I need to refinish an ash paddle made by Dale Toby of Grand Lake Stream. I’m looking for opinions on what is the most appropriate — not necessarily the cheapest — varnish to use. Thoughts?
It seems that I’ve heard several times from manufacturers and others than ash paddles don’t take oil well. Perhaps I’ll varnish the blade and oil the shaft and handle for now, knowing I can always varnish over the oil down the road.If you're sanding off all the old varnish, I'd consider not varnishing at all and using Watco teak oil instead. It soaks into the wood to preserve it and (IMO) leaves a better feel.
I've found that the varnish type finishes are more prone to raising blisters, etc.
I’ve heard several times from manufacturers and others than ash paddles don’t take oil well.
But varnishes generally don't penetrate, unless you're playing with some oil/varnish/thinner blend that carries the varnish deeper into the wood. ("Boat Soup" as some of the longer-distance sail cruisers call it - it's rather similar to the finishes marketed as "Danish Oil", but with an exterior/spar varnish instead of the interior versions)I'm not sure why varnish (especially an oil-based varnish) would penetrate any better than the oil
I'm not sure why varnish (especially an oil-based varnish) would penetrate any better than the oil
But varnishes generally don't penetrate, unless you're playing with some oil/varnish/thinner blend that carries the varnish deeper into the wood. ("Boat Soup" as some of the longer-distance sail cruisers call it - it's rather similar to the finishes marketed as "Danish Oil", but with an exterior/spar varnish instead of the interior versions)
Side note: I've got a couple of ash-shaft paddles (my first paddles, made up from scrap along with my first canoe build) and I never ended up putting a finish on the shafts at all.
I haven't weighed them. I'd imagine not that much. The blades of these paddles are sealed - Cedar and glass, actually. Only a limited amount of Ash in the water. Ash is only about 50% moisture content when green. While you can super-saturate wood, a paddling session won't do it.Would be interesting to weight that paddle before and after an outing, wonder how much weight it would gain after a few hours of submersion?
Wipe on varnish is just thinner, containing something like 50% solvents, so wiping that on, gives a much thinner coat (so add 50% solvent to regular spar varnish and make your own "wipe on" product).
epoxy needs the UV protection
If I had a solid paddle, I would be inclined to use a rubbed in oil finish for the following reasons
Sand off the varnish and finish it with watco oil. I've carved nearly a hundred paddles and varnish is a second best finish for a paddle.
Why? Varnished paddles need to be refinished. The varnish, when nicked, traps moisture and grows mildew. With an oiled paddle, you buff the scratch with some light sanding and rub oil on it...done.
AND, you don't need to do 12 hand rubbed oil coats. I do 2 or 3 on a brand new paddle, and after that, just a quick wipe every so often. It's so easy.
The varnish, when nicked, . . . grows mildew
thats why i use watcoBoiled linseed oil and tung oil grow mildew even when not nicked, frequently seen as a black coating or stain on wood gunwale canoes that are treated only with these oils. Not sure about hempseed oil, which is sold by Badger Paddles, but I don't see why it wouldn't attract mold since it's a food.
Watco contains linseed oil, but the Watco Teak marine formulation (at least) contains a mildewcide along with UV inhibiting varnish ingredients.
Bruce Smith spends a lot of time finishing paddles because he sells them commercially for $200-$300 USD, and has been hand-making solid wood paddles for over 55 years. I tend to think he knows what he's talking about when he recommends spar varnish for ash paddles, which is the topic of this thread.
I just do quick touch-ups on my many paddles as needed. A quick wipe of Watco or of wipe-on poly varnish takes me exactly the same time, and both look the same to me. Maybe the varnish is a little shinier. I have originally varnished Mitchell paddles that are over 40 years old that I've never touched up.