This morning I did the final sanding with 1,00o grit wet and dry and applied the final coats of French Polish. They are looking great.
Tomorrow I will attach the bridge to these ukes, make a nut and saddle from my buffalo bone stock, and see if i can string them up tomorrow.
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In the meantime I have been making great progress on the next generation.
the fretboards are slotted and radiused. here is the sanding block used for the 12 foot radius.
can you see the gentle curve of the radius?
and finally I got the Bubinga sides bent nicely. Here you see the whole thing, The hot pipe in the background, The stainless steel bending sheet which covers the wood as it is bent over the pipe. The spray boggle to spritz water on the wood as it dries out in the bending process, The form which provides the shape one aspires to as you bend, and finally the press in which the wet and warm bent sides are placed and clamped in position to cool and dry overnight. Once again I got an excellent bend by using the old fashioned hands on hot pipe method.