The first task was taking Beth's sides out of the mold. Wow! a perfect bend. These could not be better.
Next was leveling the frets on #112 & #113 that I hope to get strung up today. Here are to tools used for this tedious but necessary job.
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Check for high frets with the rocker and mark high spots with a felt pen. Then grind them down with a diamond dust leveler. they will become flat.
 then round them again by grinding with this crown restorer. it leaves a rough crown so you smooth the frets with the green sander with fine grit paper. |  |
and finally the frets are polished with these rubber blocks impregnated with an abrasive, First the red, then the green and finally the yellow.
Now it is time to dig into the stash of Bison bone and make the nuts and saddles. With jewelers saw, files, sanding blocks, the parts are made and fitted. The strings are installed and the magic moment is here. The ukes are done. What will they sound like
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Here is George's. Wonderful ornate East Indian Rosewood, super tight grain "water tank" Redwood, Spanish Cedar neck. YinYang symbol at the first fret.
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This is Rich's tenor, An unusual set of patterned "water tank" Redwood, and fancy figured East Indian Rosewood. A Spanish Cedar neck and a horse head inlaid at the first fret.
It was four o'clock, I lit the fireplace, mixed myself a martini and sat on the hearth to tune them up and hear their song. I am delighted. They are both rich and responsive, bright and mellow. I used Thomastic Infeld wound basses and Savarez trebles on both. These are two fine ukes. As the strings stretched in the instruments began to show their true quality. I am going to hate to part with these two.
