Nut & Bridge Lube

[riverrick]

This may be a stupid question....but I was reading where lead from a pencil works really well for lubing the nut. My question to you is how to get the lead from the pencil into the nut slots and the bridge???

[markb]

Just rub a soft pencil over the nut slots. Graphite powder will fall into the slots and help lube the nut. I think proprietary nut lubes are quite cheap these days but you can make your own by sanding pencil lead and mixing it with some petroleum jelly (Vaseline in the UK). Make a paste and apply to the nut slots with a toothpick or similar. I've never used graphite on a bridge, not sure how effective it would be.

[markb]

Oh, slacken the strings first and pull them out of the slots.

[riverrick]

OK....thanks guys.

[Tig]

The tiny bottle of Big Ben's Nut Sauce (http://www.bigbends.com/) I have has lasted over 2 years with only a little used.
Take an old dental floss pick to apply to the slots.

http://www.drchetan.com/dentalpics/plog-content/images/dental-instruments/dental-floss/dental_floss_pick.jpg

[riverrick]

great idea Tig....thanks

[Spudman]

You can also find tubes of graphite powder at tool stores. I carry one in my gig bag.

As for the Nut Sauce, it works great but it seems to be the same formula as Super Lube in the pen applicator. Super lube also comes in a small tube paste design. Both can be found at auto parts stores and other similar retailers.