Shaw & Tenney Cupped Blade

The blade of a coworker's Shaw and Tenney ash paddle, approximately 38 years old, has cupped. As such, it wobbles through the water. I'm considering removing the varnish, soaking it in water for a while, steaming it, and then clamping it flat. After that, I'm thinking about trying to stabilize it with a penetrating epoxy.

Any thoughts?

 

I'm with you up to the "penetrating" epoxy part. If you actually want to seal something with epoxy, it needs to be 100% solids, with no evaporating solvents. The so called "penetrating epoxy sealers" are mostly cans of highly overpriced solvents with a small amount of epoxy and a whole lot of hype added. As the solvents evaporate out, they leave a very porous and very "un-sealed" product behind. Dilute your first coat or two of varnish with some thinner and you will most likely get similar penetration and stabilization without the cost or the hype. Epoxy is great stuff, but one of the most important things to know about it is knowing when not to use it.

 

Thank you for the advice about the epoxy. I will post results when I have something to share.