1920s Martin with wear from strumming above sound hole...finish is completely gone

My apologies for this repeated post as I'm sure this question has been posted many times before, but I have not found the right search criteria for it. As the title states, the finish has been completely worn away from strumming above and around the sound hole and the bare mahog is exposed. I do not want to refinish it, but want some ideas on how I can prevent further damage. You can kind of see the damage here, but I think it's a bit worse than the picture shows.



Thanks in advance.

Aloha Ukukimmy,
If you do not want to refinish it, you can use some polish and buff it out...for protection...I use Nu finish automotive polish...but don't use wax based products...Hope it helps, MM Stan
Maybe 3-4 coats will be good...

Hi Ukukimmy,
lovely uke, is the finish french polish or nitro cellulose? Put a tiny bit of pure alcohol on a cotton rag and work it lightly over the surface in the direction of the grain (a small area, somewhere discrete, side of body or side of headstock). if its FP, some of the polish will come of onto the rag, If nitro it won't. If the treatment is FP you may be able to lightly rub some of the existing finish back over/into the worn areas (using a cotton rag wrapped around some webbing/cotton wool lightly damped in alcohol), to incorporate the scratches back into the finish and then make a discission whether to add a new layer of French polish or wax over the existing.

Natsok said:

Hi Ukukimmy,
lovely uke, is the finish french polish or nitro cellulose? Put a tiny bit of pure alcohol on a cotton rag and work it lightly over the surface in the direction of the grain (a small area, somewhere discrete, side of body or side of headstock). if its FP, some of the polish will come of onto the rag, If nitro it won't. If the treatment is FP you may be able to lightly rub some of the existing finish back over/into the worn areas (using a cotton rag wrapped around some webbing/cotton wool lightly damped in alcohol), to incorporate the scratches back into the finish and then make a discission whether to add a new layer of French polish or wax over the existing.

Click to expand...

Oh so that's what happened to my Camp Uke! :wallbash:

I made the big mistake of not TESTING the pure alcohol before attacking my Lyon & Healy. Pretty sure it's FP (was not familiar with the two finishes you've stated above, until now) as it dulled some of the formerly shiny areas. DOH! :wallbash::wallbash::wallbash:

I just ordered the "Fender Cleaning Kit" from Musicians Friend. Not sure it's a good thing they're clearning it out at $14.95, but it seems to have good reviews and it's made by Meguiar's.

@Stan, hopefully this is similar to the stuff you've been using.

Thanks for the info.

ukukimmy said:

Oh so that's what happened to my Camp Uke! :wallbash:

I made the big mistake of not TESTING the pure alcohol before attacking my Lyon & Healy. Pretty sure it's FP (was not familiar with the two finishes you've stated above, until now) as it dulled some of the formerly shiny areas. DOH! :wallbash::wallbash::wallbash:

I just ordered the "Fender Cleaning Kit" from Musicians Friend. Not sure it's a good thing they're clearning it out at $14.95, but it seems to have good reviews and it's made by Meguiar's.

@Stan, hopefully this is similar to the stuff you've been using.

Thanks for the info.

Click to expand...

Aloha Kimmy,
I use auto Nu finish auto polish becase it is I believe it has way more duribility for protection..and cost about the same or less..

Hi Ukukimmy,
If it is French polish, I'd do a search locally (or through UU) to see if any kind hearted ukers/luthiers can help you refresh the french polish, its not a horendously difficult thing to do, if you where in the Uk I'd offer. Alternatively you could lightly rub a cotton rag dipped in alcohol over the marked areas, some shellac from the surounding areas will become soluble and will blend with the scratches (depending on how deep they are) this will act as a sealer to the open wood. You could then apply a few coats of Bees wax and buff it up to give it minimal protection (though I don't no how that would stand up to your climate, it may soften up to easily), or you could use a finishing oil (liberon). I'd be wary of putting car polish on the exposed mahogony, such polish often contains silicone which will penetrate into the wood and may give problems if you want to apply a different finish later. Alterntively don't rush into doing anything relax play and live with it (its been around for a long time, probably in this condition), many of the old 20/30's martins have this wear from years of heavy strumming/picking, sometimes in restoring such wear the uke looks great but takes on a preciousness that holds one back from playing it, when its beat up and marked you can enjoy its stories and play without the worry of adding another mark, dint or ding etc.
What ever you do I'm sure it will sound fantastic, mark

Thank you all for your advice. I'm now leaning towards Natsok's point, "when its beat up and marked you can enjoy its stories and play without the worry of adding another mark, dint or ding etc."

And it DOES sound fantastic! Boy oh boy, what a difference this uke makes! It's got wonderful sound, low action and as a result, so much easier for me to play vs. for example, my mass produced Makai. I still like the Makai, but I think it's going to be my loaner uke now. I have it loaned out to a friend in hopes she picks up this habit.

I have a spot on my Martin where the finish is worn through. I have left it alone and it has not given me a bit of trouble. I agree that it makes it so I am not afraid to play it, and I LOVE that someone before me enjoyed it so much that they left a mark of their enjoyment!