Best varnish for ash paddle

Cruiser said:

As much as I wished there was one finish to rule them all, there isn't. You don't need to refinish a varnished paddle if it gets damaged, just like an oiled paddle, it gets some maintenance, albeit, it is a bit more work. Routine maintenance is probably one of the most important items for gear longevity ... probably more important than the type of finish IMO.

As stated ... oil has it place with certain paddles and it works very well, for example, for the carved paddles you are making. If on the other hand you decide to oil up your new composite wood, epoxy/glass coated blade, with an oil finish, well, it just isn't suited to that task. There are a lot of flavours of DIY wood paddles being made and finish selection needs to made with product protection requirements in mind.

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duh.

Cruiser said:

Glen, I wasn't suggesting there was anything wrong with rub on varnish, just if you have the thinner and the varnish, you mix it up on the fly a lot cheaper than buying a separate product.

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I understand and agree, for anyone who already has varnish and thinner on hand. I was just stating that for a person like me, who doesn't usually have varnish and thinner around for any reason, the wipe-on poly is convenient and cheap. It also doesn't seem to turn into jelly or rock in the can as fast as varnish will over a long haul of non-use.

Ray Kettlewell advised spar varnish for his cherry paddles. That's all I've ever used on wood blades, and I'm not seeing any rot forming or varnish peeling where finish is nicked or even ground off at tips. Maybe that's because just like orher outdoor gear, I allow them to dry completely as often as possible.

Glenn MacGrady said:

the wipe-on poly is convenient and cheap. It also doesn't seem to turn into jelly or rock in the can as fast as varnish will over a long haul of non-use.

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I have a heck of a time getting lids off of Watco cans that have been previously opened, often resorting to pliers or a screw driver to pry it off. So last time I used the Watco teak oil, a couple years ago, I made a point to not put the lid on too tight. But apparently I didn't get it tight enough and over that time all the mineral spirits evaporated and I was left with just the oil. Unfortunately I brushed some of it on before I realized what had happened and it was a sticky mess that took forever to dry.

I grabbed an even older can, that did have a tight lid, and that was still in good condition.

Alan

Alan Gage said:

I have a heck of a time getting lids off of Watco cans that have been previously opened, often resorting to pliers or a screw driver to pry it off. So last time I used the Watco teak oil, a couple years ago, I made a point to not put the lid on too tight.

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I've only ever seen Watco Teak and Danish oils in rectangular twist top cans. Their current product page only shows lacquer and butcher block oil in round pry-top cans. Maybe it was different in the past. The twist tops sometimes get glued on tight after a while, but usually not much evaporates.

Glenn MacGrady said:

The twist tops sometimes get glued on tight after a while, but usually not much evaporates.

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Yes, mine were the twist tops. They'd get stuck on and the teeth in the childproof cap didn't have enough bite and would keep slipping. Sometimes I'd use a channel locks to twist while I applied more downward pressure to try and engage the teeth better but sometimes that didn't work either and I'd have to pry it off with a screwdriver. It was one of these that I'd left slightly loose in which the mineral spirits evaporated.

Maybe it was just a temporary issue they had as the other can, which was even older, opened without too much issue. Over the past few years I've fought it with multiple cans and it has me seriously thinking of decanting it into other containers.

Alan

I usually remove the cover that makes things like this child-proof. They pry right off and there's almost always a more user-friendly cap underneath those covers

(note: I may stop doing this if I ever, again, have small children coming around but, for now, I'm not fighting with those caps)

I use Badger wood oil on my wood paddles and the wood trim on my canoes since it looks good, feels good, is easy to use, and it's non-toxic.

The comments about avoiding oil on ash surprised me since both Badger Paddles and Shaw and Tenney offer an oil finish on ash. I Googled it and learned the potential concern is oxidation and yellowing but that has not been an issue for me and yellowing is one reason I don't like varnish.

Regarding maintenance I find that it can be neglected for quite some time with no consequences and although Watco is more durable than Badger oil I find that I'll get scuffs or marks from the roof rack long before Watco wears off so regardless of what I use my gunwales will get a little love once a year...or maybe twice a year for my highest use canoe (so every 50 uses or so) just to make it look nice, not because it's needed. My wood paddles do not get used as frequently so don't require annual maintenance.

I've had issues with Watco tops gumming up too but my main reason for switching is getting rid of a toxic product.

mine were the twist tops. They'd get stuck on and the teeth in the childproof cap didn't have enough bite and would keep slipping. Sometimes I'd use a channel locks to twist while I applied more downward pressure to try and engage the teeth better but sometimes that didn't work either and I'd have to pry it off with a screwdriver.

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I put Watco Teak on the gunwales of a couple of boats every year, and thought that was SOP (Standard Operating Procedure) for these cans..
It seems to me always to leave a somewhat sticky residue, never thought to try it on a paddle for that reason.

re-varnished a Bending Branches paddle a couple of years ago after two decades or so of use. I used Epiphanes as that's what has been good for me on refinishing bamboo split cane fishing rods, gives a smooth and sturdy finish. So far the paddle is also holding up well, another two decades and I'm unlikely to be worried about it.. ha.