Im wondering what are some good top coatings to use with purpleheart to prevent the change of color from exposure to UV rays? I just had one of my slabs go form that nice purple color to brown =( and am wondering what is the best way to prevent this as having the color change.
(rant not related) man purpleheart is hard to cut threw with a hand saw it took me four times longer to cut off a piece of block out of a bored then when i off a slab of oak then again cut it in two after drilling the holes and rough shaping the slab. i see why its one of the hardest woods in the world now. still i love the color of the wood so ill keep using it. however my sander/grinder is out of commission so i cant do any handles till Tuesday when my replacement belt sander gets here. luckily amazon was willing to my 4x36 belt sander back to exchange with a new one. well this just gives me a reason to work on my copy of The Illustrated World Encyclopedia of Knives, Swords, Spears & Daggers: Through History In Over 1500 Photographs .
I'm unaware of any coatings/finishes that will keep Purpleheart from oxidizing. I've used it a number of times in the past, but it's one of the woods I now avoid because of it oxidizing/loosing it's color.
Another issue with Purpleheart is the big, open grain. Very difficult to fill/finish.
Ed Caffrey, ABS MS
"The Montana Bladesmith"
www.CaffreyKnives.net
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I'm unaware of any coatings/finishes that will keep Purpleheart from oxidizing. I've used it a number of times in the past, but it's one of the woods I now avoid because of it oxidizing/loosing it's color.
Another issue with Purpleheart is the big, open grain. Very difficult to fill/finish.
Hmm well i know for a bit of wikipidia research its UV ray's that transform the wood from purple to brown, so ill do a bit more research see if i can find something to block this little problem and post the results here. as i am quite good at looking into this kinda thing, cause i have a lot of time on my hands. especialy today as theres a thunderstorm going on right now. however, the grain issue is do to the trees being fairly old trees, so i cant really figure out how to fix that. However what do you mean by Fill?
I got a few topcoats i can try out see if any work.
I've never been a fan of purple heart for the previously mentioned reasons, in addition to not really liking the look of it myself. Always been a Rosewood lover....
Filling the grain refers to filling all the pores of the wood with finish. The will both make it smooth and nicer looking, in addition to preventing the grain becoming full of buffing compound while doing the final polish.
From having done some cabinetry with it in the past, a thick film finish such as poly urethane or spar varnish will put off the discoloration for quite a long time, but it will still eventually happen. CA is about the only handle finish I'd consider for it if I was ever to use it.
