How to remove stain from nut?

[cspencer]

I have a tusq nut and can't seem to remove the black stain inside the grooves. Tusq seem to stain more easily and I tried using a rubber band. Doesn't really work. Any suggestions? Thanks

[jthorpe]

Maybe use a solvent based cleaner? Acetone or naphtha?

Can you see the black marks when you've got the strings on? If so, is it that big of a deal?

[cspencer]

No I won't see the stains and it doesn't bother me. That's why they're getting darker I'm too lazy to have to clinically clean it but wonder if there's an easy way, like something one could do each time they change strings?

[phavriluk]

Before any solvents get near an instrument's finish, please make dead certain that the solvent won't get on the finish. Some are benign, others will very promptly eat into the finish (very often lacquer). Nice to be sure that the solvent will never touch the finish. For example, acetone feasts on lacquer.

[Scootch]

What are the black stains? Graphite? Oxidation from strings?

[arie]

if you really need to, you'll have to sand them out -carefully staying away from the face (the fretboard facing side) of the nut.

i would lay off the acetone though, tusq is plastic after all.

[Ned Milburn]

Originally Posted by cspencer

I have a tusq nut and can't seem to remove the black stain inside the grooves. Tusq seem to stain more easily and I tried using a rubber band. Doesn't really work. Any suggestions? Thanks

If the nut on the guitar in question doesn't have tuning problems, I'd recommend leaving the metal stains on the tusq nut as is. I remember we have shared ideas in another thread involving guitar nuts, and the discussion touched on the problem that some nuts have - specifically, when wrapped strings get hung-up or stuck on either a ridge (front end or back end) of the nut slot, or when the nut slots are too tight, resulting in difficult to impossible fine tuning and that frustrating "click" as the string jumps from one wrap to the next as it tightens, stretches, and crosses the nut.

Any time you touch a nut with sandpaper, file, or other abrasive, the opportunity exists to improve or damage the functioning of the nut. And I am quite sure you know that nut slots shouldn't be filed too low, otherwise open string buzzing is the result.

So, "if it ain't broke, don't fix 'er," is my vote. ;-)

[cspencer]

Hello Ned,

Thanks again for the advice. I hope I won't see a mushroom growing from the nut

[Ned Milburn]

Originally Posted by cspencer

Hello Ned,

Thanks again for the advice. I hope I won't see a mushroom growing from the nut

Depending on the type of mushroom, it might make your guitar playing seem more psychedelic. ;-)