Amateur builder's first post in the lounge

I have recently joined UU and have been soaking in all the good info here and decided that I should attempt to make myself known and download a couple of pics. After getting hooked on ukuleles a few years ago, I had the urge to build one, namely a cigar box uke. This led to a Stewmac soprano kit, followed by a homebuilt banjo uke, then another kit. I followed this with a home designed concert pineapple. My latest attempt is another pineapple, this time from a Hani Lima Ia kit. I'm more or less happy with the result, although there are a few glaring mistakes, but disappointed with the lack of volume it produces. I have no idea why, as the body is larger than my "homegrown " version which is pretty loud. Anyway, here are some pics, and thanks for listening, I hope to be of some value here as time goes by,

Cheers,

Bob

Looks like you've got the bug Bob. And some nice and tidy work too.

Lot's of reasons that this one might not be as loud as your others. Some of it can be subjective too. For instance a soprano can seem louder because of the small body will through the sound further. A tenor might not sound as loud, but fill the space around you. Ask someone else to listen from different positions in the room to the different instruments to give you some idea if that is the case.

Otherwise, it comes down to so many factors in construction and bracing, that you will spend the rest of your life chasing the improvements.

Sorry mate, but the prognosis is not good. Sounds like your hooked.

Thanks for the kind comments, Allen. Yes, I'm hooked alright! I've already started on my next project, a replica of a vintage Favilla teardrop that I had the pleasure of seeing at Jay's Ukulele Jam in San Francisco a week ago.

Cheers

Bob

wow nice build. what type of high gloss finish is that?

Interesting that you should ask about the finish, as that gave me the most trouble. I have in the past used Delft clear lacquer spray with good results, but because I read about it's popularity, I decided on using Tru- Oil for this project. My mistake was thinking it would work in a similar way to the lacquer, which after sanding between multiple coats would fill the grain. Not only was the waiting time between coats way too long for my impatient nature, but the Tru-Oil also never filled the grain! I finally sanded it back down and then sprayed with Delft clear wood finish, sanding between coats. I finished off with 1000 water paper, then buffed out with fine rubbing compound, followed by a coat of Pledge. The combination of the Tru-Oil undercoating and the Delft lacquer gave it a pretty deep shine. Still a long way from perfect, though it was a good learning experience!

Cheers,

Bob

Pretty little uke!

Pledge is not a good idea on any finish, in my opinion. If you ever need to repair the finish, there is a high likelihood of the silicone in Pledge of giving you real problems, like fisheyes forever. A liquid glazing compound can give excellent results for a final polish.

Nice looking uke Bob. I don't think you're going to find too many proponents of deft lacquer here though. William King used to make a sanding slurry with his oil to do a pore filled finish. I don't know if his web site is still up but you might want to look at his archives for Chantus Music.
BTW, next time i want to see some pics of the Vespa!

Thanks for the encouraging comments, Chris and Chuck, much appreciated! Thanks also for the advice about using Delft. After this last build I have realized that a pore filler used before finishing is the way to go. Also, I have to agree about the use of Pledge, but it just happened to be lying around at the time!
Can I really post pics of my Vespa without being thrown out?

Cheers,

Bob

Vespa Bob said:

Can I really post pics of my Vespa without being thrown out?

Click to expand...

Throw an uke on the seat and take a pic. I'd love to see it. When I had my motorcycles I was always tempted to make some saddlebags from a pair of hard uke cases.

Great idea, will do!

Ukes and Vespas, great combination!

Here you go!

Good looking ukes! Thanks.