sMg Guitars

November 20, 2011

It was May when I added the label, which is why it’s dated May 2011.  Boy am I slow.  The strings are on.  It sounds lovely.  Monday and Tuesday I will:  Fill a few minor gaps with lacquer, remove the strings and tuning machines, lower the height of the nut and the saddle, clean up the fretboard, knockdown the sides and neck, wet sand the entire uke, buff it to a glorious sheen, glue in the nut, reinstall the tuning machines and strings, then play it until my fingers fall off.

May 7, 2011

Happy Birthday Sister Cyndy!  In honor of your birthday, I did NOT work on your uke.  Rather, I finished knocking down and buffing the Koa Dreadnought.

The finish will get another buff after setup to bring on a real shine.  The lacquer under the fretboard extension was stripped off, and the neck was glued and bolted on.

After setting, the end pin hole was drilled and the tuning machines were installed.

The bridge location was determined using MATH!  The lacquer under the bridge was stripped in preparation for gluing.

The bridge was glued and clamped with the fancy bridge clamp from LMI.

May 6, 2011

Spent several hours today knocking down the lacquer finish on the Koa Dreadnought.  A light first brush with 220 grit on the high spots, followed by a serious attack with 400 grit until NO shiny dimples remain.  A thorough dry sand with 800 grit leaves a very smooth flat surface without breaking through to the wood.

Tomorrow a quick wet sand with 1000 grit before the two stage buff on the buffing wheels.  The neck will be checked for fit and adjusted if necessary.  The lacquer on the top which is under the fretboard will be removed with Stryp-Eze then the neck will be bolted and glued in place.