“Restoring” satin finish using Mr. Clean Magic Eraser

[bbkobabe]

I get mine from my luthier friend's stash..........

You get... steel wool... or are we drifting off in another direction...

 

[wdonley]

You get... steel wool... or are we drifting off in another direction...

Steel wool…..

 

[SweetWaterBlue]

Sorry I don’t have “before” pics, but trust me it looks like some polish job gone horribly wrong….a huge ugly glossy spot with swirl marks.

I’ve taken some pics of the finished result but it’s not easy to photograph a satin finish. Made a short video instead. Check it out.

Looks great uketorik. I may be in need of this technique again. I bought a used soprano last month at a great price, but it has a satin finish. It only took me a few weeks playing late into the night to put a shiny spot on the upper bout. If I ever want to sell it again, that spot spells instant devaluation to most buyers.

Did I say that I won't buy a new Uke with a matte finish for this reason, unless its a smoking deal, and don't get me started on how several of my friends and I wore the paint off the top of several Kamoas in several spots? Never had these kinds of problems with gloss finishes.

 

[uketorik]

Looks great uketorik. I may be in need of this technique again. I bought a used soprano last month at a great price, but it has a satin finish. It only took me a few weeks playing late into the night to put a shiny spot on the upper bout. If I ever want to sell it again, that spot spells instant devaluation to most buyers who are mostly lookers and not players.

Did I say that I won't buy a new Uke with a matte finish for this reason, unless its a smoking deal, and don't get me started on how several of my friends and I wore the paint off the top of several Kamoas in several spots? Never had these kinds of problems with gloss finishes.

It's pretty straight forward. Make sure the uke surface and the pad you're using is clean and free of debris. Lightly wet the pad and go slow with a light pressure first, and check often.

 

[Kenn2018]

I have been advised by several luthiers and repair techs to stay away from steel wool (I was asking about cleaning fretboards and frets). No matter how gentle or careful you are, you will leave behind micro particles of steel when you use it. These can muck up your pickup and electronics on your uke. Even if you don't have electronics on your uke, it can transfer to your ukecase, your clothing and the place you did the work. Which can transfer when you handle another uke with a pickup. Controls and battery contacts are very vulnerable.

They suggested using very fine plastic abrasive cloth or paper. Like those sold by StewMac. No idea if the super fine levels of grit are available with the plastic/non-ferrous abrasives.

Be very, very careful with water around the unfinished wood on your uke. Inside the body is usually unfinished raw wood. So if you're working around the sound hole be careful. Also, the bridge and the fretboard are usually not finished. Though they are sometimes dyed to make the black more uniform. That dye is not waterproof and can run. Unfinished wood can soak up water very quickly and swell.

 

[rainbow21]

I have been advised by several luthiers and repair techs to stay away from steel wool (I was asking about cleaning fretboards and frets). No matter how gentle or careful you are, you will leave behind micro particles of steel when you use it. These can muck up your pickup and electronics on your uke. Even if you don't have electronics on your uke, it can transfer to your ukecase, your clothing and the place you did the work. Which can transfer when you handle another uke with a pickup. Controls and battery contacts are very vulnerable.

They suggested using very fine plastic abrasive cloth or paper. Like those sold by StewMac. No idea if the super fine levels of grit are available with the plastic/non-ferrous abrasives.

Be very, very careful with water around the unfinished wood on your uke. Inside the body is usually unfinished raw wood. So if you're working around the sound hole be careful. Also, the bridge and the fretboard are usually not finished. Though they are sometimes dyed to make the black more uniform. That dye is not waterproof and can run. Unfinished wood can soak up water very quickly and swell.

Will a strong magnet work to remove all the micro particles? I have read a lot about using steel wool on the fretboard.

 

[Kenn2018]

It would pick up a lot of it. All of it? If it's too strong it might pull up the frets. [That's a joke. Not a real comment.]
I don't know, I've never tried it.