Luthiers, Please Tell Me What This Is

Tommy B

Well-known member
Joined
Apr 30, 2009
Messages
544
Reaction score
7
Location
San Francisco or thereabouts, CA
Esteemed builders, I seek your advice. I just picked up this ukulele, which was made about 15 years ago by a small Hawaiian builder who’s no longer around. The photos I saw online gave me no cause for concern. They were taken from a few feet away. But when I received the uke, I was struck by the thick clear coat and, even more so, by the yellowish, opaque “stuff” around the fretboard extension, around the bridge, and by the nut. Does this just look like top-coat that has become brittle with age? Or does it look like wood glue? Or??? For what it’s worth, the uke has lived in Hawaii, the Pacific Northwest, and now is with me in the S.F. Bay Area; perhaps the changes in climes has done something to it.

I’ve seen lots of issues with used ukes over the years, but I haven’t seen this. I would be grateful for your thoughts.
 

Attachments

  • D460B6EA-70A6-47A1-8D8D-034FBEBB68CA.jpg
    D460B6EA-70A6-47A1-8D8D-034FBEBB68CA.jpg
    14.6 KB · Views: 165
  • 7BD35C6B-552A-428A-A4A5-DF27DE7E6B86.jpg
    7BD35C6B-552A-428A-A4A5-DF27DE7E6B86.jpg
    18.2 KB · Views: 175
  • B06BF8C9-F484-430C-97BA-75ACBA6558E6.jpg
    B06BF8C9-F484-430C-97BA-75ACBA6558E6.jpg
    13.2 KB · Views: 157
The mess around the nut and fretboard looks like a very careless glue job - maybe the fretboard popped loose there and an unskilledamateur attempted to fix it?

The residue around the bridge and fretboard/body join might be polishing compound - try a cotton wool bud and naphtha. If you can't remove some of it, then I'm with Timbuck, it's glue residue. If it's polyurethane glue I think all you can do is scrape it away.

I'm not a fan of that kind of high gloss finish, but buyers do seem to prefer it!
 
Thank you Timbuck and ProfChris. I'm trying to determine if I have grounds to return this uke or if this is just a normal thing that happens with some uke finishes.
 
To me it looks like polishing compound around the bridge and fretboard. At the nut it looks like they glued in the nut and didn't clean it up. It will be easy to tell if the stuff at the bridge and fretboard is polishing compound. It is powdery and should come out with a little water on a toothpick. If it is hard like glue, then it is glue. Very sloppy job either way.
 
That looks like lacquer shrinking...

Thank you Pete Howlett. Is lacquer shrinkage a normal thing?

To me it looks like polishing compound around the bridge and fretboard. At the nut it looks like they glued in the nut and didn't clean it up. It will be easy to tell if the stuff at the bridge and fretboard is polishing compound. It is powdery and should come out with a little water on a toothpick. If it is hard like glue, then it is glue. Very sloppy job either way.

Thank you Sequoia. (By the way, are you the builder of a certain black-walnut tenor that I once owned named "Chico"?)
 
I have seen this kind of thing many times over my years of repair. IMO that is not any kind of lacquer, but either Yellow glue or Gorrila glue. It happens when the bridge or fingerboard starts to lift, and the owner shoves a bunch of glue into the opening, wipes it flush and then lets it dry. The same goes for the crack in the neck by the nut. They think this will hold, but it won't and looks awful. The only way to really fix this is to remove all the glue and then get the bridge, fingerboard and neck crack properly repaired. If I were you, I'd return it. It won't be a cheap fix.
 
For the nut area, if the surface is smooth, then it appears that moisture may have gotten under the finish.
If the surface is not smooth, then it is probably glue not cleaned up.
 
Thank you Sequoia. (By the way, are you the builder of a certain black-walnut tenor that I once owned named "Chico"?)

Nope. Not me... Did you ascertain whether it was polishing compound or glue? It could very well be an amateur glue job like Duane said that went bad and if so, yes, not a cheap fix at all. Not at all.
 
Nope. Not me... Did you ascertain whether it was polishing compound or glue? It could very well be an amateur glue job like Duane said that went bad and if so, yes, not a cheap fix at all. Not at all.

Hi Sequoia. Whatever it is, it's hard. Definitely not polishing compound. At this point, I am just putting the ukulele back in the case and seeking a return/refund. The seller had claimed it was in "very good" to "excellent" condition, and given the issues, I'd just like to get my money back. I do hope the seller will be more forthcoming if he relists it.
 
I have seen this kind of thing many times over my years of repair. IMO that is not any kind of lacquer, but either Yellow glue or Gorrila glue. It happens when the bridge or fingerboard starts to lift, and the owner shoves a bunch of glue into the opening, wipes it flush and then lets it dry. The same goes for the crack in the neck by the nut. They think this will hold, but it won't and looks awful. The only way to really fix this is to remove all the glue and then get the bridge, fingerboard and neck crack properly repaired. If I were you, I'd return it. It won't be a cheap fix.


For the nut area, if the surface is smooth, then it appears that moisture may have gotten under the finish.
If the surface is not smooth, then it is probably glue not cleaned up.

Thank you both for weighing in! Having ascertained that the stuff around the bridge isn't something on the surface like polishing compound, I've contacted the seller and am trying to convince him that this ukulele does not qualify as "excellent condition". Fingers crossed that he's reasonable.
 
Hey I will join in on the fun, and I am with Pete on this one. It looks to me that you have an overly thick finish that is breaking down around joint areas. It may have been made worse by inadequate glue clean up before the finish was sprayed on. Look at the top of fretboard around the fret ends and at the bridge where the strings are tied. You see first how thick the finish is, and then that there is similar looking damage in places where there is no glue joint.
Brad
 
Hey I will join in on the fun, and I am with Pete on this one. It looks to me that you have an overly thick finish that is breaking down around joint areas. It may have been made worse by inadequate glue clean up before the finish was sprayed on. Look at the top of fretboard around the fret ends and at the bridge where the strings are tied. You see first how thick the finish is, and then that there is similar looking damage in places where there is no glue joint.
Brad

Thank you, Brad. That was actually part of my original question/thought: whether this was just an overly thick finish that was failing. I did notice the finish around the fret ends flaking off. It bothers me, but I wanted to ask this knowledgeable group because I wanted to know if my disappointment was warranted, or if I was being ignorant or irrational.
 
Well, the seller agreed to let me return the ukulele, so I think everything will be all right (at least for me). I thank all of you luthiers for sharing your expertise. It made it possible for me to knowledgeably press my case for a refund.
 
I am afraid I do not have too much else to offer, I see this as a case where reasonable people may disagree. As I make my living doing this, my policy is simple, if at any time a customer is not happy with their instrument, they can return it for a full refund, including shipping costs if returned undamaged in a reasonable time.
Brad
 
I am afraid I do not have too much else to offer, I see this as a case where reasonable people may disagree. As I make my living doing this, my policy is simple, if at any time a customer is not happy with their instrument, they can return it for a full refund, including shipping costs if returned undamaged in a reasonable time.
Brad

This was an ebay seller, who didn't know the history of the ukulele. He was not the builder or even the first owner. I purchased it because he said it was in excellent condition, and there was nothing in the photos to suggest otherwise. But when I got it in hand, the issues were glaring to me. But I hoped ... and now believe ... that he wasn't trying to deceive as much as he was just not aware of why that glue residue/failing finish was an issue. He said he never paid it any attention. Ah well. Now he will.
 
Top Bottom