How to Finish Purple Heart Wood

M

Munky88

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Jun 1, 2008
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In the finishing legs of the KITH knife, I got some beautiful purple heart wood scales for it from Bushman5. I'm not sure how to finish the scales. This is the first time I've used real wood. I have some mineral oil but wanted to check first. Is there a special kind of oil I should use, or wax?

I noticed as I was making it that heat from the belt sander was making it burn purple, So I used a blow torch to bring out the grain and give it a little more character. Some pictures.


dscf8026.jpg


dscf8027.jpg


dscf8031k.jpg
 
i bring purpleheart up to 220 and then do a superglue finish. im still a newbie, but it has worked well for me.
 
I don't have too much experience with it myself (I don't like working with purpleheart), but it has unique color properties you should be aware of.

When you first cut the wood, it is often a brown-gray color. This will soon turn purple on exposure to light. With extensive UV exposure, it will turn back to brown, sometimes resembling mahogany. Many people use coats of a UV protectant, such as Armor-All, to protect the purple color.

There are interesting ways to bring the color back or enhance it in the first place. Purpleheart is very chemical resistant. In fact it is used in native areas for making chemical vats. Exposure to acid (I've used HCl) will bring the color back to faded pieces. When concentrated and used on fresh wood, acid will turn the wood a vibrant pink color. It's fun to experiment with chemicals and scraps.

From what I've heard, there are many species of purpleheart (peltogyne). Some species will react differently than others. I would recommend experimenting with your specific batch of lumber to find out what works best.

I'm lazy, and just finish mine with Danish oil and paste wax.

Phillip
 
So the oil wont protect it from changing it's color to back to brown?

You oil it before you use armor all right?
 
If exposed to direct sunlight, no (assuming it's one of the species more prone to fading).

I would oil it, armorall it, and then maybe apply a layer of wax. I've heard of cabinetmakers applying the armorall between coats of PU, but I don't like PU for knife handles (or boxes for that matter).

Keep in mind that I have little first-hand experience with this stuff.
 
What kind of wax? I have little to no experience with wood finishes, and have never used more than just mineral oil.

Just clicked your flickr link, wow that's some nice stuff.
 
Also just as aside, paste wax is also great for coating tools in your shop to keep them from rusting or getting too dirty. I found it works great because it stays on forever (or until you take it off) and it doesn't pick up filings and sawdust once its dried, which is one of my problems with WD-40.
 
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