: Not sure if I can help, as I haven't run into the finish problems that you
: are having.... I assume that you have used only oil and have not waxed the
: paddle.

: One reason that I preferred oil on my first paddles is that it enabled me to
: experiment with finding the perfect loom length by gradually making the
: loom longer by cutting new shoulders, without worrying about the finish. I
: used a fine rasp (Nicholsen 49 or 50), for intitial shaping, since the oil
: will initially clog sandpaper as you encountered. I didn't remove all of
: the finish but did feather the worked area.

I did, too.

: The old and new oiled areas
: blending together perfectly over time (with linseed oil applied with steel
: wool), perhaps you simply need to continue applying more oil to the new
: areas and allow it to cure.

That's what I'm hoping. I think I'll go with steel wool, as you suggest.

: Whenever I expose fresh wood, I wet it to raise the grain and sand, and
: repeat until the wood behaves. After that I simply re-oil using steel
: wool.

I didn't do enough to raise the grain and I suspect that's part of the problem. That's what I get for rushing, right? Whatever time I saved up front will be lost in additional finishing time. DUH!

Thanks for your insight, Greg.