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It was the best of looms; it was the worst of looms.
I'm finally done with not only my original Greenland paddle but the two other paddles it spawned. If you'd rather just look at the pics rather than read a long post, go here: https://sailwithdulcinea.shutterfly.com/pictures
First paddle: WRC 221-cm GP with white epoxy tips/edges:
You may remember I spent forever trying to get the epoxy right on the first paddle. I added the TiO2 to the West 655, and it worked OK--though I found it took a lot of time and trouble. The white kept turning yellow on me, and the stuff is very hard to get on there smoothly.
After I got the final layer of tinted epoxy on there, I taped over the tips/edges with masking tape and used the Epifanes teak oil sealer over the rest. What I didn't realize is that the masking tape would leave a nasty residue on the white tips/edges. Fortunately, plain old vegetable oil removed it. Also, it turns out the Epifanes, despite the "oil" name, is a varnish. The paddle had a very tacky, shiny finish for several days, till I sanded it a bit with some fine-grit.
Anyway, I'm happy with the way the paddle looks now. Although it's a bit heavier than the one I added the walnut to (no. 3 below), it's great for shallower water, being such a tank of a paddle. And it has a lot of surface area if I want to go really fast.
Cheap-A** Paddle
The second paddle just sort of happened. Impulse woodworking! (Anyone else experience this?) I was in Homme Despot and saw a beautiful, straight piece of Atlantic white cedar for $6. Long story short, I glued some old strips of scrap pine to create tips and edges (and shaft reinforcement), then "clamped" it, using the floor and ceiling of my tool room plus some shims. And then got to planing. Took a big chunk out of the neck and tried filling it in with wood glue and sawdust, which just made a squishy, rough mess. So I got rid of all that and sanded it all down. Then I tried adding reinforcement strips along the shaft, via soaking the strips in hot water. It almost worked, but then one broke, and I never could get them to conform to the curve of the edge perfectly. So I figured I'd wasted enough effort on that and decided to just see if the thing could be used as it is. I put a coat of old Minwax varnish on it, followed by a couple of coats of the Epifanes teak sealer that smells like mustard gas. Not sure if I'll ever get around to using this paddle, since I now have two GPs; I may just put it on the wall or something.
Modified GP: WRC With Walnut Tips/Edges
The third paddle (WRC GP) is one I bought from a guy near me; you can tell his skills are way beyond mine. So far I've used it just once (out on the Potomac); it was GREAT in the effort it saved. I was out there for about six hours total and for three of those literally did not stop paddling. The thing is that light and easy to move through the water. But I'd planned from the get-go to install tip/edge protection. What you see is black walnut from HD, glued on with Titebond. Hardest part was getting that pesky right-angle correct, where the innermost end of the edge meets the rest of the paddle. And on one corner, I over-sanded when removing excess glue along the juncture between walnut and cedar, so there's a depression in the blade there. Whatever--nothing in life is perfect. I finally added a coat of c. 2003 Australian Timber Oil (linseed-based), and I like what it did very much.
Going to head out tomorrow morning and try the two GPs again. Thanks again to everyone who offered advice over the past few months on these projects!
