Wood burning

Orlando

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...I think this would go under uke talk:confused:...
Has anyone ever tried or know of someone who tried wood-burning a design into an ukulele? Is this even possible without messing up the sound?
 
I have seriously considered doing this with my cheap uke from tiem to time. I highly doubt it'd ruin the sound, but there are a couple things to keep in mind: 1) it will ruin whatever finish you have on the uke, 2) any burning you do will be permenant, so I woudl only burn something on a cheap uke unless you're really goot at woodburning and know you want the design in your uke forever


...and now I'm reconsidering burning something into my uke... I'l let oyu know if I do anything. If I o anything, it'd probably just be some accenting around the soundhole or the edge of the soundboard.... maybe something on the headstock.
 
never burn the sound box, thats what i think. What would be cool is to burn ur own logo at the top near the tuner pegs tho.
 
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There is a guy that is local to me that does laser etching. He specializes in gun stocks, pistol grips, and knives. I asked him to try a rosette on my KPK and I think it turn out very nice. I came up with a design and gave it to him in jpg format. He put it in his computer and his laser did the rest. The only negative is that he did not have the uke perfectly centered, so it's not perfect. It's not noticeable unless you look closely. He only charged me around $30, so I couldn't complain.
 
I lit a mahalo ukulele on fire in an attempt to make it look like it survived a fire (in my opinion, it looked cool). Unfortunately, I let the fire burn for a bit too long and the wood became brittle and snapped off!

Thank god it was only a 30 dollar mahalo.
 
Pyrography

I made a uke inspired by the Kabosy of Madagascar, and decorated it with the face of a Lemur, using a pyrography pen. The pen was only a cheap thing, a lot like a small soldering iron with a fine, sharp bit.

I found the best technique for me was to use a very light touch and "peck" out the image, and avoid trying to draw too many solid lines. I did it on the bare wood, and finished with Tru-Oil. Click on pic for larger image.

Kabosy-uke 011 (resized).jpg
 
I would you recommend that you practice on something before you try it on your uke. You can get something thin, like luan, at home depot. Also different woods have different grains. Hardwood grains are close together, but pine is pretty loose. Even the same wood can have different grain patterns. FWIW
 
Not a ukulele but I did a wood burning of a tiki man on a ukulele accessory box. I think the box was maybe $1 at a craft store. It came out great.
 
Just a quick safety note-be careful of breathing in any smoke, as most ukes have some type of finish on them, and the fumes may be toxic. Even some varnishes and oil finishes are not good to inhale. You might do it next to a fan, with the air being pulled away from you and outside.
 
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