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Originally posted by The Eclectic Banjo

I'm trying to reinstall the tailpiece after swapping out heads on my Huber but the hex nut is only winding up half way to what's needed on the tailpiece stabilizer screw. See attached pic. Not sure why it's a problem now if it wasn't before. The only thing I can think of is that perhaps there was a certain hex nut that I used for a J hook bracket that should have been reserved for the tailpiece screw.  maybe

Not sure what to do except try to buy a new gold plated tailpiece setup.

Ideas/suggestions appreciated.

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Turn the nut over and put the hollow end up... 

and/or clean the threads

.....the Presto
might be made off-shore - thus, metric thread. Conversely, the Huber tension rods and nuts are likely imperial measure.
If so, then there would be an ever so slight thread interference or thread mismatch or incompatibility when comparing a tension rod nut to the actual and 'dedicated' Presto nut.

So yes, I think your hunch is right......that is, amongst your bucketful of 24 + 1 nuts (= 25) there is only one nut that is a proper thread match for the Presto screw.

But, God forbid, you continue forcing the wrong nut on the Presto screw you'll either bugger up the threads - or if tightened too much, the torquing force might just twist the Presto screw into two pieces. When you remove that nut in the photo then best to check you haven't damaged the nut threads. The nut is probably brass but the Presto screw is likely steel.....the brass nut will yield first.

.....report your findings.

I dunno...  if the nut that was on the tailpiece got used on a J-hook, and it works it okay, it tells me they're interchangeable.

Disclaimer: I've [started to] use mismatched nut/bolt threads on an occasional "project" in the past, but never ^^ specific application, so maybe ....... ??

If Huber supplied that tailpiece WITH the banjo, contact Huber and see if you can buy a correct nut for the tailpiece screw. No need to buy a new tailpiece. Try Stew Mac also.

My method won't cost you anything.

Get a piece of paper.
Write downwards on it the numbers, 1-24.
Start while facing the banjo.
Pick the J-hook just to the left of the neck, call it "1".
Take the nut off and try it on the tailpiece.

If it fits, it's "the one".
If it doesn't, put it back and try "number two".
If you get all the way to #24 and it STILL won't fit...  (sigh)

All of my tailpiece anchor bolts are threaded differently than tension hooks. So I believe you have swapped nuts somehow.

The process suggested by John sounds good to me.

Something else to consider is taking your anchor screw to the fasteners aisle of a local hardware store where there should be a thread tester. Might be worth picking up a conventional nut just to be safe.

Looks to me that the tailpiece screw might be a finer thread then tension hooks? Possibly just an optical illusion.
Also is the strap looped around the tailpiece screw. I would think the weight on the strap would torque the tailpiece and cause it to go out of alignment and tuning issues.

No doubt would move the strap to a tension hook rather than the tail piece. For the same reason Mr Goodell said.

When you loosened the j hooks to change heads, did you remove the nuts completely or did you leave them on the j hooks? If you removed them completely, it’s possible that you mixed up the nuts and put a j hook nut on the tailpiece bolt. But if that’s the case then there should be a j hook that has the wrong nut on it. If you check all the j hooks and they all fit properly, I have no idea what happened. If you’re sure it's the same nut that came off the tailpiece bolt, maybe the threads are slightly stripped or there’s some obstruction on the bolt. Whatever the solution might be, I wouldn’t buy a new tailpiece. You would probably have the same problem. It’s a head scratcher for sure.

If all else fails, if you have an old fashioned ACE hardware store in the neighborhood, you could take the nut and screw there and have them chase the threads. I’ve done this, and they are happy to do it, often intrigued by your banjo stories, and (hopefully) don’t charge you anything.

And I would also encourage you to not attach the strap to the tailpiece screw.

Most tension hooks and nuts have a thread profile with a pitch of 26 threads/inch. It's likely that the tailpiece screw and nut have a thread profile with a pitch of 32 threads/inch.

Harbor Fright currently has metric and SAE tap and die sets on sale for $17.99 ea. for members. They don't list the sizes on their website though.

I can't speak about the quality of HF tap and die sets b/c I've never used them - but I can say that not all such thread cutting tools are created equal.
The truth is, unfortunately, that most Asian-branded "consumer" taps and dies are brittle and not what I consider to be "precision" enough for the quality of work I do in general. That might sound snobbish to some of you but anyone experienced in machine shop work will attest to that.
Specifically for banjo related stuff i have a separate stash of imperial and metric tap/dies, of machinist's quality - why?.....b/c they are dimensionally accurate, ground to superb thread-cutting sharpness, are made of "tougher" steel (vs. "brittle"), and available in various "classes" of thread fit - and, they are available as individual tools (not of a set) and packaged in its each own plastic 'box' or tube.
Purchased this way, and of this quality, the better ones (say, Walter brand) are more costly than the "consumer" variety, but you get what you pay for that is ultimately reflected in quality of workmanship and likely more personal satisfaction with your output.

