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So, I'm ready to start practicing my unskilled luthier skills on my cheapo violin. the first thing I want to do is replace the nut. Does anyone have any videos or step-step-step instructions on removing and installing. That would be Super helpful! I didn't see any discussions anywhere else. Maybe I just missed them.
I was trying to do the same with one of my violin, but I wanted to replace the fingerboard as well, so I removed both. I used a very thin knife to ply the fingerboard off, and then the nut came off with it. If you just wanted to remove the nut, I guessed using a thin chisel would work. even a small flat screw driver should work. As long as it's thin, flexible, but sturdy, and narrow enough to get under the nut.
I see. So maybe a "putty knife." Did you heat it up at all to loosen up the glue? Did you have any of the wood from the neck break off with the nut or fingerboard? I'd like to do the finger board as well, but I fear that is probably still a little beyond the scope of my skills and tools (although that's half the point of doing it yourself right).
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I am not an expert (not even close), but I believe that if you drop a little water or alcohol where the nut joins to the neck and fingerboard, then after some time it will come off rather easily. The trick would be to put the water or (especially) alcohol where you want it and not elsewhere, to avoid loosening the wrong parts or damaging the finish. But it would be wise to look around to find the usual ways of doing it.
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Interesting tidbits for my future novice luthier projects. I really dig it when you all mess with your violins... a bit chicken for it all..but I have a pink cheap violin that beckons me to mess with it. 
Vibrato Desperato.... Desperately seeking vibrato
I dipped my knife in a pot of hot water to heat it up, I did wipe it dry before I plied the fingerboard off. Some water would not hurt, just help melting the hide glue, if it is hide glue. If it is superglue, then alcohol or paint thinner would work. I didn't know what they used, it was a cheap violin as well, but they did use hide glue, and it was not applied to the whole fingerboard. The whole piece came off pretty easily after I plied it from different spots, and it came off clean, no wood broke off from the neck, nut, or fingerboard.
When I rehaired bows, the wood wedges were glued in with superglue (cheap bows, not expensive ones), then I used a syringe (I have a lot of those any way) to inject paint thinner to spots I wanted it to be so loosen the wedges.
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coolpinkone said
Interesting tidbits for my future novice luthier projects. I really dig it when you all mess with your violins... a bit chicken for it all..but I have a pink cheap violin that beckons me to mess with it.
Go for it Toni @coolpinkone
The worst that could happen is that you could mess it up a bit 
Seen it all. Done it all. Can't remember most of 
..... What was I saying???? 
If you only want to remove the nut just hit it and it will fall right off. Take a piece of scrap wood and put it on the side of the lip of the nut on top of the fingerboard then tap it with a hammer and off it is.
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I don't want you to remove any nuts from any great violins but I would love to see a video of that some time Kevin.
Just in case you have a nut to change or something.
"The richest person is not the one who has the most,
but the one who needs the least."
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@Ferret you are right..I have nothing to fear but fear itself.. hummm did I quote that right?
Vibrato Desperato.... Desperately seeking vibrato
Kevin M. said
If you only want to remove the nut just hit it and it will fall right off. Take a piece of scrap wood and put it on the side of the lip of the nut on top of the fingerboard then tap it with a hammer and off it is.
Yep. Popped right off last night. @Fiddlerman , I haven't glued it back on yet, so I'll post a pic/video of how I did it once my glue comes in the mail. For now, the nut is being held on by the pressure from the strings (I've seen a lot of guitars that ONLY use string pressure to hold the nut), but it is my spare, so for now, it's playable once again and I now have an ebony nut instead of just one that was painted black! 
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In principle you don't need much glue to hold it down since as you said, the string pressure hold it down.
There is a lot of discussion about the right way to do it but most use a small dot of wood glue/rather than hide glue on the end of the fingerboard and nothing on the neck.
"The richest person is not the one who has the most,
but the one who needs the least."
Now that's good info right there. It may get done tonight then!
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Cool man
"The richest person is not the one who has the most,
but the one who needs the least."
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