How to care for vintage uke

[Tigeralum2001]

I am relatively new to vintage ukes & have no real idea on how to care for them. For instance, I was wiping off another uke with a microfiber cloth and thought "should I do this to my Martin?". So I tested a small area. It worked wonders- the finish looked brand new in the small test area. However, is removing the patina a negative thing in terms of value? I was using as much force as I would to clean my glasses (medium pressure).

What about the fretboard? Should I use wax or oil or anything? It looks so dry.

Anything else to consider?

[RyanMFT]

Hey There,
I have several vintage ukes and I like to clean them up. I think it depends on what you want to do with your instrument. For me, I don't mind some bumps and bruises on a vintage uke, but I want to make the instrument look as good as possible. I give my vintage ukes a good cleaning when I get them, and then wipe them down from time to time. My vintage Martin uke went from looking very tired and beat up to a gleaming beauty after I cleaned and gently polished it.

If you have an instrument you want to play, I say clean it and enjoy. If you are going to sell it, often buyers prefer it untouched so they can do what they want.

Here is a link to an article on cleaning your instrument at www.frets.com
I met Frank Ford, the luthier who hosts that site and he does amazing work. For me, if Frank says it, then I trust it!

http://www.frets.com/FRETSPages/Musi...leaning01.html

By the way, I tried the mineral oil on my Martin's fretboard in exactly the way it is described in the article and it worked very well. Got Mineral oil at Target for $1.87....it is a lifetime supply! Guess I should buy more vintage ukes to use that mineral oil on!