What are the best ways to hide glue line?

UkeforJC

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Dear experience builders,
Well, I just finished gluing the neck to the body. I think the method I used to do this was not too perfect. It was the method instructed in stewmac kit.

The result wasn't very pleasing to me.
I have some very obvious gap in between the neck and the body. I can also see a dark glue line in the gap too.
I tried to fill the gap using the paste made of tidebond glue and the wood dust.
After I sanded off the access, the gap is still there. It is like I never did this process.
SO, if you have any suggestion how I can fill this gap to hide the glue line, that will be great.

Thank you..
 
I'm no expert but I don't think there is any way to get a color match that would make the gap disappear, regardless of what material you use to fill it. Maybe some of the more experienced builders can chime in.
 
This is a Pic of a Kamaka Soprano neck joint i found on the web ..I don't know if it had been repaired or what? but it didn't look too good to me..if yours is better than this don't worry about it ..just play it.
kamaka.jpg
 
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The bottom line is there is no easy way to hide an ill fitting joint. You could do a dark sunburst on the uke, which could make things less obvious, but that is a lot of work and not easy to do in itself. Probably better to live with it and do better next time. Be aware as the builder, you are probably your own worst critic, others may not notice what you consider obvious flaws. It is a good trait in a builder, the trick is learning when to let go.

Brad
 
Thank you all for your comments. Since there is no easy way to hide the glue line, I guess I will have to let it go and do better next time.
So, I want to ask your opinion about what is the best way to join the neck and the body? I shall try a different way next time.
 
Checkout out the pictures of my StewMac build.... http://www.ukuleleunderground.com/f...ures-of-my-first-build...&p=482984#post482984
You can see the banding I added around my neck. It is basically a very thin strip of wood that a glued with CA and then sanded. I came out pretty nice. I can post more photos if you want to see more detail.

Bob

Thanks Bob, I would like to see some more detail pictures. Really appreciate it....
Your method is very interesting.
Did you use a straight thin strip of wood or did you cut a curved strip?
And, did you glue it at the neck side or the body side?
 
I would say that you could fill it with titebond and wood dust, make sure you push it all the way in and compact it, if it just sits on the surface it will just sand off like what happend before..
It will appear a different colour from the natural dry wood colour, but it should even out when you apply the finish especially tru-oil.

But I like the idea of finding a fix and making a feature of it rather than trying to hide it which can sometimes make it more obvious that there was a mistake in the first place!

As for fitting the neck I have been taught and tried a few different methods, the one which I currently use and is the most reliable to get a nice straight neck join is just to square off the joint on both sides! In my oppinion its the fastest most efficient way to ensure that the joint fits nicely all over..

Joe
 
I did the Titebond and wood dust method. It worked decent, but not the best...however, once I started grain filling with Zpoxy I tried to get the remaining gap filled with Zpoxy as well. I mean, the gap filled pretty well with the Dust/Glue mix, but the Zpoxy just helped get it to fill a bit better and more uniform. Once everything was sanded carefully, the finish was applied and it looked great. I am very happy with the results. Good luck!
 
Here is a better picture of my banding. I used a straight piece of wood maybe 1/16 " sqaure and glued with CA. It bent rather easily. Basically I glued it to both the body and the neck at the same time.

neck.jpg

kind of a poor picture sorry.

Bob
 
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