Tonight (Monday) after letting the paddle dry overnight, I went back to the sanding and removed some more wood from the lower edges and the tips. It's funny how a little sanding can make a difference in weight. I managed to drop almost 1.5 oz just by doing the final sanding alone. The paddle now sits at 30.9. Damn - so close to that sub 30 threshold. But I really should be pleased. This a full 90" paddle with solid maple tips and edges. I really can't expect it weigh less than a full cedar unit. I'm happy!!
As per all my latter paddles, I've applied the distinctive reflective black strip. Hence my designation as this being paddle BBP (Black Band Paddle) #7.
The Naked Paddle (No finish whatsoever)
First coat of Tung Oil
Slight coat of epoxy applied to the tips.
I'm not really that keen on the glossy epoxy so I'll tone it down a bit with some steel wool to take off some of the shine.
Hi Sean,
ReplyDeleteI forgot to ask you when you were over, how did you attach the maple tip to the paddle blade? Did you use a mortise and tenon? Or just a butt joint with epoxy? For Stan's paddle we attached a wenge tip (nice dark African hardwood) with 3 dowels and epoxy. I got to use the new dowelling jig I bought last month.
Neil
I went with a simple butt joint this time. The outside laminations give a lot of extra strength. I saw the dowelling job - very nice!!
ReplyDelete