Koa wood is porous. In order to achieve a smooth final finish, the wood should be properly sanded and the pores filled.
The ukulele was sanded from rough to fine sandpaper : grits 180, 220, 320 and 400. This sanding sequence helped remove any nicks and tool blemishes. I carefully removed any low spots between the wood and the bindings.
Prior to pore filling, I sprayed the ukulele with two coats of shellac to provide a base for the filler. I have had excellent results with Z-Poxy to fill the pores. A small amount (about a size of a dime) of the epoxy mixture is spread on to the wood with an edge of a credit card until the desired area is covered. I let the Z-Poxy dry 24 hours after each application. The key is to spread the Z-Poxy in thin layers until the pores are filled. The pore filling process takes about three applications, then leveled with 400 grit sandpaper and a fourth application is done. A final leveling is done with 600 grit sandpaper and a final Z-Poxy coat, thinned with alcohol, is applied.
The ukulele was sanded from rough to fine sandpaper : grits 180, 220, 320 and 400. This sanding sequence helped remove any nicks and tool blemishes. I carefully removed any low spots between the wood and the bindings.
Prior to pore filling, I sprayed the ukulele with two coats of shellac to provide a base for the filler. I have had excellent results with Z-Poxy to fill the pores. A small amount (about a size of a dime) of the epoxy mixture is spread on to the wood with an edge of a credit card until the desired area is covered. I let the Z-Poxy dry 24 hours after each application. The key is to spread the Z-Poxy in thin layers until the pores are filled. The pore filling process takes about three applications, then leveled with 400 grit sandpaper and a fourth application is done. A final leveling is done with 600 grit sandpaper and a final Z-Poxy coat, thinned with alcohol, is applied.
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