my first mando

[batman]

Well after about a year, i can see the light at the end of the tunnel. my first shot at building a mandolin is almost complete. my question is do you put all the hardware on and string it up before you put the finish on,just to check it out? I'd hate to go through all the time to finish it and have the top cave in somor ething when i start playing it. Don Batten

[sunburst]

A lot of people do that. Most people that do finish their graduations and fine tune "in the white".
The only thing I can think of to warn you about is the oil that may be in the tuners. It can get into the wood of the peghead and be a problem for some finishes.

Now's the time to slow down, by the way. It's easy to get excited and anxious to hear the instrument and rush through the set up process. Patience...patience...patience...

[whistler]

If your instrument's going to cave in or snap in half, it'll do so, whether or not it has the finish on. But, so long as you've remembered to brace the soundndboard and glue the neck in, that shouldn't happen.
One advantage of stringing up at this stage is that you will not be so impatient to hear it when you come to do the finishing, and so you will be less likely to make a shoddy job of it (which often happens with first time makers).

Beware of scratching the headstock with the string ends, and prepare to go through lots of strings. Also, be aware that the sound will be different once the finish is on.

[Skip Kelley]

Don, I have always played mine in the white before I finish the mandolin. I want an idea of what it sounds like. I usually wipe the back of the peghead with naptha to remove any oil left by the tuners like Sunburst said. Good luck!