RE: [Paddlewise] finishing a greenland paddle

> The wood is Teak (a very lucky driftwood find) and I was
> thinking linseed oil might be the way to go to
> give it a nice finish.  Anyone got any suggestions?  I'd kind of
> like to keep that natural look.

Hi Robin,

My first greenland was(is) Douglas Fir. When it got wet the wood fiber had a
tendancy to pull off, so I coated it in epoxy (just wiped on a thin layer)
and then sanded it lightly back just enough to touch the wood after it
cured. This helped to prevent the tear outs of the wood when wet, but keep
the feel of natural wood.

This doesn't make it any stronger or resistant to dings. I've heard linseed
oil is good because you can soak the paddle in warm water to help pull out
the dings.

My second greenland is Red Cedar. Lighter in weight and less strong. It
seems strong enough for my uses, but I doubt it would take much to break it
if I used it to pry anything. I finished this one the same way, but didn't
sand the epoxy down after it cured. I liked the shine enough that I went
back and put a thin skin of epoxy back on the first paddle. The shine coat
also helps keep mud from discoloring the wood. When warm weather gets here
and I start paddling without my gloves I may sand them back down on the loom
and tips of the root if I have any problems with blisters.

In my case, at $13 - $20 each for the wood, they're cheap enough to
experiment with. I bet the Teak looks great.

I used Chuck Holst's plans (thanks Chuck!), easy to understand and build.
Took me about 8 hours using just a block plane and a spoke shave (not
counting the time it took to glue up 2 1x4 boards). Did you design your own
or use plans?

After a few months I'd like to hear the results of whatever finish you
choose.

Woody


***************************************************************************
PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List
Submissions:     paddlewise_at_lists.intelenet.net
Subscriptions:   paddlewise-request_at_lists.intelenet.net
Website:         http://www.gasp-seakayak.net/paddlewise/
***************************************************************************