Uke courses - humidity

[colburge]

Guys

I know humidity has been talked about to death, but I just wanted to know how the guys running the Uke building courses get around it. I was just looking at Allen's website pics of his latest course and Alan's in Townsville that he posted, and there doesn't appear to be any control over humidity. We all know that it is really humid up there, even in winter, so what's the go? Is humidity not as big a factor on the smaller instruments?

Cheers

Col

[Allen]

The smaller the instrument the less problem you have, as well is the amount of cross bracing. Ukes don't have as much as what a guitar will have. But that's not to say it isn't a factor.

All the wood is kept in my dry room prior to day one, and we close the box up on that first day. Critical cross bracing is done a bit later in the day when the weather heats up and the humidity in general can be relied to drop.

So far we've been really lucky each year we've done this course in that it's the winter and humidity is about as low as you are ever going to get up here and the weather has been fantastic. In fact has been so dry and breezy the last few years that it's been a challenge to glue parts up before the glue is wanting to skin over. Have to keep on the student to get things together quick smart and not admire that fine bead of glue they just laid down.

At the end of the day, the course is designed to give the student a really good crash course and as much background as they can absorb into lutherie. We keep in touch with quite a few past students and none have said that their instrument suffered from any humidity related issues. We warranty them as if they were one of our own. One in the first year had a top that came loose because of sloppy and slow work. Glue kicking over before clamps were set. I repaired it for her the next year she was up in Cairns.

I applied finish to another from that first year as they really struggled to get an acceptable finish at home. I had to field questions about that for nearly 14 months. Now all instruments are fully finished before they leave the course.

[ozziebluesman]

G'day Col,
We haven't taken any precautions for humidity control for our Ukulele building course. With a ukulele it is not a big issue unless you are building an instrument for superior sound with a very thin top, back and sides and bracing it accordingly. Our course is suited for beginner builders and we are using 2 mm for our tops backs and sides. Humidity here in the dry season is pretty stable however last week it was high so I decided not to let the students glue on their tops. This will happen in the morning! The humidity level today was 60% this morn early and was 50% this afternoon and is 50% now. So some common sense needs to be used and all will be good. Our goal is provide a fun time and at the same time let the students build their own Ukulele that will last for years and sound good!
Cheers
Alan

[colburge]

Hi guys

I hope my post didn't come across as though I was 'bagging' your build practices, definitely not my intention. I was just trying to work out what to do about the humidity in my shed, and seeing what everyone else was doing. Anyway, there is no way around it, I will have to buy a dehumidifier and probably an air-con for the shed.

Cheers

Col

[Allen]

I just run a dehumidifier in my dry room. Would love to have a fully air conditioned shed, but that would mean I'd have to gut the place, fully line and seal it. Then I'm not sure if I'd ever want to walk outside during the summer. As it is, I'm pretty tropicalized now after being up here for 7 years.

[colburge]

I just run a dehumidifier in my dry room. Would love to have a fully air conditioned shed, but that would mean I'd have to gut the place, fully line and seal it. Then I'm not sure if I'd ever want to walk outside during the summer. As it is, I'm pretty tropicalized now after being up here for 7 years.

Is it just a matter of working quickly, gluing everything up and getting it back in the dry room until the box is closed? I suppose that after making so many Ukes you must have your procedures absolutely dialled in and it wouldn't take you long at all to get everything together. The wood probably doesn't have time to reach an equilibria before it is back in the dry room

Cheers

Col

[Allen]

Yes, I move quick and have my procedures down so there isn't much in the way of fussing about.

Yesterday I had all the components made for a baritone uke and had the body closed up by late afternoon. Comes out of the dry room for a little work, goes back in for a glue procedure. Back out for something else. Back in for another glue up. And so on.

I'm putting together another baritone today doing exactly the same procedure. Just waiting for the tail block to sides to dry right now. Next up it's glueing the rims to the neck and soundboard.