Thread: Sexauer/'14
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Old 04-09-2014, 09:45 AM
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Bruce Sexauer Bruce Sexauer is offline
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Join Date: Jan 2009
Location: Petaluma, CA, USA
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I cannot know in advance how many coats of varnish an instrument is going to need. My goal is to get a complete covering w/o any divots from pores and the like. The fewest I've ever needed has been 6 coats, and the most is 11 coats. More coats doesn't necessarily mean thicker varnish as the majority of each coat is sanded off before the next coat is applied. On instruments such as the Uke I just finished there are more coats that average because I did not use any pore filler in an effort to bring out more of the natural beauty of the Koa; it took 9 applications. On the current D. tuc./Carpathian FT-15 I hope to meet or beat my current average of 7 applications of Varnish. Having just examined coat #2 I think I am on track for 6, but any misstep resulting in a run or sag or an insect encounter (or yet another "new" experience), particularly late in the process, and it's out the window.

Thanks, Tim. Here is a comparison of the two logos I use on my Ukes. The guitar like "S" is on my latest, used for the first time. I made the "crown" partly because of the Uke's Hawaiian tradition, and partly because it is easier to get into the Koa cleanly using hand held tools (non-CNC), as I do.
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