 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| ||||
| Moderated by: Tony Provencher, Richard Hefner |
|
||||||||||||||
| Fixing Vintage Ukuleles | Rate Topic |
| Author | Post |
|---|
| Posted: Thu Oct 8th, 2009 08:09 pm |
|
1st Post |
|
TxAggie80 Approved
|
So, I have acquired, somewhat by accident, a vintage ukulele. Don't know how old it is, no apparent name plate anywhere, rather ornate decoration on the front. Question: What is the best method to fixing small scratches? I'm looking for a simple method to reduce their visibility, more in the color aspect then trying to fill it in. A touch of tung oil? A brown felt tip? A little bit of spit and dirt?
|
||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||
| Posted: Thu Oct 8th, 2009 09:16 pm |
|
2nd Post |
|
Will Approved 
|
Many of the oil-based products made for covering up scratches in wood furniture might be suitable, as long as you use them sparingly. For furniture, I've used Old English scratch cover - it comes in a formula for light colored wood, and for dark colored wood. Try the light colored formula first, and then the darker formula if the light colored one doesn't work. Work on a small spot first, say, a scratch on the back of the ukulele; if something goes wrong, and the oil darkens the scratch (that has happened to me), then at least the mistake isn't as visible.
____________________ Will http://ezfolk.com/audio/bands/297/ Loose Change & Friends http://ezfolk.com/audio/bands/245/ http://loosechangeandfriends.com The Earth Tones http://ezfolk.com/audio/bands/337/ A Bunch Of Coconuts http://abunchofcoconuts.com |
|||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||
| Posted: Sat Oct 10th, 2009 01:58 am |
|
3rd Post |
|
theBlackman Approved 
|
If it is a really, really old Uke, it may be shellaced. To test it get some alcohol and with a Q tip, soaked in alcohol, touch the back where it is unlikely to show and let the alcohol work on the surface a while. If it is shellac, the alcohol will soften the "varnish". If it does, then just flow some alcohol over the scratches and the coating will usually dissolve and flow in to fill the cracks. If you have bare wood because the scratches are so deep, there are a number of blended colors of filler sticks (usually hard wax crayons) made especially for furniture repair to fill scratches. These can be found in nearly any hardware store. Matching colors from white to ebony can be had.
____________________ Let each day start as a blank page for life to write upon. http://ezfolk.com/audio/dusty http://cdbaby.com/all/theblackman http://youtube.com/DustinFLeer |
||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||
| Posted: Wed Oct 14th, 2009 02:25 pm |
|
4th Post |
|
TxAggie80 Approved
|
Okay, having a blast with my first week as a ukulele 'geek'! The question above turned out to be pretty much a non-issue with the ukulele I was concerned about. The photos were staged in such a way as to show the very minor flaws. What they didn't show was that the whole thing had been varnished! It sounds great with a new set of strings and I expect will last a long time. Pictures on another thread indicate it is probably a 50-60 year old Regal. Next questions: I acquired a Capital ukulele today. It was not loved where it came from. It literally had a layer of dirt on it. The seller had cleaned the worst off, but it was still evident in all the corners. A half an hour with a damp rag really transformed it! Even the plastic tuners cleaned up well and the plastic fret board looks much better. I expect the seller would have gotten quite a lot more if they had done it before taking pictures. 1. Is it advisable to 'moisturize' the wood with something other than just humidity. I know on my fine furnature a rub down of orange oil is recommended on at least an annual basis. And this thing has been through a ringer! 2. Would it make sense to replace a plastic fretboard with a wooden one? Is it worth a few bucks for a new fretboard and a new nut on a 30-40 year old laminate? Or should I just save my pennies for better Ukulele? Last edited on Wed Oct 14th, 2009 02:27 pm by TxAggie80 |
|||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||
| Posted: Thu Oct 15th, 2009 05:47 pm |
|
5th Post |
|
TxAggie80 Approved
|
I found the thread that addresses my first question. I'll be on the look out for a good oil/polish for my abused soprano.
|
||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||
| Current time is 08:06 am | |
| ezFolk Forums > Ukulele > General Ukulele > Fixing Vintage Ukuleles | Top |
