All British woods

Lovely tone Pete! Chords didn't sound muddy in the video! Excellent job!
Very :cool:
 
Before fretting I get the fingerboard flat and sanded then fill it with Smiths Industries 'Finish Epoxy'. Normally takes 2 coats - just as you would if you were pore filling... Rick mentioned it. Makes for a nice playing surface. When i polish the frets with wire wool the board gets it to. very happy with the technique.
 
Get it from a model shop - they use it for coating the wings on fibre-glass skinned balsa wings on model aircraft and such. I find it's less fussy than the west system.
 
Before fretting I get the fingerboard flat and sanded then fill it with Smiths Industries 'Finish Epoxy'.

I'm not seeing this. How are you keeping the epoxy out of the slots? If you are slotting after the board is filled and finished, then when are you installing the fret markers and tapering the board?
 
Sounds great!! I love alternative woods....especially when they're locally available
 
This instrument also has a higher concept - it is meant to be played by someone wearing a tux or a black dress - hence the creamy white wood... if you have seen the Ukulele Orchestra Of great Britain you will appreciate the conceit :)
 
:) :) Just for you Chuck to brighten up what must be a dull day... either that or you are yanking my chain! I am experimenting with this epoxy finish on the fingerboard system and am now trying the fill after slotting which should be fun. I have got a fix which I will share if it works - don't want to appear a chump any more than I already do...
 
When I get a request for a koa fret board, for instance, I will naturally choose the hardest wood i can find but I'll also harden treat it. I do so by saturating the top in thin ca glue. It's my guess that it penetrates better than any epoxy would. Then I slot it, shape it and mark it as usual. I just need to be careful not to remove too much when finishing the board.
 
When I get a request for a koa fret board, for instance, I will naturally choose the hardest wood i can find but I'll also harden treat it. I do so by saturating the top in thin ca glue. It's my guess that it penetrates better than any epoxy would. Then I slot it, shape it and mark it as usual. I just need to be careful not to remove too much when finishing the board.

Chuck, that's a trick with lots of lutherial uses. I like to think of it as tempering the wood. Can be hard on the nose and eyes, though.
 
CA glue has been around since the '50s. The bugs are pretty well worked out. About 1980, model airplane makers turned me on to Hot Stuff CA, and I immediately started using it on instruments. I'm sure I'm not alone. If there were issues, I think they would have surfaced by now. The airplanes the guys made back then are still flying if they haven't crashed. One issue, though---certain combinations of CA and kickers can leave a green cast in the wood. Most unpleasant, especially with rosettes set into spruce. It may take weeks for the cast to develop. I almost never see them in a week or less, and they always seem to be too deep to sand out. Ruins your day.
 
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