Restoring ash oars

Brad F

Brad F

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I have spent the last hour searching this forum for info on restoring the wood on some oars that I abused terribly without success. The oars were left outside for a year and have turned grey due to weathering. They had a poor finish on them before and now appear to be raw grey wood...no finish at all.

After sanding them I assume (yes I know what the means :)) that I should replenish the lost oil in the wood before applying a finish. I'm think that linseed oil followed by boiled linseed oil would be the proper product but would really like some advice here.

These are not heirloom oars ... just used in a car topper that I fish out of at several lakes that prohibit larger / motor boats.

Thanks in advance for any suggestions or other ideas.
 
My experience with ash paddles and ash gunwales is that you can sand them down and oil them, but you'll do better sanding them down and varnishing them with a good spar varnish--not poly.

My last set of replacement gunwales came from Jerry Stelmok at Island Falls Canoe, who is one of the most experienced canoe builders here in Maine. His strong advice to me was to oil the gunwales if I wanted them to look good and my boat would be stored indoors and used occasionally, but to varnish them if the boat was stored outside and I wanted them to last.

http://www.islandfallscanoe.com/
 
Thank you Jeff.

I am in the process of repairing some splits in the blade ? end. Then I'll get onto the refinishing.

A friend that I helped inlay a couple of objects into a rib of a Norski type boat he is building decided I needed to repair this set of oars and a paddle that was also damaged. He spied them in my shop when we were working on his project and shamed me into the repair. He is just finishing up building two sets of oars for his boat. One a hollow shaft set and one solid. This boat is quite the project for him. He's been at it 3 years

I'll probably use spar since I use that to seal my decoys.
 
Good morning, Brad~

Sounds like you plan to finish these oars bright. (I'm a fan of ash oars but all of mine get paint. Interlux's "Sundown Buff" or other brightwork-mimic is an option you might consider.)

Will you need to need to bleach the grey out ? Oxalic acid is the standard approach but there may better products nowadays.

After sanding down to 150 grit, I would go right to the boiled linseed oil. (If using raw linseed, I would cut it with half turpentine and let it cure fully.) Let the oil cure for at least a week. You may want to screw a cup hook into the end of each hand grip so you can hang them - over a tray or something to catch any drips. This also keeps them from taking a set.

If the wood still seems starved - no luster at all and "dry" patches - apply a second coat.

For a bright finish, I would rub the oil with coarse steel wool, clean with a tack rag, then apply several (5?) coats of a good marine varnish.

In any event - as you most likely know - do not varnish (or paint) the hand grips. A couple of coats of oil will feel like silk after a bit of use. I oil the grips each year, off-season.

Let's see the post!

SJS
 
Steve thanks for the reply and info on refinishing the oars. These were a very inexspensive set that I bought 30 or 35 years ago but they worked for me. I use them in an aluminum 12 foot boat that my Grandfather bought in 1967 and I inherited after his passing.

I'm embarrassed to say that these oars will be used only occasionally and their finish or color isn't really important to me. They will be stored inside in the future. It was an oversite to leave them out. The simplest way to restore them into usable condition is my goal.

Thanks again for the helpful information.
 
Every thing with a wood handle or shaft gets a dose of boiled linseed oil
around here. rub it in and repeat as needed.
 
I redid my oars last year. Abuse the blades pushing off in the rocks and gravel.
I used the copper tips for years, but ran out of them over the years. Now I take the oars in and let them warm. Epoxy the first 1" of the blade and heat with a hair drier. It will thin out a soak in. Repeat if necessary. Sand and paint, leave the handle natural and finish with linseed oil as Steve recommended.
 
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