Removing a glued nut-HELP!

Is it a hard glue or a softer glue that would melt with a little heat? The nut on my yamaha bb424 is glued in with a little bit of what seems like hot melt glue. I bought it used so I'm not sure if it's an aftermarket nut but there was a tiny bit on the fretboard that just peeled away. I imagine if it's this type of glue, hitting it with a heatgun on low and being careful should loosen up the glue.

If it's really glued in there with something such as superglue, I imagine you would have to take more drastic measures (chisel)

It would have been better if you posted this in luthier's corner.

 

Try a glaziers knife ( also known as a 5 way tool) and a torch.

 

Most nuts are glued in place and usually with just a tiny bit of glue - enough to keep the nut from falling out when the strings are removed. The glue bond can be easily broken. Get a small piece of wood a little thinner than the nut, line it up with the end of the nut (either the E or G string side) and give the wood a quick tap with a hammer - a small one. As a precaution is is wise to score along the edges of the nut with an Xacto knife beforehand to break any bond there may be between the nut and the finish.

If the nut has been over glued, it may not budge using the tap method. In this case you can saw (with a small fine saw) along the length of the nut nearly all of the way through. Then break the nut out by gripping it with a pair of pliers, collapsing the nut into the saw cut. You may have some cleanup to do if you try this method - and of course you will destroy the nut.

 

I saw a video once on this and applied it, and it works.

Heat up a soldering iron. Place a lightly damp cloth (like an old washcloth) over the nut. Place soldering iron on the washcloth on the nut. Move soldering iron around to not focus all the heat on one spot. Tap it lightly with a hammer from the side, using a screwdriver if necessary. It will be on a Squier or similar Fender style thin nut. On larger nuts that aren't in a slot, tap towards the headstock.

This is a repair forum, so it belongs here IMO. You ain't building a bass.

 

You might want to heat it up using the soldering gun method or something may break.

Rule of thumb: If you whack it with a hammer and it doesn't budge, you need to add a step along with the whack.

 

The only reason I suggested the luthiers corner is because luthiers deal with installing nuts all the time. It's part of the process of building a bass. If I had a nut that I couldn't remove and didn't want to risk ruining my bass, I'd take it to a luthier

Not that this is the wrong forum, but because they would have more experience/tricks and would know what works and what doesn't work.

Cheers.

 

Problem is that many builders do not do repairs, and never have to deal with the problem of removing a nut. This thread is in the right forum.

If the nut is not budging with a tap from the side, cut it out as outlined. It's not difficult unless you are a tool klutz. Since you are going lefty, the existing nut will likely be useless anyway if it was properly cut in the first place. Then again cheaper instruments rarely have well-cut nuts.

Still better to sacrifice the nut than risk damaging the bass.