Sunday, March 6, 2011

Repairs are underway!





     You're looking at my unlabeled Harmony uke that I won in an online auction nearly 2 months ago. It came with heat cracks,which was mentioned in the listing. I don't know if any beginning luthiers go thru this,but I went thru an indecision cycle that nearly drove me crazy. I originally had in mind to repair the cracks myself-which I've never done before. So then I thought perhaps it would be better to take to someone with experience. However-my budget has been tighter than I'd care to admit lately,and there aren't any local luthiers in my area. That being said,I ordered the glue recommended by a repairman or two and set to work. I started on friday with the cracks in the back,then the cracks in the front,saving the biggest one for last. I nabbed one of these handy dandy clamps off my father,and tomorrow I'm hoping to get the rest of the strings on & see how it sounds. The mahogany on it is beautiful-it just glows in the sunlight. My skills are growing ever slowly-I can now replace tuners,tuner buttons,and fix heat cracks. The mahagany Harmony ukes are slightly bigger than your standard soprano,and this one has an arched back. Will take a pic of it when it's all fixed up & ready to sing. All in all I'm glad I walked thru my fear and fixed it up myself-very empowering. 

No comments:

Post a Comment