Shou sugi ban decorated paddles
ban Topic,
decorated Topic,
Paddles Topic,
Shou Topic,
sugi Topic,
Online paddlemaking friends, David G and Luke M have both attempted to decorate their handmade paddles with an interesting burning technique known as shou-sugi-ban. This traditional Japanese method of preservation was originally developed for use with cedar cladding on houses. Claims are that it can add another hundred years onto the longevity of the wood. Luke heard about the technique from another remarkable craftsman in the US, Nick Dillingham of Black Thunder Studios, who modified the technique to finish some of his remarkable crooked knife handles.
Here are some shots of David's Sitka spruce paddle with reinforced ash tip. It's 56" long with a 26" by 5" wide blade. It only weighs 14 oz and has some etchings on the grip. Look at the beautiful contrast against that fresh Yukon snow!
The etchings reveal the lighter coloured wood below the charred surface, something known as negative pyrography in the woodburning art world. I've always had to resort to using a tiny electric pen to burn the backspace, so this technique is intriguing to me. Burn everything first and then reverse etch.
David also uploaded a photo closeup of the blade's near perfectly straight grain. The paddle has not yet been oiled but David's great job with the burning makes it look like a pretty wood stain.
Over on the other side of the world, Luke made a paddle from fresh ash - a narrow bladed Maliseet style paddle to go with his nearly complete Maliseet ocean canvas canoe.
The grip area has been chip-carved after the burning resulting in a pretty reverse effect...
Luke provided some additional details about his methodology. After scrubbing, the paddle was lightly sanded with 320 grit sandpaper - the amount of sanding determines the darkness of the final product. He then carefully burnished the wood heavily with a piece of polished antler for that natural shine. The paddle isn't oiled despite that wonderful looking finish.
Luke mentioned a challenge with burnishing which resulted in some random patchiness despite careful efforts to burn and sand evenly. This is to be expected with any type of handcrafted work, but any "flaws" aren't visible to my eyes and the paddle look brilliant.
Online paddlemaking friends, David G and Luke M have both attempted to decorate their handmade paddles with an interesting burning technique known as shou-sugi-ban. This traditional Japanese method of preservation was originally developed for use with cedar cladding on houses. Claims are that it can add another hundred years onto the longevity of the wood. Luke heard about the technique from another remarkable craftsman in the US, Nick Dillingham of Black Thunder Studios, who modified the technique to finish some of his remarkable crooked knife handles.
David and Luke were kind enough to send me emails about their experiences with this finishing method to share with the blog readers.
First, the paddle surface is scorched with a propane torch until completely black. After this burning period, the wood is scrubbed vigorously with an abrasive. Luke and David used some Scotch-Brite(TM) pads to remove uneven remnants of the charred wood. The complete surface burning / charring process obviously blackens the surface but if done properly, it still allows the grain pattern to peek through.
First, the paddle surface is scorched with a propane torch until completely black. After this burning period, the wood is scrubbed vigorously with an abrasive. Luke and David used some Scotch-Brite(TM) pads to remove uneven remnants of the charred wood. The complete surface burning / charring process obviously blackens the surface but if done properly, it still allows the grain pattern to peek through.
Here are some shots of David's Sitka spruce paddle with reinforced ash tip. It's 56" long with a 26" by 5" wide blade. It only weighs 14 oz and has some etchings on the grip. Look at the beautiful contrast against that fresh Yukon snow!
David G's shou-sugi-ban Sitka Spruce paddle
Au Nord du Nord Woodwork
Facebook Album Link
The etchings reveal the lighter coloured wood below the charred surface, something known as negative pyrography in the woodburning art world. I've always had to resort to using a tiny electric pen to burn the backspace, so this technique is intriguing to me. Burn everything first and then reverse etch.
Grip etchings
Au Nord du Nord Woodwork
Facebook Album Link
David also uploaded a photo closeup of the blade's near perfectly straight grain. The paddle has not yet been oiled but David's great job with the burning makes it look like a pretty wood stain.
Sitka grain pattern
Au Nord du Nord Woodwork
Facebook Album Link
Over on the other side of the world, Luke made a paddle from fresh ash - a narrow bladed Maliseet style paddle to go with his nearly complete Maliseet ocean canvas canoe.
Luke M's shou-sugi-ban decorated Maliseet paddle
Facebook Album Link
The grip area has been chip-carved after the burning resulting in a pretty reverse effect...
Luke's chip carving along the grip edge
Facebook Album Link
Luke's chip carving along the grip edge
Facebook Album Link
Facebook Album Link
Luke provided some additional details about his methodology. After scrubbing, the paddle was lightly sanded with 320 grit sandpaper - the amount of sanding determines the darkness of the final product. He then carefully burnished the wood heavily with a piece of polished antler for that natural shine. The paddle isn't oiled despite that wonderful looking finish.
Luke mentioned a challenge with burnishing which resulted in some random patchiness despite careful efforts to burn and sand evenly. This is to be expected with any type of handcrafted work, but any "flaws" aren't visible to my eyes and the paddle look brilliant.
But as a warning to others who might try this method, he also wrote that the paddle blade started warping during the burning phase and notes that if both sides are burned evenly, the blade tended to straighten out. I found this very relevant as my intention was to try this out only on one side of a future paddle.
Thanks again to David and Luke for continuing to experiment with their paddle creations and share them with loyal readers of this blog.
Thanks again to David and Luke for continuing to experiment with their paddle creations and share them with loyal readers of this blog.
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