(....didn't intend to sound preachy but I'm only a student still learnin'.)

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Originally posted by Flyguy

Looks to me that the tailpiece screw might be a finer thread then tension hooks?

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All of mine are.

Thread gauges can take many forms for many industrial purposes. Here are general purpose gauges - suitable for use in banjo, and say, automotive work but would not meet military or NASA standards.

.....left photo: imperial gauge set on left side - metric gauge set on right side.

.....right photo: confirming a match between threaded fastener and gauge,

Yes the problem I think was metric vs. US sizing. I bought an M4-0.7 hex nut at the hardware store and was able to screw it on stabilizing screw whilst keeping my Presto tailpiece setup, with only an off colored nut sitting below the resonator flange.

Thank you

So, sounds like you've confirmed so far anyway, that the thread spec of the tension rod nuts and thread spec of the Presto screw nut are different.

Now just a matter of finding the one properly fitting [Presto] nut amongst all 25. (....hint: it will be the last one you try so choose that one first.)

If you spread them all out on a white cloth you may be able to find that there is only one nut amongst them all that has very slight difference(s) in length, nut end chamfers, or other machining details. There may also be a slight reflective difference in nickel plating - otherwise you'll need to find the 'dedicated' Presto nut the hard way.

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Originally posted by banjoT1

So, sounds like you've confirmed so far anyway, that the thread spec of the tension rod nuts and thread spec of the Presto screw nut are different.

Now just a matter of finding the one properly fitting [Presto] nut amongst all 25. (....hint: it will be the last one you try so choose that one first.)

If you spread them all out on a white cloth you may be able to find that there is only one nut amongst them all that has very slight difference(s) in length, nut end chamfers, or other machining details. There may also be a slight reflective difference in nickel plating - otherwise you'll need to find the 'dedicated' Presto nut the hard way.

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I used a normal nut initially, tuned head to 89 on drum dial, strung with some GHS Light steel strings, and tuned it up BUT I belated realized that the rim is sitting above the neck instead of flush or slightly below, making all higher frets landing on the rim instead of where I'm fretting them. So I messed something up with the assembly process. I'll need to do everything over again and will look for a slightly off colored Presto nut this time keeping the following other details in mind: 
 

Key differences

• A #8-32 screw is:
  • slightly larger diameter
  • slightly coarser thread
• An M4-0.7 is:
  • slightly smaller diameter
  • slightly finer thread

Will they thread together?

Usually:

• An M4 bolt may start into a #8-32 nut or vice versa because they are close.
• But the thread pitches differ enough that they will bind quickly and can damage the threads.

Practical rule

• Use:
  • #8-32 nut with #8-32 screw
  • M4-0.7 nut with M4-0.7 screw

They are similar enough to confuse during sorting, though. In fact, #8-32 is one of the closest imperial equivalents to M4.

> So I messed something up with the assembly process <

You just got the wrong crown size, you need a deeper crown head, to fit properly

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Originally posted by Dean T

> So I messed something up with the assembly process <

You just got the wrong crown size, you need a deeper crown head, to fit properly or a heat gun.

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Good catch Dean; it looks like a low crown!  I wonder how it's labeled? 

Dean T is correct - I see you have a 'fibreskyn' head installed - but typically, 'most' flathead banjos call for a 'medium crown' head but you could have purchased a 'low crown' head from just not knowing. Or, if it was purchased from Amazon or other online source - especially Amazon, that can be a real problem to return - shipping will eat up the cost, plus, be sceptical that any vendor's product description is accurate.

Fetch a proper-sized head at your local Banjos-R-Us store (a nice face-to-face transaction with a local store), or shops here on BHO such as from Bob Smakula, Banjo Ben, Banjo.com, The Banjo Teacher, or Stew-Mac..........there are several others.

You won't experience a similar dilemma related to 'metric' heads - well, they could actually be produced as metric but 'soft-converted' to and sold as by Imperial measure.....that's a different rabbit hole.

Well good........in the end you figured out the nut problem and learned something new.

Yeah it’s a low crown/collar head, shucks. So would a medium or high crown work or just a medium?

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Originally posted by The Eclectic Banjo

Yeah it’s a low crown/collar head, shucks. So would a medium or high crown work or just a medium?

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medium crown.  and suede is worth considering on a quality flathead.

https://www.smakulafrettedinstruments.com/store/p502/banjo-head-11.html

Ren / Frosted / Suede / Fiberskin
Bright / Quick / Plunky / Muted
0.008" / 0.009" / 0.010" / 0.014"

Which is the 25th metric hex nut I wonder (hint: I haven't started trying them yet).

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Originally posted by The Eclectic Banjo

Which is the 25th metric hex nut I wonder (hint: I haven't started trying them yet).

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1st choice - third from the left on the top

2nd choice - the sixth from the left on the bottom