Hudson Bay Voyageur- Maple - Pyrography

 Hey Everyone,

Sorry for the long times since the last post. Just lack of time and such.  I found a bit of time today to finish the artwork i started awhile ago on my last paddle. I have always loved owls so, it seemed fitting to try this for the first time on a paddle.

I had also bought a tiny pack of paint and brushes ( Amazing sale !) as you can see below, i painted the eyes on the owl to make them pop !  If you do this (add paint) be sure to do it in sunlight, I kept layering the yellow to darken it. When i took the paddle to the sunlight it was way brighter then in a normally lit room. 

I think i could have shaded the owl more then i did. I was under the impression that when you finish the paddle the image that is burned on darkens. I think it did the opposite, some of the detail faded. 

It was finished using a pre stain and then Tung oil. I had planned to use the Badger oil i had picked up at the adventure show but as i applied it to the pre stain, it did the same effect as water and oil. I wipe it off and applied the Tung oil, I'm very happy with the paddle. 

Also note that after going to the adventure show i thinned down the shaft even more, after seeing the other custom paddles i knew i could push it and thin it some more.

More posts to follow on the cedar paddle i have been marking out in a bit !

Thanks for reading !

Paul

Hudson Bay Voyageur - Maple

Rough grip with Heartwood

Hey everyone ,

Started on a paddle early last week and got on a roll this weekend. The paddles shaped and sanded but I'm not sure how I'm going to finish it. I spoke in my last post about a painted shaft but not sure if this is the paddle for it.

 First time working with maple and i like it ! Its Hardwood and its a bit heavier than i thought it would be. This board had a little piece of darker heartwood running through the middle giving it a great look down the center of the grip and shaft. 


I tried a different grip and found that this design was a lot of fun to carve, looks pretty and feels great when holding onto the paddle.

Blank

Electric planner makes quick work

When i started the blank this time, i was careful to stay an 1/8 of an inch outside the line i drew for the blank. I have a cheapy band saw and find it wanders a lot. The last few paddles i would end up cutting in to close, this time i cut outside and used the stationary belt/disc sander to true it to the line.

Since i sanded out the edges,  i ended up with a smooth blank, if the blanks wavy then the shaft may be as well.

I unfortunately knicked the side of the blade so had to thin it just a touch more then the design called for, resulting in a thin paddle blade that was already thin enough. 

Then this should be a Muskrat tail not a Voyageur!

So decisions, decisions , decisions.....

Do i paint the shaft and still get the heartwood on the grip, wood burning something onto it (still not that comfortable with the shading skill yet tho), paint on the blade or leave it be and seal it with oil or poly.

Let me know what you think ! and Thanks for visiting.

If this is a beaver tail

And this is an Ottertail