Things I done to a Martin S1 Uke

Jerryc41 said:

Spit, too.

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That’s the key ingredient right there

Jerryc41 said:

What can you tell us about that beautiful Martin text on the headstock?

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Not much, except I did purposely let the light reflected off the letters and photoshopped the contrast to 50% more and finally blurred the background and sharpen the headstock profile. This logo is the only reason why I bought the S1. True story.

AustinHing said:

That’s the key ingredient right there


Not much, except I did purposely let the light reflected off the letters and photoshopped the contrast to 50% more and finally blurred the background and sharpen the headstock profile. This logo is the only reason why I bought the S1. True story.

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Ah, I thought that was something the shop did. So Martin made it like that?

Jerryc41 said:

Ah, I thought that was something the shop did. So Martin made it like that?

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Oh you meant the gold embossed letterings? Ya, it’s all Martin. Seems like it’s a Martin Mexican-made ukulele thing. The US-made has the logo in a transfer style, much like the kiwaya logo. Or I should say the kiwaya copies the Martin.

Some hated the embossed logo but I’m very fine with it.

AustinHing said:

Oh you meant the gold embossed letterings? Ya, it’s all Martin. Seems like it’s a Martin Mexican-made ukulele thing. The US-made has the logo in a transfer style, much like the kiwaya logo. Or I should say the kiwaya copies the Martin.

Some hated the embossed logo but I’m very fine with it.

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Thanks. I had never seen that before, even on Mexican Martins.

Great ideas. Thanks.

Bill1 said:

Just a second separate post.
If you like DIY stuff, it is very easy to make your own carnauba wax wood polish. Just buy some bees wax and some carnauba wax and melt them together in a clean tuna tin. They are both relatively easy to find and don't cost much. For the first few batches make a small batch, the ratio of carnauba wax controls the lustre you will get. So maybe start with 1/3 carnauba, 2/3 beeswax: one teaspoon size scoop of carnauba to two teaspoon scoops of beeswax. So you end up with just three tea spoons, which is enough for two or three coats applied with 00000 steel wool.
You can also buy a bottle of flaxseed oil, which is very pure linseed oil and is safe to drink and get on your skin. You can put a drop, not a glob, on your fingertip and rub it into the wood as you apply the wax. You don't need a cloth, just your bare fingers will do the job, all the ingredients are foodsafe. You can put a few drops in the molten wax as well, but I find it easier to apply it straight out of the bottle. It is good for older wood that has dried out over the years.
If you have a precious uke and worry about the finish, then ask the maker what polish to use, don't get your info from a DIY recipe or from a social media bulletin board. This recipe is for those who are beyond being precious with the finish.

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Jerryc41 said:

Thanks. I had never seen that before, even on Mexican Martins.

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Well, at least the Mexican S1, C1K, T1K have it. I correct myself on the rest of the Mexican martins, the bamboo HPL ukes has the transferred decal black logo, the Style 1 centennial has no logo and 0XK have transferred decal as well.

Well, work was busy and had to overtime. Couldn’t make it to the hardware store and so I decided to head home, to dig my bottle of white spirits. Time to get those wax out of the grains.

Did a halve halve mix of water and white spirits, and started rubbing in the mixture. Got a toothbrush to scrub into the grain. Sad to say, the whitish wax are not getting out, not even a slight bit. I guess this Kiwi shoe polish is not your average carnauba wax.

And there’s only 1 way getting around this. I got out my Kiwi black shoe polish, the same stuff but in liquid and black.

So I applied the black liquid wax onto a cloth and began coating the grains. But I quickly wiped off the excess, to prevent the surface from being stained too much. Well, after a few applications, the white grains are turned black. Yeah! But now the surface is pretty much darken.

To strip the black wax off the surface, I rubbed the white spirits mixture onto the surface as hard as possible. This stuff is strong, I can’t get a clean removal. Instead I got an interesting pattern. Oh well.



The final part, the Kiwi shoe polish neutral is brought in again. I don’t want a black S1 so I didn’t continue with the black liquid wax. I slowly hand buffed the polish up. This time, the grains didn’t turn white. Guess the black wax is stronger.

And I think I’m done for the back. I guess I got what I set out to do. A shoe polish job on a ukulele. But I don’t suppose this would inspire anyone to try out. Haha. Likely will finish the whole polishing in the weekend.

AustinHing said:

And I think I’m done for the back. I guess I got what I set out to do. A shoe polish job on a ukulele. But I don’t suppose this would inspire anyone to try out. Haha. Likely will finish the whole polishing in the weekend.

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That's what's nice about life - experimenting.

