Laquering non-laquered uke

Hi all,
I'm new here, and I'v been lurking for quite a while for tabs and all that..
Just a question about my recently aquired lanikai LU-21c..
As it comes, it doesnt have a nice shiney laquered finish, am I able to put one?
Would it be as simple as covering fret board, and bridge etc, giving it a very slight sand with some low grit paper, and giving it a coat with a spray form of laquer?
Or is it very likely for me to totally ruin what isnt a bad finish at the moment... I'm quite good with my hands and my technical abilities shouldnt be much of an issue.
Any tips would be great.
Thanks,
matt

I bought a damaged Mainland uke. The top was pushed in and cracked . I repaired it, repainted the top black, finished it with clear laquer and it came out great. Its your uke, give it a try, I'll bet you will be pleased with the results. I used 400 grit to sand it before painting, just scuffed it so it would accept the lacquer.

The existing finish is probably a urethane finish, so I would be careful about starting with 400 grit. I think the most aggressive grit I would use would be 600. It is one thing to spray it black, that will hide the scratches in the urethane finish left by 400 grit but if you are clear coating you might still see them through the new gloss finish. You can use a bit of water and a drop or two of dishwashing soap as a lubricant for the presanding.

Remove the tuning machines as well. I would remove the nut. Tape off the finger board and bridge.

You might start with the back to see how it goes before going after the top.

TWC

I'm not familiar with the finish that is on those instruments, but if it is an oil one, then don't even think about trying lacquer on it. If it's something else then the minimum grit I'd go for is P600 wet and dry. Soak paper in water for about 10 minutes before use and go light with the water when you are sanding. You just need a bit to help lubricate the paper. Not flooded and getting inside the instrument.

What you are essentially doing is "flow coating" a finish that is already laid down. If the underlying finish is compatable with lacquer and you apply it correctly, everything will turn out great.

Does it have a satin finish, and you simply don't like it, or is it not shiny as in it's scratched up? If it's a satin finish, you could do something to oil it up and make it shine without going so far as spraying lacquer, couldn't you? (I'm asking, as I don't know what one would use on top of another finish.) That's inevitably what happens to the satin in some spots, anyway, due to wear and exposure to oils in fingers. Or, again, if it's a satin finish, what about buffing with fine rubbing compounds? Again, I'm asking--for all I know, it's impossible to buff a satin finish to a gloss. Just throwing some things out there, as it were.

Well you could probably go at it thru the grades with Micromesh papers and then buff it out if you wanted to gloss up a satin finish. I have never tried it though...

Satin finishes contain a flattening agent (usually talc) that sanding and buffing simply will not remove. You might get a bit more shine on it initially, but they are there no matter what. You can mask them by applying a gloss finish over them. That finish will never be as clear as it could have been, but it will be hardly noticeable without direct comparison of two identical instruments. One finished with only gloss, and the other in the manner being discussed.

You should also be aware that gloss finishes show EVERYTHING. All imperfections, ripples, dings etc. To get a good gloss finish on an instrument takes a lot of work. It's a good 1/3 of the time that I spend on building, and why when you look at custom builders, there is a premium charged for a high gloss finish.

I believe the LU-21 has an oil finish, like Allen said dont try it.