Jerryc41
Well-known member
I installed a set of Ratio tuners onto an Ohana pineapple sopranino. The shaft on the Ratios is very thin, as someone else mentioned, so reaming is not necessary. However, that thin shaft also makes the collars to the top of the headstock too small. Like a previous poster, I kept the original Ohana collars in the headstock.
I experimented with filling and coloring the screw holes. I filled them with Minwax Color-Changing filler. It starts out purple and dries white. Although I had ordered some filler and scratch-fill pens from Amazon, I was impatient, so I bought more filler yesterday. I found a felt tip art pen that was a pretty good color match, and I used that to color the filler. Then I installed the tuners.
By the following morning, the color had faded a bit, so I touched-up the filler. The furniture touch-up sticks will arrive next week, so I'll see if any of them are a better match. When I do the next uke, I'll wait till the color has dried before installing the tuners. It's much easier applying the color without the tuners blocking the filler.
Yes, those screws are tiny! I used an awl to enlarge and deepen the holes so I'd be less likely to strip the heads. One thing I thought was odd: the screws seem to be longer than necessary. I was concerned that they would poke through the front of the headstock.
I'm going to order more of these tuners and put them on a matching sopranissimo and other ukes.
Before and after pictures below.
I experimented with filling and coloring the screw holes. I filled them with Minwax Color-Changing filler. It starts out purple and dries white. Although I had ordered some filler and scratch-fill pens from Amazon, I was impatient, so I bought more filler yesterday. I found a felt tip art pen that was a pretty good color match, and I used that to color the filler. Then I installed the tuners.
By the following morning, the color had faded a bit, so I touched-up the filler. The furniture touch-up sticks will arrive next week, so I'll see if any of them are a better match. When I do the next uke, I'll wait till the color has dried before installing the tuners. It's much easier applying the color without the tuners blocking the filler.
Yes, those screws are tiny! I used an awl to enlarge and deepen the holes so I'd be less likely to strip the heads. One thing I thought was odd: the screws seem to be longer than necessary. I was concerned that they would poke through the front of the headstock.
I'm going to order more of these tuners and put them on a matching sopranissimo and other ukes.
Before and after pictures below.