As I was contemplating the staple holes in the hull of my Georgian Bay, I noticed that the wood fibers around the holes are crushed and torn by the staple entry. I imagine this is why they absorb the epoxy differently and are always a little darker than the surrounding wood. Then I had a flash of inspiration - if I took a stick of staples and passed them over a grinding wheel to sharpen the entry points, maybe they would slice into the wood fiber and leave a less visible wound. Anybody try this?

I don't usually obsess about minutae like that, but if I can build a better looking boat with minimal effort, why not?