Well, the purists would argue that they're not to be feathered, and with such a slim blade area, a feather isn't needed. Feathering would also mess with the 'automatic' scull of a GP, and probably make a sliding stroke highly weird. Me? I've got messed-up wrists, so I paddle everything flat.

The portable cleaning or ironing steamers for strip work... That sounds like an interesting idea. Don't know if it'd work better than a heat gun for localized, limited bending, but you wouldn't have to worry about scorching. That'd be a plus.

Dan.