nut with 80grit sandpaper?

[BrandonBass]

question

[joeyl]

that really too coarse I think, I would use the highest grit possible that gives a result. When I used to use sandpaper I would use 220.

[Vincent P]

Originally Posted by joeyl

that really too coarse I think, I would use the highest grit possible that gives a result. When I used to use sandpaper I would use 220.

Agreed, then followed by a wet/dry sandpaper to bring back a bit of the nut finish. 80 will leave a rough looking gouge appearance.

[BrandonBass]

sorry, I think i should rephrase my question. Is it safe to sand the nut slot with sandpaper? And also, is it true that u should sand abit more once you add more relief to the neck?

[Vincent P]

The problem with sanding these slots with sandpaper is it's difficult to obtain a true circular groove. If you can pop by a Home Depot or equivalent you can purchase a round file relatively cheap. This will give you a much cleaner groove.

I would re-string and tune first before dressing the nut, depending on how much relief to the neck was added/removed, you may not need to touch the nut at all.

[Zooberwerx]

Originally Posted by BrandonBass

sorry, I think i should rephrase my question. Is it safe to sand the nut slot with sandpaper? And also, is it true that u should sand abit more once you add more relief to the neck?

I much prefer emery cloth over and above sandpaper. Its less likely to crease and forms nicely over drill bits and such. Nut files are always my first choice but minor tweaks can be pulled off with abrasives. Its my understanding you want the neck as flat as possible (minimal relief) when tweaking nut slots. I leave the strings on at pitch and remove / repair / replace one-by-one.

Riis

[godofthunder59]

Buy a set of nut files, I would not use sandpaper 80 grit or otherwise.

[JLS]

Originally Posted by BrandonBass

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