December 2021 BOTM?

OK on this side
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Pallet wood on this side.
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OK on this side
xqiCWV0l.jpg


Pallet wood on this side.
xgZ7qySl.jpg
Pallet wood, ha, I build ukueles.…made a few of koa…
I understand your frustration..
however do not dispair,,,Koa needs an oil finish to become beautiful, even Pallet wood Koa !!
I would suggest take off the scales…do not finish with scales on…then you have 2 options, easy peasy or a bit more involved..,EASY get some clear danish oil….and start rubbing in…with your fingers…
multiple coats over a few days….you will be much happier..
or..for a spectacular finish…think of using TRUOIL…3 parts true oil 1 part mineral spirts…make to consistancy of water..fluid not heavy,,you wont need a lot…and do multiple light coats using a non lint cloth..let dry overnight in dust free space…and then additional coats after a few passes of 0000 steel wool…until you get your desired look. It will give a gloss finish that will show the wood character. The key is light coats, not heavy. and with truoil you can always touch up scratces easy.
Hope this helps.

below is a truoil finish on a uke
 
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Thank you Zippo123.

Being that it is a take-apart 112 I may try my hand at making something more attractive. Are your oil finish instructions Koa specific or would other woods also be enhanced by it?
 
Thank you Zippo123.

Being that it is a take-apart 112 I may try my hand at making something more attractive. Are your oil finish instructions Koa specific or would other woods also be enhanced by it?
all woods
not a bad idea to finish a couple of scraps of wood first and get the hang of it then do the BOTM.
Its going to make your pallet wood pop some…
Try the danish oil first ...its easy
it comes neutral and dark walnut.
the dark walnut will darken the wood a few shades.
read instructions…shake can well
i
deep rub on on multiple coats over a few days…saturate and leave oil on for 10 minutes to soak in, wipe off excess…then deep rub until dry and let stand a few hours…
then repeat priceedure..
until it has reached its potential. it should be a deeper richer satin non gloss finish. It will look stock.
after a while you can use renisance museum wax or Flitz gun wax..if you want a bit more sheen..

you may be very happy with that…
If not …….you ……….can use true oil on top of the dryed danish oil for more glossy finish.
Glossy is the best striking finish dor bringing out wood figure….but it will no longer look stock…from the factory anymore.

I just learned from experience truoil needs to be cut with a thinner. its too thick out of the bottle to apply evenly, but it drys hard and glossy like polycoat and is quite durable and attractive. do not get any in the screw holes as to avoid excess buildup around the screw heads.

I ordered two koa BOTM…
I will refinish at least one…the best wood one, to my liking
and resale other in as factory recieved condition, oem.


other people use boiled linseed oil or tung oil…or walnut oil
I prefer danish oil, but those will work also with decent results..

 
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How are you guys posting photos?
with paid membership and shrinking or cropping to fit the 1mb limit for upload....or a photo hosting site.

here's a link to read.....

 
My two botm I conditioned with danish oil…
want to keep them as stock as possible..
I am happy with them…no need to go further..
each is very different…
one is dark and tiger stripped, the other is lighter and wavy
kind of lucked out I got two very different ones, not sure which I like best…
Happy to have them….but were they worth $250 plus tax each…?
mmmmm…I think $150- 175 would have been plenty enough to charge..imho….

 
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I really like mine, nice tiger stripes in the grain that change like a holographic wood kinda like the little picture you’d get in cracker jacks. They looked a little dry so I put some tung oil on them and they look good but tomorrow I’ll put a second coat on that should make them even more depth. 6FF5EF47-F020-48D1-8DA4-48465DE8AC44.jpeg1B9FD36F-BE2C-4F0B-B381-E70F6A5AA6B9.jpeg
 
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