freya - 5-27-2009 at 06:15 AM
A friend gave me this oud that had been lying around. It was covered with the plastic nacre that one sees on poor ouds from time to time. The oud had
a label and looked to have been made in Syria in the 70s (based on the kind of plastic rosettes used - like the one Ali Khalifa was using in the 70s).
So, what the heck, I decided to strip it down to see what was underneath. First, I used the brute force technique and put some 60 grit on the power
sander. Trying to power sand plastic is a bad idea. It just melts and mushes allover the place. Next approach was to flake the chips off one-by-one
with a sharp x-acto blade. Took an hour or so, but the remaining mastic then sanded off pretty easily. I was careful with the sander but some wood
removal is inevitable. So I applied a saturating coat of water-thin CA to the back in the hopes that it would penetrate and cross-link to give some
strength. Worked pretty well but it penetrates and darkens the wood just like water so any uneveness in application will produce some uneven
darkening. After that (current state) a couple of coats of darkened french polish. Next I'll put a full rosewood fingerboard on. Will post pics and
samples (if worthwhile) when she's finished up.
Harry
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msimon - 5-28-2009 at 04:04 PM
Wow!
She looks much better without the "nacre". Why would someone cover up that beautiful inlay?
MS
Finished
freya - 6-28-2009 at 04:05 PM
She's finished up. The sound isn't anything special though I've got rather low tension strings on it now and the top is pretty heavily braced. Maybe
some higher tension strings will help. I like the French button pegs which can be had for about $.50 each on eBay. At least she didn't end up in the
dumpster...
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patheslip - 6-29-2009 at 09:13 AM
Tidy, freya