Cairns Uke Festival Course 2010 Underway

[Rob J Williams]

Peter T wrote:

I don't think there is anyone around here that would consider such a comment weird. We have all experienced the magic of the wood jumping to life under the first touches of finish. Priceless.

Thanks Peter, yeah I knew you guys would know what I was on about, It is funny though how that point was an absolute high but it has swung a few times since then, to not being happy with the coat i applied to loving how the back looks etc. I think this swing is more to do with my lack of knowledge and specific how - to's regarding very simple things that most of you guys have learnt and applied to what you do day-to-day.

Having said that I am also very pedantic or as Allen did describe "Anal Retentive".

[Rob J Williams]

selby wrote:
Hi all. I am new to this forum, having joined recently.
Anyway, I would just like to say thanks Allen for your total support and helpful advice. Darn good course, great company, what more could a good kiwi say...... Very Happy

For those playing along at home Selby is the gentleman in front of Allen in the black shirt

How's it going Selwyn? That uke getting a workout??

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[Nick]

Welcome to ANZLF Selby, got another Christchurch Member here Smile Hope you find this place usefull, there's a few luthier brains trust members here so any questions.....fire away.
_________________
A handmade Guitar for $300 ? Phftt. Sure, give me a chunk of wood, a hammer & some 6 inch nails & I'll see what I can knock up for ya.

Nick Oliver
www.oliver-guitars.com

[Allen]

Good to be back home Selwyn? You were looking a bit ragged after 10 days up here. You should see Micheal and me after 5 days with 12 High School students
Getting back to the day job is going to be like a holiday after last week.
_________________
Allen R. McFarlen

[Steve]

Reply by "Isabelle"

Hi folks,

I'm new to the forum and had my first experience building an instrument in this class. I feel like a bit of a phony because I didn't do all of the work on the uke I got to take home.

When I heard my old friend Rick T would be here from California and teaching this class, I really wanted my daughter (Black shirt next to Rick in group photo) to take it as she had done some very nice work with wood when she was in high school and had played violin. I also wanted her to know Rick!

I thought of signing up for the class myself, but Rick suggested I be his TA and work on one with him. He did a lot of the work on it as a demonstration for the class... I did enough work to feel I had the experience with machinery, hand tools and designing the headstock. And… need I say, sanding, sanding, sanding! (I was also very good at noticing when the coffee truck had arrived.)

We took the ukuleles home unfinished since it was just a four day course. Rick's choice for a finish on this one was straight tung oil. We picked some up and when Rick went back to California, my daughter and I started the finish work on both ukes. All was going really well until the weather changed... Rain and lots of humidity. Mine just was not drying even in four or five days and I can be very impatient. I applied very thin coats with no thinner added.

I went online and searched through many forums looking for answers. On one I noticed someone talking about Constantia Chinese Wood Oil which is supposed to be a much faster drying tung oil finish. It has an orange oil component and talks with the company led me to think I could apply it over the tung oil already there. (Could be a bit like Howards?)

As it turned out, by the time I got that product, I had to practically sand back all former coats of tung oil as I had hung my uke to dry on the verandah and a wattle tree dumped pollen all over it! I had a very fuzzy ukulele! Talk about inexperience! Oh well, sanding it back gave me a cleaner start.

I now have two coats of the Chinese Wood Oil on and it’s looking pretty good. Although it seems much faster drying, I am still getting what I can only describe as “bleeding”. There are bits of very shiny oil coming up in spots which I rub back before applying the next coat. It is now drying in a warm garden shed away from dust and pollen.

I’m just wondering if I should be thinning this oil. Anyone have a suggestion? I’m ready for the next coat. Rick said at least five coats of the tung oil and I figure I have what would be about three on now.

No pressure here folks… trying to finish a uke Rick worked on is a little daunting for this total novice…

Grins,
Isabelle

[DarwinStrings]

G'day Isabelle, I have never used that product with the added orange oil but the usual way to apply pure tung oil or pure polymerised tung oil (which is the harder of the two) is to thin the first coat with a lot of solvent then as you add more coats reduce the amount of solvent you use in each successive coat, then you can apply the last coat without added solvent (it may be useful to still have a little solvent in the final coat though), high humidity will not help it cure, maybe wait for dry times or get in a air-con environment.

