RE: [Paddlewise] Stick paddle

From: Martin, Jack <martin.jack_at_solute.us>
Date: Mon, 10 Sep 2007 18:16:00 -0600
Mark wrote, "I am planning on coating it with epoxy, but I'll probably
take it out a few more times to see what I think about leaving it
unfinished. I thought about just covering the tips of the blades to give
them a little protection, but that sounds like a bad idea now."

Having done both -- coating a storm paddle with epoxy and covering the
tips of an early stick with a plastic compound to simulate the
indigenous peoples' use of bone tips and edges -- don't.  Cracks in the
epoxy trapped water inside the paddle and eventually led to material
failure; prior to that, it just made the paddle slippery -- not a good
thing in a storm paddle.  The tips also trapped moisture in the wood --
only faster.  

Keep it natural -- so much better feel and grip.  The wood doesn't care.

Joq
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Received on Mon Sep 10 2007 - 17:16:20 PDT

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