Old Ukuleles , Old Finishes

I was just thinking about my old Martin. Everyone says don't do anything to the original finish. Will this uke still be playable in 80 years from now with a finish that is falling off? At some point dont you have to do some "maintainance" ( e.g. new laquer finish ) so that it will last another 80 years . Are we doing a diservice to future generations by not touching the original finish?

I posed this same question some time ago. The response I received from the luthiers, to the best of my recollection, is to French Polish it with shellac and then beeswax. This will preserve the original finish and is reversible if need be.

Some people save dogs from being euthanized. Not nearly as noble, but I believe in saving ukuleles from becoming trashed. If some reasonable level of restoration is required verses allowing a vintage instrument to deteriorate, I say, why not? I would rather destroy the collector value than permit the instrument to become useless to a musician.

According to an old Dupont chemist's writing, they figure the life of nitro lacquer to be about 75 years...and from what we see of instruments 75 to 85 years old, figuring that the manufacturers started using nitro in the late 1920s...I'd say that's about right. None of the early lacquered instruments look as good as French polished, brushed shellac, or varnished instruments that have been decently cared for that are decades older.

I'd agree with the French polish as a finish restorer with judicious use of Behlen's Qualarenu first to help restore some plasticizer to the lacquer, knit together finish checks, and to deal with dings and such. I'm not so sure about the wax, though. If I were to use wax, it might be "Renaissance" micro-crystaline wax developed for wood and metal objects in the British Museum.

Unless this is a very rare old Martin, I do not see a problem. The only ethics involved by a repair person should be to inform you, the uke is worth $1000 now, it will cost $200 to refinish it and its value may drop to $750 afterwards. The decision is entirely yours, and if you want the ukulele to play, go for it. I never have been a fan of collectors, who remove playable instruments from service, and store them away in locked cabinets, hoping they can turn a big profit.

Brad