AutinHing, I was looking for a similar finish update for my new travel uke--just a little shinier, but not glossy. After reading some debate in this and other forums, I picked up a bottle of Howard Feed-n-Wax Wood Polish & Conditioner (https://www.howardproducts.com/product/feed-n-wax-wood-polish-and-conditioner/). It's one of the brand name products that has the beeswax, carnuba wax, and orange oil combinations. Even better I could find it in my local hardware store.

I lightly prepared the neck, back, and sides with 0000 steel wool, then used a soft cloth (an old worn out t-shirt) to apply the product. Waited 20 minutes as directed then wiped off the excess and buffed the finish with another scrap of the aforementioned t-shirt. It turned out great, and I repeated the process on the top.

If it's not too late (or for others reading this post and learning that what-to-do's and what-not-to-do's of DIY uke improvement), I'd highly recommend this option.

I wish you all the best and much enjoyment with your newly refinished Martin.

Swiftsailor98 said:

AutinHing, I was looking for a similar finish update for my new travel uke--just a little shinier, but not glossy. After reading some debate in this and other forums, I picked up a bottle of Howard Feed-n-Wax Wood Polish & Conditioner (https://www.howardproducts.com/product/feed-n-wax-wood-polish-and-conditioner/). It's one of the brand name products that has the beeswax, carnuba wax, and orange oil combinations. Even better I could find it in my local hardware store.

I lightly prepared the neck, back, and sides with 0000 steel wool, then used a soft cloth (an old worn out t-shirt) to apply the product. Waited 20 minutes as directed then wiped off the excess and buffed the finish with another scrap of the aforementioned t-shirt. It turned out great, and I repeated the process on the top.

If it's not too late (or for others reading this post and learning that what-to-do's and what-not-to-do's of DIY uke improvement), I'd highly recommend this option.

I wish you all the best and much enjoyment with your newly refinished Martin.

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What kind of uke, and what kind of wood on that travel uke?

Jerryc41 said:

What kind of uke, and what kind of wood on that travel uke?

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It's the Eddy Finn listed below. All laminate, but Spruce top with Mahogany back and sides. The neck is solid Mahogany.

Swiftsailor98 said:

It's the Eddy Finn listed below. All laminate, but Spruce top with Mahogany back and sides. The neck is solid Mahogany.

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Nice. I have their Tiki camp uke.

Jerryc41 said:

That's what's nice about life - experimenting.

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True about that. Never try never know.

Swiftsailor98 said:

AutinHing, I was looking for a similar finish update for my new travel uke--just a little shinier, but not glossy. After reading some debate in this and other forums, I picked up a bottle of Howard Feed-n-Wax Wood Polish & Conditioner (https://www.howardproducts.com/product/feed-n-wax-wood-polish-and-conditioner/). It's one of the brand name products that has the beeswax, carnuba wax, and orange oil combinations. Even better I could find it in my local hardware store.

I lightly prepared the neck, back, and sides with 0000 steel wool, then used a soft cloth (an old worn out t-shirt) to apply the product. Waited 20 minutes as directed then wiped off the excess and buffed the finish with another scrap of the aforementioned t-shirt. It turned out great, and I repeated the process on the top.

If it's not too late (or for others reading this post and learning that what-to-do's and what-not-to-do's of DIY uke improvement), I'd highly recommend this option.

I wish you all the best and much enjoyment with your newly refinished Martin.

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Thanks for your recommendation, Adam! Great info to help the diy-ers. Would love to see some pictures if that’s ok.
For me, I have to finish the polish with shoe polish since I started this way, but I have no regrets of not using a proper product for this.

Well, I’m not actually done with personalizing the S1 uke. More to come.

Jerryc41 said:

Nice. I have their Tiki camp uke.

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Swiftsailor98 said:

It's the Eddy Finn listed below. All laminate, but Spruce TOP with Mahogany back and sides. The neck is solid Mahogany.

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I have an Eddie Finn too, it’s a soprano all solid mahogany with some mysterious black nylon strings. I wish someone could tell me what strings they are.

They could be Orcas, I think.

AustinHing said:

I have an Eddie Finn too, it’s a soprano all solid mahogany with some mysterious black nylon strings. I wish someone could tell me what strings they are.

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Ziret said:

They could be Orcas, I think.

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Thanks for the info! My black strings felt nylonish though, and the Orcas seems to be producing fluorocarbon strings only, from what I googled. But it’s worth to check out too.

Oh, OK, I have Orcas that came on an aNueNue and couldn't tell if they were fluoro or nylon, though they do feel more like fluero.

AustinHing said:

Thanks for the info! My black strings felt nylonish though, and the Orcas seems to be producing fluorocarbon strings only, from what I googled. But it’s worth to check out too.

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Heat a spoon and rub the back over the polished area. That's how we used to "bull" our boots.

Barrytone said:

Heat a spoon and rub the back over the polished area. That's how we used to "bull" our boots.

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Never thought of this. Would have saved from all the burned marks on my boots. Great tip!