Boundary Waters Quetico Forum :: Gear Forum :: Finish on paddles?
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dew042 |
quote Savage Voyageur: Don't use steel wool, it leaves steel inbeded in the wood and then it rusts if exposed to water. Just use 400 grit sandpaper and you will get it smooth a silk. " Okay, that makes sense. I've never heard anyone using it on raw wood, nor would even cross my mind, it would be pretty ineffective to boot. I'd never want a super smooth surface for a first coat anyway. On the flip side after a sanding sealer or finish coat is on steel wool becomes remarkably effective and roughing the surface for another coat without the hotspots and gumming that sandpaper can easily develop, even at a high grit, and takes very little of the finish off. Daniel |
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Duluthian |
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Savage Voyageur |
quote dew042: "quote Podunk: "l'd stay away from steel wool" Don't use steel wool, it leaves steel inbeded in the wood and then it rusts if exposed to water. Just use 400 grit sandpaper and you will get it smooth a silk. |
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Savage Voyageur |
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Grizzlyman |
quote overland: " I don't know if this will work, but here are some photos. The wood strips are glued together with Titebond III waterproof glue, but as you can see, there are some gaps. I've done a few this way. It's a great way to make a strong and light wooden paddle. i did have gaps- but just a few smaller sporadic ones. The small ones are not noticeable in feel. Yours look pretty large. Only two things I could see to fix. Either fill with thicker epoxy and then sand the bejeebers out of it (this will suck and will never look perfect) or just try again now that you know how precise you need to be. Trying again is probably WAY less work. Another thought- Frankly- it's almost impossible to get a perfect sharp edge with cedar since it's so soft. It's will inevitably flake or string out during the cut and that leads to the gaps. Since you cant really sand with this method before assembling the shaft it's tough to get perfect. You may want to consider hardwoods for the shaft- this's will have a better cut edge. I've used maple, cherry, and walnut. And every shaft I made was better than the previous. This method is still very light even with hardwood. . I even have a 60" 21 oz paddle with hardwood shaft. Lastly- this isn't anywhere in the directions but I drill a small hole in the shaft below where the handle is inserted just for drainage should any water get in. Good luck! |
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Podunk |
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Grizzlyman |
quote dew042: "quote Podunk: "l'd stay away from steel wool" Lol. Was thinking the same |
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Cedarboy |
quote Savage Voyageur: "I use Helmsman Spar Urethane. Put at least 3 coats and sand between. " Wow was my spelling off. CB |
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Savage Voyageur |
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Sven83 |
Most important thing is making sure water does not seep into the wood core! |
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Grizzlyman |
quote Duluthian: "I've used both marine spar varnish and spar urethane. I liked the finish on the urethane much better because I was after a high gloss. Both get the job done just fine." I agree. I prefer the spar urethane. It's got a more natural wood color to it than the yellow hue of varnish. I think it feels better too. O |
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dew042 |
quote Podunk: "l'd stay away from steel wool" What's your logic/experience on this point? Thanks, Daniel |
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Podunk |
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overland |
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Cedarboy |
I sand and dip the rips in a good oil finish. I just like the feel of the wood on the grip. Traditional paddles, beaver tail solid ash paddles, get an all oil finish, blade tip to grip tip and they do not get the fiberglass on the blade. CB |
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overland |
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overland |
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WHendrix |
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Sven83 |
No matter which top coat you use, it is sacrificial. Plan on having to sand and redo it when the scratches and such start bugging you. On another note, make sure you do at least a single fill coat with epoxy after laminated with glass. |
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dew042 |
quote Sven83: "No matter which top coat you use, it is sacrificial. Plan on having to sand and redo it when the scratches and such start bugging you." This. Rocks trump any finish. Spar Urethane gets prettier the more coats you put down IMO. For things like paddles that aren't flat, I prefer coarse steel wool to sand paper for preparation of the surface. I've been spraying Spar Urethane the last few days, man it dries fast. Daniel |