Thanks for your reply Allen. It's very nicely finished and the creases are the only slight flaw. No cracks inside and the creased area feels solid enough so hopefully it is just cosmetic.
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Wrinkles in the waist
- Thread starter Timbuck
- Start date
Thanks for your reply Allen. It's very nicely finished and the creases are the only slight flaw. No cracks inside and the creased area feels solid enough so hopefully it is just cosmetic.
Wildestcat
Well-known member
Hi. I have just experienced this problem for the first (and second) time, with American Black Walnut and Tasmanian Blackwood. No problems (well, not that I have noticed) with previous ukes built from Koa, Mahogany, English Cherry and Tasmanian Blackood, but coincident with the appearance of this thread, I get it twice over!
The ukes are for my grandchildren, so I don't have the issue of paying customers to worry about, but obviously I want to produce good reliable instruments that will stand the test of time ... and no doubt some rough handling along the way.
So - my question is how far is it wise to go with attempts to sand out these defects?
Both sets of sides were thinned to 1.85 mm (0.073") prior to bending, and the waist bends are shown in the photos after light sanding and wetting with white spirit to accentuate the defects. The cracks definitely do not extend through to the inside.
Should I be considering some form of reinforcement on the inside of the waist?
The ukes are for my grandchildren, so I don't have the issue of paying customers to worry about, but obviously I want to produce good reliable instruments that will stand the test of time ... and no doubt some rough handling along the way.
So - my question is how far is it wise to go with attempts to sand out these defects?
Both sets of sides were thinned to 1.85 mm (0.073") prior to bending, and the waist bends are shown in the photos after light sanding and wetting with white spirit to accentuate the defects. The cracks definitely do not extend through to the inside.
Should I be considering some form of reinforcement on the inside of the waist?
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Hi, I contacted the builder of my uke today and he insists the creases are nothing to worry about and have no impact on the structure of the uke. These things just sometimes happen with certain wood types during the bending process. He said these wrinkles usually go about halfway through the wood so it's not a good idea to sand them too much. I think mine show up so much because it is a very light, natural finish.
Sorry I can't help further, I'm still a little undecided about my uke to be honest, I appreciate everyone has different opinions but it seems these wrinkles are a big deal to some people but not important to others
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I've had this problem with Peruvian Walnut and African Ribbon Mahogany. Very frustrating, and I now steer away from those woods, but I've since then been bending a little more slowly with an eye to heating the wood all the way through and haven't had a problem since.
BlackBearUkes
Well-known member
If you can see the wrinkle, the wood is fractured. This can be slight sometimes and can be sanded out, but when ever this happens to me now, I break the piece and start over. I have seen many vintage ukes with this problem and it only gets worse with age, no matter how well you cover it up or try to disguise it, it will show up later on.
Hi, when you say 'it gets worse with age' and 'it will show up later on' are you referring to the wrinkles becoming more visible, or possibly turning into cracks or something? The fact I can see them doesn't bother me but if that area of the wood is more fragile and likely to break then it's a problem
BlackBearUkes
Well-known member
Yes, the wood is more fragile and the stress lines will show up. You have to remember that we are talking about wood that is very thin to begin with, maybe 1/16" to 3/32" thick. If you sand the stress lines out of wood that thin, its folly to think they don't go all the way through the wood.Others may not agree, but I wouldn't use cracked wood.
OP
OP
Timbuck
Well-known member
Duane...If I get any more in the future I'll just snap and bin e'm ...not worth the hastle...I thought I'd sanded them out but! the finish showed them up again :agree: The two I sold as seconds were good playing ukes and the recipients were happy with them...But they niggled me a bit 
I have some people on here telling me these wrinkles are fine and nothing to worry about and some telling me the wood shouldn't have been used and binned. No idea where I stand with it now, as Timbuck says it is really niggling me and I think it always will. Pics of my uke are earlier in this thread for anyone interested.
Maybe I'm reading too much into it, after reading Timbucks thread on 'builders depression' I actually felt bad about querying my issue at all
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Sven
Well-known member
I'd say they're nothing to worry about. What's gonna happen to a ukulele that compromises its structural integrity, to use a catch phrase from Star Trek. Spans are small, sides are reinforced both by lining and geometry and locked into place by the top and back. If the builder of your uke is who I think it was you got it fast and cheap enough. Relax, open a beer and play it. They're compression wrinkles, not cracks. I have them on the only two factory made instruments I still own.
