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Topic: Nylon Tuning Nut Stiffness |
Jamie Kitlarchuk
From:
Alberta, Canada
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Posted 14 Dec 2018 8:04 am |
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Hi all,
I'm relatively new to the pedal steel world. Just bought a used Carter Starter a few months ago and I've been able to get it to play really well (basically cleaned, lubed, re-strung, fixed the lkl stop issue), but I was just curious if the nylon tuning nuts are supposed to be quite stiff?
It feels like I have to torque on them a fair bit to get them to turn just a hair.
Any feedback would be much appreciated. |
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John Swain
From:
Winchester, Va
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Posted 14 Dec 2018 8:09 am
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| Nylon tuners can stay quite hard to turn. You can buy a "big wrench" from psgparts or an Excelite 3/16" nut driver with a full sized handle. |
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Erv Niehaus
From:
Litchfield, MN, USA
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Posted 14 Dec 2018 8:37 am
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Maybe a drop on oil on each one would help.
Erv |
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Jamie Kitlarchuk
From:
Alberta, Canada
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Posted 14 Dec 2018 8:53 am
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Thanks guys, I was thinking of adding a drop of oil, just didn't know if that would be the right thing to do on non-metal parts.
From what I've read, a bit of stiffness is desired so they don't slip out of tune, so maybe it's partly the nature of the beast. |
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Fred Justice
From:
Mesa, Arizona
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Posted 14 Dec 2018 9:06 am
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A little Vaseline on the the thread will work better 
_________________
Email: azpedalman@gmail.com
Phone: 480-235-8797 |
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Bobby D. Jones
From:
West Virginia, USA
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Posted 14 Dec 2018 10:05 pm Nylon Tuning Nut Stiffness
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The first thing to check is remove the nut from the rod and check the threads.
If the steel has been around for a while someone may have done something to the rod end.
I was having trouble with 2 rods on my old MSA S10. When I took the nut off one of these rods, Someone had made the rods to add a knee lever. Looked like they had cut the rods off with a set of Diagonal Pliers, After the rods was threaded. It had a peak in the middle and the 1st thread was BooBooed. A little rolling and filing the end of the rod cured the BooBoo on the shaft. I filed the end of both problem rods and replaced the nuts, No more problem.
One of the best lubes for the plastic tuning nuts is a little rub of Bees Wax on the threads of the rod. Since it stays inside the nut no dust. |
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Lee Baucum
From:
McAllen, Texas (Extreme South) The Final Frontier
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Posted 15 Dec 2018 5:41 am
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| I don't think oil is a good idea. |
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Erv Niehaus
From:
Litchfield, MN, USA
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Posted 15 Dec 2018 7:53 am
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How about snake oil?
Erv |
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Bob Cox
From:
Buckeye State
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Posted 15 Dec 2018 11:55 am tunners
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| TFE would work. I think those things dry up and get brittle. Best to replace them when they get hard to twist |
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Jamie Kitlarchuk
From:
Alberta, Canada
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Posted 15 Dec 2018 12:29 pm
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Bob, what is TFE? If it’s Tri-Flo, I’ve got some of that that I use for general instrument maintenance.
Seems like there is no consensus on this one. |
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Johnie King
From:
Tennessee, USA
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Posted 15 Dec 2018 1:07 pm
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| You could rub a candle on the threads I use candle wax on wood screws. Table saw tops An planer bed or regular old Johnson floor wax. For loose nylon tuning nuts a dap of loctite. |
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Bobby Nelson
From:
North Carolina, USA
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Posted 15 Dec 2018 2:24 pm
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| I have to jack the dickens out of my new MSAs nylons. Sometimes I have to just crank one until it pops, and then it will start tuning. I'm still a little scared of the mechanicals of these things. I still haven't changed my strings because of the heavier gauge,and my thinking that it's going to be a mechanical learning curve to get it back in tune. On the positive side of this great guitar: it's been almost 6 months, and I haven't broken a string yet! |
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Bob Cox
From:
Buckeye State
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Posted 15 Dec 2018 7:27 pm nylon
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| Yes tri flow |
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Bobby D. Jones
From:
West Virginia, USA
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Posted 15 Dec 2018 11:59 pm Nylon Tuning Nut Stiffness
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Remember there another thing about Tuning Nuts, That we have to remember. Their is 3 different size rods 3/32", 7/64" and 1/8". There is 3 different size internal diameter Nylon Tuning Nuts, Used building steels. When you order you need to Name the Guitar or measure the rods and give them the size rod.
Tuning nuts can cause a lot of problem if not the proper size and lubed if needed for a tight smooth adjustment.
The pull rod is only attached to the Bell Crank on the other end. When turning the tuning nut you have up to near 2 foot of rod flexing and torqueing under the guitar. When the rod torques up and you get enough pressure on the nut it will want to jump beyond the tuning desired.
The tuning nuts need to be tight enough so they don't slip when playing the guitar. The search is for the happy fit, Easy tuning and not moving once in tune. Good Luck and Happy Steelin. |
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Erv Niehaus
From:
Litchfield, MN, USA
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Posted 16 Dec 2018 6:23 am
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If I get a tuning nut that is too small I have drilled them out.
Not too much though, just enough so that the threads on the rod can cut new grooves. 
Erv |
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Jamie Kitlarchuk
From:
Alberta, Canada
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Posted 16 Dec 2018 9:05 am
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Putting a bit of wax on it actually sounds reasonable. I do this for old wooden drawers when they get a bit tight.
Regarding the size of the rods, etc, I know for sure everything is factory correct. It was bought used, in near mint condition from someone who didn't really play it much. So nothing was really tweaked (or maintained for that matter). It likely had the original set of strings on it.
After I cleaned it up, changed the strings and lubed it up, there was a significant improvement in playability.
I just wasn't sure about how to get the tunung nuts worked as goodnas possible... I guess I expected they should be as easy to turn as the tuning keys at the other end. It sounds like that's probably not the case. |
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