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Topic: Reworking a Ricky Bakelite nut or bridge |
Tom Wolverton
From:
Carpinteria, CA
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Posted 19 Jul 2010 12:55 pm |
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Can anyone recommend a way to fill a string slot in the bakelite material that is in the nut and/or bridge of an old Ricky. I've got some worn string slots that need to be tightened up. Epoxy? Super glue? Unobtainium?
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To write with a broken pencil is pointless. |
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Steve Ahola
From:
Concord, California
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Posted 19 Jul 2010 5:48 pm Re: Reworking a Ricky Bakelite nut or bridge
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| Tom Wolverton wrote: |
| Can anyone recommend a way to fill a string slot in the bakelite material that is in the nut and/or bridge of an old Ricky. I've got some worn string slots that need to be tightened up. Epoxy? Super glue? Unobtainium? |
Tom:
For filling the string slots in a plastic nut, one suggestion is to add filings of the actual plastic to super glue. I would imagine that you could do the same with bakelite filings for your Ricky.
Once you have filled in the slot you might want to first smooth out any rough edges and then recut the slot with a nut file. At least for regular guitar it is strongly recommended that you use the real nut files that cost $12.95 apiece at Stew-Mac rather than a set of needle files. For regular guitar I think getting a set of 6 nut files is a good investment because most of the new guitars I see under $1000 need the nut slots enlarged a little bit. I think that the mfg's figure it is better to have the slots too shallow than too deep. And you do want to first set the action (bridge and truss rod) to your preference before lowering the slots.
Oh- I also heard of mixing in baking powder with Super Glue but have not tried any of these tricks myself. (I usually just tear off a little bit from a guitar string envelope to shim up the string that is too low.  )
Steve Ahola
www.blueguitar.org
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Recordings on electric guitar:
http://www.box.net/blue-diamonds
http://www.box.net/the-culprits |
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Mike Neer
From:
NJ
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Posted 19 Jul 2010 6:15 pm
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Bowling ball repair kit, maybe? I think somewhere down the line I heard about this being used.
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Links to streaming music, websites, YouTube: Links |
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Tom Wolverton
From:
Carpinteria, CA
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Posted 19 Jul 2010 6:18 pm Dude!
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I like that idea. ala...."The Big Lebowski"
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To write with a broken pencil is pointless. |
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Bill Creller
From:
Saginaw, Michigan, USA (deceased)
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Posted 19 Jul 2010 9:43 pm
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I've used bakelite powder that I made from filing on an old bakelite ash tray, and mixing it with epoxy. Didn't try the super glue idea yet.
Stewmac has a black two-part epoxy that works also, but I've found that it takes a few days to really get hard. |
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Jason Hull
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Posted 22 Jul 2010 4:39 am Re: Reworking a Ricky Bakelite nut or bridge
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| Steve Ahola wrote: |
| And you do want to first set the action (bridge and truss rod) to your preference before lowering the slots. |
I always cut the nut first. If you adjust the bridge/saddle first, it will have to be re-adjusted after you cut the nut. |
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James Williamson
From:
California & Hawaii
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Posted 24 Jul 2010 8:22 pm refilling the nut and recutting
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This is some advice I got from the master of Ricky's Rick Aiello awhile back when I needed to do the same thing to one of mine.
"I'd get some Devcon Steel Epoxy ... great stuff (dries black) ... fill in the slots ... let it cure for 7+ days (even though it says a couple) ..
And then have someone with luthier files ... cut the nut properly."
Worked like a champ....make sure to wear a mask and goggles and gloves...this stuff is nasty but works perfectly.
Good Luck.
james |
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