Kill the cat!

roxhum

roxhum

Well-known member
Joined
Aug 27, 2010
Messages
2,843
Reaction score
0
Location
Redwood Coast, CA
Oh noooooooooooooo! Last night I had my lovely Black Bear ukulele on the couch with me while watching TV. I like to play during commercials or practice strumming patterns. The cat positioned herself in my lap. This morning I noticed a very short, thin, but deep scratch on the front of my ukulele, I suspect the cat...
The first is always the hardest.

Any suggestions on what to do to make it less noticeable?
 
Wear very dark sunglasses.

Anything you do to the uke is likely to make it worse, not better. Finish touchup and repair is one of the most difficult aspects of lutherie. It is time consuming, frustrating, and expensive. Best to learn to live with it. My cat did the same thing to an otherwise perfect 1890s vintage Howe Orme guitar. Oh, well...
 
oh Roxie. Bummer. To be honest mate, I'm very surprised. Clearly a Black Bear is no match for a cat. Who'd have ever thought it.... :p

Leave it for as long as you can live with it. When it annoys you too much then get it tended to. But like Rick said, those fiddly jobs can get exxy......
 
Rick, did the cat survive? Just kidding of course...
Eugene, too funny I just got it... Black bear no match for a cat.ha ha. As you know this is a little tame and sweet black bear.
For repair I was thinking more on the lines of a brown felt pen or shoe polish to darken the scratch. It isn't so bad really and by next week I probably won't even notice it.
 
Well, Rox, it is obvious one of them needs a new home since they just can't seem to get along and battle it out when you are not watching. Since I am a bit allergic to cats, I will volunteer to remove the offending ukulele from your sight. :) :) :) :)
 
Ouch, so sorry :(
 
That will work and polish afterwards....how deep is the scratch?? Hmm hope the cat survived the wrath of Roxy...he he
 
Last edited:
I am thinking of Steven King's movie Pet Sematary.

Seriously, what kind of cat can't chunk properly?? No more Aldrine videos for Kitty.
 
hey rox, the uku is a player, and we players always have some kind of scar that "life" gives us...
 
mm stan said:
That will work and polish afterwards....how deep is the scratch?? Hmm hope the cat survived the wrath of Roxy...he he
Click to expand...

+1 on polish

A little polish has obscured a few scratches on my ukes.

I like Virtuoso for gloss and Howards Feed N Wax for satin.
 
Don't do any of this without posting there first, but I have read in the Luthiers section about all kinds of stuff like a sponge with warm water etc. Don't know how well they work, but you might want to post over there and see what they say (they are a totally separate entity right...).
From my personal experience and 38 year love hate relationship with cats, I have found the Beeman Tibet Almond Stick to be an indispensable part of my arsenal against feline redecorating- but I would ask that as well of the Luthier to see if it is compatible with the finish (it has never harmed anything I have put it on).
Total bummer- I think I reacted the same when I went to take the Risa out of it's case only to find the case soaked in feline jealousy and anguish. Fortunately it did not soak through and my wife is a whiz (no pun...) at removing all traces of accidents.
 
mm stan said:
Hmm hope the cat survived the wrath of Roxy...he he
Click to expand...

Ha ha, I am sending the cat to Canoe Lady to live with the Flea... I am keeping the Black Bear (Sorry Canoe Lady)

Thank you everyone for your humor and suggestions. I will try a little polish. Stan the scratch is very short but deep enough to remove all the stain so it is noticeable. I think when I got up she must have jumped off my lap and her nail hit the uke on her way down to the floor.
 
Last edited:
roxhum said:
Any suggestions on what to do to make it less noticeable?
Click to expand...

Put more scratches on it? You don't want the scratch to be lonely now.
 
SOMETIMES....a moist cloth laid on the scratch with a semi hot soldering iron lightly daubed on the towel where the scratch is will swell or steam the scratch back to original.

I've done it to a non finished guitar with good results, but the scratch never really comes completely out, it's just lifted a bit from the compression of the scratch. Might be best to use something a little less iffy, like Dr. Ducks ax wax or common Pledge to give it some moisture to swell it back out a bit..
 
Piikea said:
SOMETIMES....a moist cloth laid on the scratch with a semi hot soldering iron lightly daubed on the towel where the scratch is will swell or steam the scratch back to original.

I've done it to a non finished guitar with good results, but the scratch never really comes completely out, it's just lifted a bit from the compression of the scratch. Might be best to use something a little less iffy, like Dr. Ducks ax wax or common Pledge to give it some moisture to swell it back out a bit..
Click to expand...


I'd try a moist paper towel microwaved to raise the scratched wood, if you have to do that. I had used that approach on my Black Bear concert when the head stock "bumped" the corner of a door. Two treatments removed 90% of the bump w/o damaging the finish. I did follow up with Howards Feed N Wax. I can't even see it now.
 
Oh no, Rox! Your cat can join my cats in kitty prison because my two are responsible for sleeping and squashing the strawberry plant despite being told several times it's NOT a bed! They even squashed the only two strawberries we've had so far! >_<

If my kitties touched my Ukes, well let's just say there would be a shouty match...in cat language too!
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

ukeofcarl
Kill Bill. Do it.
Replies
5
Views
319
Ukulelethrower
U
D
Uke of Carl tab: The Lonely Shepherd (Kill Bill)
Replies
2
Views
194
Demick
D
K
Will worth fat strings kill me uke?
Replies
15
Views
3K
luv2uke
L
D
Strap buttons kill sound???
Replies
8
Views
676
Ukejenny
Ukejenny
southcoastukes
USPS to Kill International Shipments!!
2
Replies
27
Views
2K
Plainsong
Plainsong
Top Bottom