: If your old oil finish is clogging and smearing it sounds like it has not
: cured properly. I'd remove it with medium steel wool and denatured
: alcohol. Then recoat the whole paddle.

I wasn't aware that denatured alcohol would remove an oil finish, I may break down and strip it.

: If you haven't applied an oil finish before you wipe it on and after 15 - 20
: minutes wipe off any excess. If you do not wipe off the excess and allow
: the oil to dry overnight before applying another coat if will remain
: gummy.

It's possible that this is the case. The paddle had 8-10 coats of oil on it, but I might have forgotten to wipe one off after application. After drying for nearly two weeks, it still had a strong odor and a slightly waxy feel to the surface. It looked nice, though.

: If you want to build up the finish faster than with just straight oil, you
: can get a faster build-up and better waterproof finish by mixing 50/50 oil
: and marine spar varnish. Apply just like an oil finish, again, apply with
: a rag and wipe off excess after 20 minutes. Three coats of the spar/oil
: finish will equal six coats of oil only.

Now THAT sounds like a winner! I need to get some varnish anyway, so I think I'll give that a try on my next paddle. Thanks.