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Wood Nut

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#2
The modifier said:
Will maple be hard enough to make a Nut out of it, if so what would be a good Finish to apply to it, I was thinking oil and wax, need advice:help:
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I would say yes. Just be sure the grain is oriented correctly, make sure the grain goes across the nut (long ways), it'll be way stronger. Many finishes can be done too. I'd use a wipe on about 8-10 coats of polyurethane (no future waxing necessary), but that's just me. I made one out of red oak for an EUB i'm building.
 
#12
I have a wonderful Birdseye Maple nut on one of my Frenz Basses, and I have made a nut out of Ziricote on one of my own. They have held up as well as any other materials. Plus they look great too IMHO. I won't cover the tone issue, try it, you can always remove it easily if it doesn't work for you. I mean really it's a small totally reverse-able mod.
Dirk
 
#13
Bofee said:
I always sand to 1500 or 2000 grit. I like the surface to look glassy before I start to apply the finish. But then I only use an oil finish.
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Oil wont go into a surface sanded to 1500 or 2000 as well as 220. you close of alot of pores in the wood when you sand that high. id say highest 400 for an oil finish but i think 220 is better.

and i would use a harder wood than maple for the nut. ebony or bloodwood or something like that. and how is tone only subjective with a non metal nut? lots of practise=good tone
 
#14
The modifier said:
What do you mean by chip, with string pressure,or during the manufacturing of it?????:confused:

Well in either case I have nothing to lose exempt 2 cents worth of wood and polyurethane(maybe oil not sure yet), I might as well see how it goes.
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Maple will have fiber tear as strings rub across it from tuning. I am not sure why you would not aim for success the first time.

dblbass said:
Oil wont go into a surface sanded to 1500 or 2000 as well as 220. you close of alot of pores in the wood when you sand that high. id say highest 400 for an oil finish but i think 220 is better.

and i would use a harder wood than maple for the nut. ebony or bloodwood or something like that. and how is tone only subjective with a non metal nut? lots of practise=good tone
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Oil does not need to go into the wood. It just needs to catalyze on the wood. I take my fingerboards to ~10,000 grit.

Also, both Ebony and Bloodwood are will splinter from the strings. Once you have discovered Lignum Vitae you will see why it is used for things like this and even car axles.
 
#15
dblbass said:
....and how is tone only subjective with a non metal nut? lots of practice=good tone
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Last I checked there are alot of non-metal materials, none of which I could tell the difference between by listening to. I guess i was illustrating there would be a real noticeable difference between wood and say brass, for example. If you could tell the difference between Maple and lignum as a nut, then god gave you a good gift of hearing.
 
#17
i was saying that i cant even hear the difference between brass and a paper mache nut. im saying everything is subjective not just non metal materials. whenever it comes to getting a good sound or "sustain" or growl or something like that, my idea is to go practise for a couple of hours a day and get it not get a bass with a swamp ash core or a brass bridge or and ebony fingerboard.

and oil does need to go into the wood. thats the point of an oil finish. never tryed lignum vitae but ebony has always worked fine for me. where can you get that stuff?
 
#18
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#19
dblbass said:
and oil does need to go into the wood. thats the point of an oil finish.
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Keep learning, you'll get there. An oil finish that soaks into the wood does nothing to protect it. If it did the directions would say use only one coat.

Any oil including, vegtable oil, will oxidize and polymerize on the wood and not inside the wood to any signifigant amount.

The difference between 220 and 2000 is the gripping surface points of the wood. If you are in search of a thick weak finish then 220 grit is a fine stopping point.
 
#20
mikeyswood said:
Keep learning, you'll get there. An oil finish that soaks into the wood does nothing to protect it. If it did the directions would say use only one coat.

Any oil including, vegtable oil, will oxidize and polymerize on the wood and not inside the wood to any signifigant amount.

The difference between 220 and 2000 is the gripping surface points of the wood. If you are in search of a thick weak finish then 220 grit is a fine stopping point.
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:rollno:

danish oil (what i use) penetrates and then dries inside the wood so that there isnt any significant build up on top but the wood itself gets harder. It doesn't work as well on a hard oily wood such as cocobola but it works great on walnut or something similar. it takes a lot of coats and some drying time but the outcome is great. 220 works great as far as my boss myself and the other guys at the shop i work at are concerned (and many other wood workers too) so maybe you, the grand master luthier should go ask some questions instead running your mouth.
 
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