Save the Dolphin?

connor013

connor013

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Aside from the obvious "this is why you don't lend teenagers anything," I'm wondering whether or not it's worth the effort to repair this little guy.

I consider myself fairly handy, but I've never worked on instruments, and I don't have any specific lutherie tools, ie I have a basic chisel set and a few files.

So what's the verdict: does it make sense to invest a couple of hours to save the dolphin? Or is it going to be more trouble than it's worth?

I appreciate the help. Thanks.
 
Any ukulele is worth fixing IMO. Since it's a cheap instrument anyway it should only take a few minutes to fix anyway. Clean up the wood splinters in the joint as best you can in order to get the action as close as it was originally. Dry fit and check first. Use some Titebond in the joint along with some clamps, rubber bands, duct tape--whatever, you said you were a handy guy. Don't forget about the fret board extension.
And what is that I see? Paper?
 
Skrik said:
It's the plastic body.
Click to expand...

Thanks, I don't know a thing about Makalas so my advice may be the wrong solution. It "appears" to me that I'm seeing wood, paper and the whole thing dipped in a goopy paint. On second thought I now advise the OP to smash the thing with a hammer so we can all have a better look. :)
 
Thanks for the advice, everyone.

I got a couple of chuckles while mourning the loss of this beater. I think, rather than attempt repairs, the friendly green dolphin will adorn the "wall of shame" section of my classroom, in between the perfect quiz (without a name on it) and the classic begging-for-mercy-because-I-left-writing-my-essay-until-the-last-minute-and-then-my-computer-died letters.
 
Are we to call the pieces on the wall "performance art"?
 
connor013 said:
Thanks for the advice, everyone.

I got a couple of chuckles while mourning the loss of this beater. I think, rather than attempt repairs, the friendly green dolphin will adorn the "wall of shame" section of my classroom, in between the perfect quiz (without a name on it) and the classic begging-for-mercy-because-I-left-writing-my-essay-until-the-last-minute-and-then-my-computer-died letters.
Click to expand...
you got nothing to lose by attempting a repair. get it to dry fit so it looks tight, rig some kind of clamp, and glue er up. or as punishment, you could make the breaker a human clamp and hold it till dry. you'll have a loner for teenagers.
 
If you can't get a good dry fit (required for Titebond or other PVA wood glues) then use epoxy. It will fill gaps and be very strong.
 
As a frequent repairer of cheapie instruments, this repair cries out for epoxy. The longer the set time the better. I usually use a 30 minute set for a repair like this. As stated above it will fill the gaps and be very strong. It can also be done quickly which is the point in repairing a cheapie.
 
oh kittyrake yo. what in zeuses navel have we here? fix the thing man, after all it is a dolphin.
 
Epoxy is amazing. I used to use it to imbed samples for the electron microscope (every house should have one..just kidding.) I had a mixture of Epon and Araldite that was excellent. One day, one of my buddies broke his ping pong paddle. The laminate handle was in splinters. I fitted it together with the epon/araldite and let it bond in 40deg C heat. It was as good as new.
 
Right line of thought, everyone.

I epoxied the dolphin tonight. Re-string tomorrow. Nothing like a scar to give it some character.

Thanks for all the imput. (And for any other teachers out there: I was only kidding about the wall o' shame.)
 
I agree with the dry fit piece. Another option is to wet the joint and use gorilla glue.
 
Poor little green dolphin. Any idea what the teenager did? My dolphin has been put through the ringer. It's seen drunk guitar players, pools and toddlers and only has a few scratches.

I even dropped it out a second story window onto a bush once. The thing is a tank.

Darn teenagers!
 
Skitzic said:
Poor little green dolphin. Any idea what the teenager did? My dolphin has been put through the ringer. It's seen drunk guitar players, pools and toddlers and only has a few scratches.

I even dropped it out a second story window onto a bush once. The thing is a tank.

Darn teenagers!
Click to expand...

This is the story I got: green dolphin gets put on couch. Coat is thrown on couch (and covers green dolphin). Teenager sits on coat (and green dolphin).

Who sits on coats?!
 
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