T005 Tenor Ukulele Pore Filling

Once the main construction work has been completed on each ukulele, the finishing process begins. The finishing schedule for each MAKAIO ukulele is a slow process that begins with initial sanding over the complete ukulele with 120 grit sandpaper. At this stage it is crucial to remove all scratches and scrapes from the timber surface, as they will not be able to be removed later in the finishing process. Following this, the ukulele is sanded all over with 180 grit then 220 grit sand papers.

Once the ukulele has been sanded to 220 grit, in most cases, the timber is required to be pore filled. Most hardwood timber species that are used for back, sides, and sometimes soundboards, have tiny pores in the grain. These pores can differ with the grain and growth direction of the timber. As the final finish on the ukuleles are only a very thin layer of oil varnish, these pores will show through as un-eveness in the finish appearance. To avoid this, the pores of the timber are initially filled with a clear flexible epoxy resin. For the T005 ukulele, two coats of epoxy were applied all over the ukulele.

T005 Tenor Ukulele

Epoxy Pore Fill Coating over Walnut Ukulele

Once the epoxy has cured on the ukulele, the entire instrument is again sanded with 220 grit sandpaper, removing all epoxy from the instrument surface, and leaving only that in the timber pores. This is followed by further sanding with 320 grit then 400 grit sandpaper, wiping the instrument over between each grade with a damp cloth to raise any loose grain fibre.

Once the ukulele has been finish sanded to 400 grit, the oil finishing process begins.