Of course I respect the knowledge of Duane and others with similar experience - they surely surpass me in all aspects. But if it sounds good don't fret and don't give your builder a depression or a bad rep.
I've had similar wrinkles but they did not go deeper than a ordinary sanding session, which was going to happen anyway. Some woods are more prone to this than others and if you are selling for a high price you should bin it if it doesn't sand out. But I'd do that to protect me from anxious buyers, not because it's fatal.
This post is meant to make you feel better about your uke, not meant to defend me or any other builder. I hope no one takes it the wrong way.
Of course I respect the knowledge of Duane and others with similar experience - they surely surpass me in all aspects. But if it sounds good don't fret and don't give your builder a depression or a bad rep.
I've had similar wrinkles but they did not go deeper than a ordinary sanding session, which was going to happen anyway. Some woods are more prone to this than others and if you are selling for a high price you should bin it if it doesn't sand out. But I'd do that to protect me from anxious buyers, not because it's fatal.
This post is meant to make you feel better about your uke, not meant to defend me or any other builder. I hope no one takes it the wrong way.
Thanks for that Sven. I have tried my best to be subtle in my posts and have no intention of giving anyone a bad rep. I don't think the price I paid is really relevant, had it been £100 or £1000 I would still query something on the instrument that didn't seem quite right, just as I would if it was a factory built uke from a retailer.
If some people are suggesting the wrinkles are trouble, but others suggesting they are of no significance at all, it is difficult to make a judgement on who to listen to.
I received a pm from someone who was very surprised to hear I wasn't told about the wrinkles prior, also it was a thread posted by another builder that really made me want to query the issue, as I saw he had reduced one significantly and sold it as a second because of a few slight wrinkles on one side.
Apologies for dragging the thread on anyway and thanks to those who replied.
To avoid any further potential rep damage I won't add to the thread again, I have every respect for the builders and the difficult job they do trying to please pain in the ass buyers like myself
Cheers.
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Ken, thanks for pointing something out that most non-builders will not notice. I have never looked at the waist and really don't pay attention to the sides. I'm sure this thread will make potential buyers more confident that the builder is more stringent than most buyers.
David Newton
Well-known member
This thread goes along with the earlier thread "Builder's Depression" about the expectation of buyers.
One builder doesn't think wrinkles are a big deal, another cringes at the thought . One builder puts on a rudimentary finish, another spends multiple hours on a flawless gloss finish.
A buyer cannot say to one builder "your instruments have to meet the standard of that other builder". One builder cannot tell another builder what standard he has to build to. Each builder builds to the standard he sets for himself.
It is up to the buyer to "beware".
One builder doesn't think wrinkles are a big deal, another cringes at the thought . One builder puts on a rudimentary finish, another spends multiple hours on a flawless gloss finish.
A buyer cannot say to one builder "your instruments have to meet the standard of that other builder". One builder cannot tell another builder what standard he has to build to. Each builder builds to the standard he sets for himself.
It is up to the buyer to "beware".
BlackBearUkes
Well-known member
It is hard for me to understand why any luthier would build wilth "wrinkles in the waist" (a flaw IMO) and be OK with that as a standard.
BlackBearUkes
Well-known member
Well, my opinions are based on 20+ as a full time luthier and experience. Wood that has cracked, fatiqued, folded, wrinkled or any other way you want to spin it, is bad news if that crack is there from the beginning. Nobody is dissing any body elses work, just pointing out the obvious when it comes to wood.
maryagn3s
Well-known member
I have played uke for almost 40 years and realise now I have actually played ukes by every builder posting here.
Seriously, none of you are perfect and THAT is the point.
This thread seems to be debating something that I've seen in quality K-brand ukes for sale... Something that does not affect integrity or quality and that, frankly, is based in opinion (not fact).
I used to think people were fair and kind.
This thread is disappointing (except for Sven's contribution. His final line bears repeating)
"This post is meant to make you feel better about your uke, not meant to defend me or any other builder. I hope no one takes it the wrong way."
-m
Seriously, none of you are perfect and THAT is the point.
This thread seems to be debating something that I've seen in quality K-brand ukes for sale... Something that does not affect integrity or quality and that, frankly, is based in opinion (not fact).
I used to think people were fair and kind.
This thread is disappointing (except for Sven's contribution. His final line bears repeating)
"This post is meant to make you feel better about your uke, not meant to defend me or any other builder. I hope no one takes it the wrong way."
-m
The wood is not cracked and you are talking about a uke you have never seen.
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