The day began with Rick installing the tentalones on the back side of both ukuleles. A little glue, a careful positioning and lots of clamps, some modern, some just old fashioned clothes pins.
As he was doing that I was sanding the radius into the fretboards for these ukes. I begin with 8o grit and finish with 320.
The sanding block has the 12 foot radius cut into it. Stickit sandpaper does the rest. Takes about fifteen minutes to do the job and it is pretty good arm and shoulder exercise.
You can gauge your progress by drawing pencil marks across the fretboard. As the marks disappear you know you are getting the radius made.
After the radius is sanded in you must check to see that there is still enough depth in the slots to fully seat the frets. Here I am carefully checking each slot with a clever little device curved in the same radius. Ah ! perfect. the frets will seat well. I need the flashlight to see the tiny lines.
Soon Rick was getting his first experience in installing frets. First we cut them to length and lay them out beside the fretboard.
Then with glue and hammer they are tapped into their slots
And firmly pressed into the slots with this arbor press, Now the frets are curved just as is the fretboard, making the instrument easier to play.
