#008 and #009: An Unmatched Pair of Concerts

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saltytri

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Here are the latest from the "saltytri Ukulele Building School of Hard Knocks." I can see that the lessons will keep on coming for quite a while. Nevertheless, building continues to be rewarding.

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The walnut version uses only North American woods. The top is Sitka spruce and the back and sides are black walnut. The fretboard, bridge, binding, peghead overlay and rosette are all out of the same piece of English walnut that was unusually dense and had both reddish and grey sections. The neck is very well aged alder with a basswood stringer.

The Bolivian rosewood version has a top made of some very old redwood. I lucked into a 2" by 6" by 9 foot plank of perfectly clear and quartered redwood that looks as if it has been kicking around forever. The fretboard, bridge and bindings are ebony and the neck is mahogany with a walnut stringer.

The finish on both is Tru-Oil rubbed out with Birchwood Casey Stock Sheen & Conditioner and finished off with paste wax.
 
GORGEOUS!
If these are the "hard knocks" ukes, I can only imagine what's next!
 
There are so many opportunities to goof! I'm getting the feeling that the difference between a not-so-good builder and a decent builder is knowing how to keep the mistakes from mattering all that much.
 
Salty
I like, you, are suffering from probably some of the same learning lessons. In building my first ukulele my instructor said " This is not a lesson in building an ukulele but it is a lesson in solving problems". I find every instrument helps me be a little better builder. However I do make the same mistakes twice, sometimes. Shame on me.
I am in the process of finishing 2 sycamore soprano. I decided to try tru oil on one and lacquer the other. I was ready to refinish the tru oil just because. Not now! Yours are beautiful and I am going to put more effort into it. I really do not like spraying lacquer. Danny
 
dannyb said:
Salty
I like, you, are suffering from probably some of the same learning lessons. In building my first ukulele my instructor said " This is not a lesson in building an ukulele but it is a lesson in solving problems". I find every instrument helps me be a little better builder. However I do make the same mistakes twice, sometimes. Shame on me.
I am in the process of finishing 2 sycamore soprano. I decided to try tru oil on one and lacquer the other. I was ready to refinish the tru oil just because. Not now! Yours are beautiful and I am going to put more effort into it. I really do not like spraying lacquer. Danny
Click to expand...

Danny:

Be sure to post some pictures!

For me, the key to a good Tru-Oil job is to resist the temptation to put on thick coats. The best finish seems to come when I apply the thinnest coat that can be put on, beginning with a smooth surface, of course. Also, I've started using ladies make-up pads as applicators. These are about an inch and a half square and are made of lint free cotton. I've found that it's hard to cut up cloth into squares without introducing some lint so these pads are a step forward. They come with quilted or smooth surfaces - get the smooth ones. I buy them at Walgreen's for 4 or 5 bucks for a package of .....hmmm....is it 50 or 80?
 
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First of all, those are some absolutely gorgeous ukuleles! Congratulations!
Second of all, make-up pads! What a friggin terrific idea! :D
 
Wonderful work again David. I'm especially taken with the spruce top walnut...gee that's stunning walnut...very blonde too, gorgeous ukes mate
 
Aloha,
They're both stunning, gorgeous eye candy...congrats, well done, or as we Locals from Hawaii would say, "ONOlicious". Hey, great name for a special series you may come up with in the future. Remember, I said it first...................BO..............
 
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Beautiful. Beautiful. Beautiful!
 
Do you sand after each TruOil coat? How does that Sheen conditioner work? I have a TruOil finished uke that I touch up and would be interested to hear about the Sheen conditioner and paste wax follow up.
 
My experience is that TO should be wiped on in very thin coats. If you have to sand to even it out, you put it on too thick. And you'll probably sand through - one step forward, one step back. Put it on over a very well prepared surface, thin coats, and just a hit with 0000 steel wool in between. Done right over a pore-filled surface, 3 or 4 coats can be enough and the last will be smooth and reasonably glossy. If you are after a more natural look, the same method looks good without pore filling. The Stock Sheen & Conditioner is very slightly abrasive and cuts the gloss just a tad. This helps to improve the appearance if there are slight flaws. The wax is optional and tends to bring some of the gloss back.
 
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