Nut of truss rod came off

[viento]

The nut of my 2-way-truss rod came off when I turned it.
The soldering was too weak and now about 0.3" of the screw thread is showing.
I don´t know the reason but maybe a drop of titebond had blocked the rod.

Is there any remedy?
I´m not very fond of lifting the fingerboard off the neck and making a new one.
The abalone inlays would be distroyed etc....

I appreciate any help!

[Frank Ford]

Before thinking of surgery, I'd try to get a new nut attached there. Now, if there are lots of good threads left on the old one, maybe it will still work. The truss rod supplier should be able to provide you with an appropriate replacement, which, I presume, is a left-hand thread.

My first attempt would be to use some high strength permanent Loctite. Red #262 is a good choice. First, clean all the threads with acetone, then screw together with the Loctite compound, making sure not to get any on the "working' threads down in the neck. A tiny drop of oil there would be a good idea, before cleaning the threads you're going to lock together.

You'll want to thread the nut on far enough to get plenty of thread engagement for the Loctite to hold well, but obviously you don't want to thread it on so far that it could contact the other threaded element of the truss rod.

Loctite works only on metal, cures in the absence of air, and to make certain of a good bond, you'd want to leave it alone at least overnight after screwing the parts together.

Should you need to take the nut off again, you could heat it with a soldering iron to break the Loctite bond.

This is a nasty piece of business, and I wish you well in your efforts!

[viento]

Thanks for your kind help!
I will have a look for the mentioned Loctite and give it a try.

[Tom West]

I would try Franks method first and if that also fails(comes loose again) you may try re setting with Loctite and also pinning it if you are handy doing fine metalwork jobs.
Tom

[viento]

Additional question:

if the fingerboard has to come off, could it be used again...with the mop inlays??
The plastic binding will easily be replaced, no question.

I guess when I heat the ebony fingerboard from above with a flat iron etc. the epoxy embedded mop inlays
will move in some way because of the softening epoxy.

[viento]

In the meantime I got the fingerboard off and the truss rod out.
It took me about one hour and my wife had to buy a new flat iron
because after I used hers it jumped off the work bench and scattered
a bunch of plastic parts on the floor...
I had ordered a new ebony fingerboard before, a new truss rod, the mop inlays
and some new fretwire.
Astonishingly the said fingerboard isn´t damaged, neither are the mop inlays
so I will use it again. I´ll keep the new one for my second guitar in the near
future:a baritone with only 6 strings and a venetian cutaway