Help: how do you remove surface scratches?

gyosh

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I wandered in to Larry's music in Koloa this past Tuesday with the intention of killing time, and walked out with a Kamoa 200-S (solid mahogany). They gave me a discount on the uke because a lady with really long fingernails had gone to town on it and left a bunch of scratches in the surface. Are there any remedies out there to remove the scratches? It's not a glossy finish.

On a side note, I went back in again (to the Kapa'a) store and walked out with a Kamaka HF-3 :eek:)

Thank you for your help.

-gyosh
 
Congratulations on your new ukuleles! I don't have an answer to your question, but I wanted to chime in that I bought my Kamaka HF 3 from Larry's Music after looking at ukes in both stores. Samuel in the Kapa'a store was very knowledgeable, and his parents, who work in the Koloa store, went way out of their way to be helpful. Samuel's dad even opened the Koloa store after hours on a Sunday evening so I could try all the ukuleles I wanted. The HF3 I ended up buying was actually one of the ukes I had played in the Koloa store that evening.
 
I loved Joe (the dad). We sat around and swapped stories for over an hour as I tried every HF3 in the shop as well as a few Kanilea's. Didn't get to meet Samuel, but I plan on getting a 500 series Kamoa super concert on my next trip.
 
Where many shallow scratches are present, apply hard paste wax to the surface with No. 0000 steel wool, stroking very lightly along the grain of the wood. Then buff the surface with a soft cloth.
 
I just saw a video on this on YouTube yesterday, at the UU channel
I think it was Uke Minutes 50 or 49?
Not sure because I can't access YouTube from this PC.
 
On gloss finishes the car polish will work if it is not too deep...I use Nu finish..or Nu finish scratch doctor..
On satin finishes I notice it doesn't seem to work at all..if you use too aggressive methods you might wear the finish off..and it may look worse..
 
I agree with Stan. The polish works on gloss. If you used it on satin it could cause a shine on that area.
 
I agree with Stan. The polish works on gloss. If you used it on satin it could cause a shine on that area.

+ 1 on wax. I use MinWax Paste Finishing Wax (at Home Depot) on satin finishes with good results. You should do the whole top too.
It's harder to remove a shiny spot, but can be done- different process.
 
I'm sure it works just fine but I have a negative reaction when the words "ukulele" and "steel wool" appear together.:rolleyes:
 
nu finish is great but if I remember right its silacon based and as long as you never plan to have to refinish or repair it thats fine but the silacon will stop the wood from accepting any finish products. I've used it on cars for years. 4/0 steel wool is used in finish all the time. If you follow the uke minute make sure you get the white finishing compond it comes in different grades of cut.
 
nu finish is great but if I remember right its silacon based and as long as you never plan to have to refinish or repair it thats fine but the silacon will stop the wood from accepting any finish products. I've used it on cars for years. 4/0 steel wool is used in finish all the time. If you follow the uke minute make sure you get the white finishing compond it comes in different grades of cut.
I have used it for years with no problem and even had my Martin redone afterwards.. My guess is Wax based products has a tendancy to do that and are bad and hard to remove..for refinish or repair...I haven't seen on the bottle that Nu finish has silicone .....and it has worked fine for me through the years..
 
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I like Novus #2 followed by Novus #1. They have #3 for a slightly courser grit. This is used on Lexan and plastics. No silicon. Works great. You can get it at most Harley Stores. They use it to clean windshields on bikes.
 
novus #2 works for me! was suggested by the guys at collings for my collings tenor and worked like a charm. apparently it's what collings uses to repair surface scratches in house!
k
 
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