Maple Mash Paddle Question

[KavDaven]

I'm almost done in making my very own maple mash paddle.

Once I'm done shaping, sanding and polishing, I'll do what??

My wife is an experienced and gifted pyrographer. I thought and she offered to burn some wicked viking/celtic artic inspired by hops vines and dragons.

Ok, so the question is, will the burned areas somehow degrade the performance of the paddle?

Alright I feel silly asking but I had to. I've read that back in ancient days mash paddles were thought to be imbued with divine powers transforming sweet wort into beer.

Which leads to my next question.

Does this myth somehow infer that my new mash paddle will be a celestial abode for all sorts of nasties and aberrant yeast strains?

Do I need to use a food grade sealant before use? Will I need to re-apply a sealant over time?

What I really would like to hear from someone who already has a maple mash paddle is for me to relax and have a homebrew.

 

[fartinmartin]

If you want to use a wooden paddle, you have to accept the probability of wild yeast living on it, regardless of how or what you treat it with. any coating or sealer will eventually have a fail point, a scratch, the paddle may even develope a split (that will give it character).

So whats wrong with a little wild yeast, It would only be in the mash, so any wildies would be killed off in the boil.

I would not coat it with anything, and keep it for use only prior to the boil.

 

[wilserbrewer]

No. Not at all....let your wife freely burn all sorts of cool **** on your mash paddle til her hearts desire!!!

Maple is very nice wood, as good as it gets for a paddle, I would not try to seal it at all.

As far as your paddle and sanitation, relax, it is all pre boil....grain is loaded with nasties likely worse thN what's on your paddle.

Go ahead, stir the mash, stir the boil with it....just hang it up once the wort is cool.


Wilserbrewer
Http://biabbags.webs.com/

 

[KavDaven]

Thank you for your responses. I feel better already.

 

[KavDaven]

I wanted to share a few pics of the mash paddle I fashioned. My wife burned some really cool designs into the handle. She's not done and expressed some intent to continue the celtic knots down the shaft. She said the dragon was awake/focused on one side and asleep on the other. Some sort of duality expressing in mythological ... seriously, I think it's an expression of myself drinking too much during a brew day and losing focus on what the heck I was about to do. Hop additions? When?

Since I've brewed that stout about four months ago, I've used the mash paddle at least twice a month. A simple rinse and then hung to dry. The paddle looks great. No warp or mold as I had feared.

I'm already thinking how I could make a better paddle. On the other hand, I'm beginning to think this paddle has been imbued with some really delicious brewing powers. Every beer produced under its direction has been better than the last.

 

[MaxStout]

Beautiful paddle--nice work. Your wife is truly talented.

I made a mash paddle from 4/4 hard maple, milled to 5/8" thick. After several uses, the wet/dry cycles have caused it to warp somewhat. But it still looks good and works perfectly fine.

 

[mprima]

WOW your wife did a Great job ... it looks nice. I have never used a wooden mash paddle ... BUT i do use a wooden paddle for my crawfish (it's a Louisiana thing) ... Do not treat it. Use natural. Been using the same paddle for 10 years now and I do about 8-10 boils each year. I store it in a cool dry place (our hall closet). Not sure about mystical powers ... but it is my Lucky Paddle and never boil without it

 

[Rusty2089]

Looks awesome! Nice job to you both.