Hardcore Paddles...

I've made a bunch of canoe paddles. The very first one I made was pretty lame by my standards now, but that things was a tank! I slammed it into logs and hacked down underbrush with that sucker and it held up the whole time. I eventually retired it, replacing it with a broader bladed paddle, with the burned image of a coiled snake running up the blade and the shaft. My brother has one with a blade resembling the head of an alligator. David has one with the Tree of the League on the blade and vines wrapping around the shaft. I've made several others, but I've never made a kayak (double-bladed) paddle. That changed last week. I spent five and-a-half hours carving a 8 1/2 foot long kayak paddle out of a 2X6 plank of pine from Home Depot, especially for "The Big Trip". In a few days I should be done with the burning on it, and it'll be ready for a few good coats of polyurethane to seal it up. I'm still trying to think of a good inscription to burn into it, though. Every paddle I make has a unique inscription that is specific to the conditions under which it was created or a unique quality about it or something. I'm still thinking of an inscription for this one, but it'll come to me soon enough. I'll try to put a picture up when I'm finished with it.

-Daniel