Oh and your daughter designed a ripper of a headstock there, very elegant.

Jim

Someone please turn up the Tele

[Kim]

Gday Isabelle, welcome to the ANZLF Cool

Cheers

Kim
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ĆϾϿƆ
_(ӧ) ∩
_ڔ ڔ
Pull me Finga

[Allen]

Welcome to the forum Isabelle.

I've not used this product either, but like I said in the class. Getting a good finish is minimum about 1/3 of the time invested in building the instrument. Patience is pretty difficult when you are itching to get the thing finished, but it does pay off.

Love to see it when it's all done.
_________________
Allen R. McFarlen

[Steve]

Reply by "Isabelle"

Jim... I'm sure Rick and/or Allen would have said something about how to use tung oil during the session on finishes... problem is... there was so much information given in the class on so many things and I wasn't taking notes most of the time... Or... maybe they didn't .... grin..

No air-con environment as I live in a solar powered place in the bush. I will have to make it a spiritual practice and develop patience.

And yes... I love Ellen's headstock... I keep trying to get her to give it to me... haven't worn her down yet.

Thanks for the welcome Kim!

Allen.... I bought a litre of the Constantia product so that I could give you a healthy sample. I know Cairns can have the humidity thing going as well. I'll send it to Ellen this week and she's said she will get it to you... Will you guys be at the guild on Tuesday? At this point she's leaving hers with the straight tung oil so we can compare.

This is the website for Constantia and of course, now I see they have instructions for use... duh. They are talking about finishing furniture.
http://www.constantia.com.au/

Isabelle

[Allen]

The Guild will be open Tuesday I believe, but my next session for those building from scratch will be Wednesday night starting at 6:30 pm.
_________________
Allen R. McFarlen

[Steve]

Reply by "Isabelle"

@Allen... Rumor has it that Ellen got the oil to you... third party rumor.

This product I'm using for sure seems to dry much faster than the straight tung oil.... And smells so good I'm tempted to drink it... don't do that Isabelle!

These first two photos are with two coats of Chinese Wood Oil over some residual straight tung oil. I'm still not using a thinner.
The third photo is with three coats. Sorry about the quality of pics...

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[Localele]

It looks like it is building up nicely Isabelle. Oil finishes are slow to get a result with. It just takes a lot of wipe on wipe off to get some body .Yours looks like it is getting there.
_________________
Cheers from Micheal.

Remember the "5P Rule".
PREPARATION PREVENTS PISS POOR PERFORMANCE.

[Rob J Williams]

Lookin good Isabelle.

[Allen]

Yes, Ellen dropped it off last night when we were in the midst of a side bending demonstration.. I haven't had a chance to test the bouquet or taste it yet, but will this weekend.

Thanks.
_________________
Allen R. McFarlen




In this thread this is the last re-constructed message by the ANZLF helping team. For more information click here.

[Isabelle]

So, Allen helped me re-join the forum and just at the time when I have finally gotten the strings back on my uke made in the Cairns Ukulele Fest "Build a Ukulele in Four Days" class with Rick Turner... whew... just saying it all is taking me back... The course was too much fun! Now that I have completed the finish with Constantia Chinese Wood Oil... I have to report that in general I liked the product, but it didn't give a consistent finish on all of the different woods used. Where it worked, I am in love with it....I believe I should have used their Red Oil on the top...

Now that it's finished... do I really have to learn to play it?

[Allen]

Looks nice in the photo Isabelle. What is the issue with using it on the cedar?

Now that I have most of my projects under control, I'm going to make up some test panels and apply different finishes to them so students can see what the options are. The sample you gave me will make up one of those panels.

[John Maddison]

... I'm going to make up some test panels and apply different finishes to them ...

Hi Allen
Some images of both hardwood and softwood samples for this Forum's Tutorial section I'm sure would be an asset, along with details of the surface preparation (e.g. grain fill, sealer, sanding grit). Cheers

[Allen]

A video of the Cairns Uke Festival 2010 Highlights


youtu.be/

Edit:

Opp's I pasted the wrong link. Sorry Kim, but the one above is the correct one now I think.

[Kim]

Cool review Al ,

The uke sounds great, heaps of punch and tinkle and Monty seems quite chuffed.

Cheers

Kim