Purpleheart, not?

[Jamie Straw]

Turned a wine stopper out of purpleheart today. The purpleheart was quite purple in the block I bought, but not in the inside wood. Will it get that purplish tone after it's been out in the big wide world for awhile, even with a finish (Deft) on it?

[Dan Forman]

Yup, in a couple of days. If you have any sunlight, that will speed it up.

Dan

[Jamie Straw]

If you have any sunlight, that will speed it up.

Dan

Hah! We've had nothin' but sunlight for the past week. Meaning no degrees and no moisture, but lots of sunlight!:D I think it's being replaced by snow flurries and maybe rain showers on Saturday.

Thanks, Dan! I will warn the givee that it won't be brown forever.

[Heath Brandenburg]

I've turned a couple pens out of purpleheart one winter. The blanks were very purple to begin with but turned a brown color once finished. I can only imagine it has something to do with the heat that was applied during sanding. Disappointed, I assembled the pens and placed them in their little pouches. The next spring, I pulled them out and to my surprise they were very much purple again.

I've also had a similar experience with a very green (in color) chunk of Lignum Vitae. It turned an ugly brown color only to return to it's beautiful green state a couple months later.

In both instances, there wasn't much sun light involved and I'm not sure how long the transformation back to the original color took. It was more of a set it and forget it type of thing.

[Leo Van Der Loo]

The good news is it will turn purple again shortly, the bad news is it will turn brown again in a year or two :-(

[Bernie Weishapl]

I turned a purpleheart stopper a year ago. I set it in the sun and it indeed did turn purple again. So far it is still a nice color of purple but like Leo said I am thinking it will turn brown one of these days.

[Kenneth Whiting]

Actually brown is the original color. When cut from the tree it is brown then turns purple. With exposure to light it will turn back to brown. With the use of a UV inhibitor the process of turning back to brown will be slowed.

[Jamie Straw]

I can only imagine it has something to do with the heat that was applied during sanding.

Thanks for the good news, Heath. This color change reminds me of what happens to cherry in the sunlight. The UV light changes it to a dark color. With purpleheart, I don't know if it's only UV or perhaps air (oxidation) also?

I found this page at Hobbithouse (http://www.hobbithouseinc.com/personal/woodpics/purpleheart.htm) with tons of purpleheart pictures -- the author did experiments with sunlilght and also baking the wood.:eek: Quite striking difference with the baking, but I think I'll skip that part.:)

[Michael Ginsberg]

Hello Everyone.
I am new to Sawmill and this is my first forum input. I recently had similar questions pertaining to the fading of wood color. I have collected a bunch of wood, some exotic with very cool coloring, such as flame box elder. I was wondering how to prevent the fading of the vibrant colors (which prompted me to buy it in the first place). I did some research and was coming up with very vague and conflicting answers.
I consulted (via email) with the author of The New Finishing Book, Michael Dresdner. He explained that the best way to prevent fading, is to use an exterior water based poly or acrylic that contains UV absorbers and goes on clear. They contain a product called Lignostab. The company that makes Lignostab, Ciba (BASF) would not disclose to me what finishes out there on the market contain Ciba....
I thought I would share my findings with all of you. I hope this helps.
Michael

[Steve knight]

there are several species of purpleheart. the one that stays purple turns light purple when cut and then changes back. the one that turns brown is the one that tends to turn brown later on. it seems to be the most common one.

[Jim Kountz]

Yeah purpleheart continues to baffle me. I built a tack trunk for my wife about 6 years ago and it was all brown during the build. In the next few weeks after it turned a nice reddish purple and has remained that way since. No signs whatsoever of going back to brown yet. The finish is a poly finish, about 5 coats. I thought as first maybe that was keeping it from changing but then it occurred to me that the finish allowed it to turn to purple so I dont think thats it. I think it just wants to stay in a purple state!!

[Jamie Straw]

Hello Everyone.
I am new to Sawmill and this is my first forum input. I recently had similar questions pertaining to the fading of wood color. I have collected a bunch of wood, some exotic with very cool coloring, such as flame box elder. I was wondering how to prevent the fading of the vibrant colors (which prompted me to buy it in the first place). I did some research and was coming up with very vague and conflicting answers.
I consulted (via email) with the author of The New Finishing Book, Michael Dresdner. He explained that the best way to prevent fading, is to use an exterior water based poly or acrylic that contains UV absorbers and goes on clear. They contain a product called Lignostab. The company that makes Lignostab, Ciba (BASF) would not disclose to me what finishes out there on the market contain Ciba....
I thought I would share my findings with all of you. I hope this helps.
Michael

Thanks, Michael, for the details on the UV protection. I wonder if looking up the MSDS of any given product would provide a clue as to whether it has Lignostab in it? I envy you the flame box elder, what a cool wood to have for a project!

[Jamie Straw]

there are several species of purpleheart. the one that stays purple turns light purple when cut and then changes back. the one that turns brown is the one that tends to turn brown later on. it seems to be the most common one.

Mmmmm, that's a little discouraging. Are there any wood sources that will actually specify which "purpleheart" you're getting? I haven't looked around much yet, as it's best to learn on the cheaper stuff methinks.

[Steve knight]

I used some of the general finish outdoor poly and it has kept the purpleheart from even darkening and it is outside in direct sunlight.

[Steve knight]

Mmmmm, that's a little discouraging. Are there any wood sources that will actually specify which "purpleheart" you're getting? I haven't looked around much yet, as it's best to learn on the cheaper stuff methinks.
no not that I have seen. I can tell the the difference between them but nto sure if it would be helpful.
so far I have seen 3 that were different the one that turns a lighter purple and seems to hold the color. it is denser and has a tighter grain then the second. the second seems the most common it is a bit lighter as a more open grain tends towards curly far more and turns brown when cut.
the third I have not seen a lot of. it is denser then both stinks when cut really tight grain and sometimes has curl like curly maple.
here they are
* Peltogyne catingae Ducke
* Peltogyne confertiflora (Hayne) Benth.
* Peltogyne discolor Vogel
* Peltogyne excelsa Ducke
* Peltogyne floribunda (Kunth) Pittier
* Peltogyne gracilipes Ducke
* Peltogyne heterophylla M.F.Silva
* Peltogyne lecointei Ducke
* Peltogyne maranhensis Ducke
* Peltogyne mattosiana Rizzini
* Peltogyne mexicana Martinez
* Peltogyne paniculata Benth.
* Peltogyne paradoxa Ducke
* Peltogyne parvifolia Benth.
* Peltogyne pauciflora Benth.
* Peltogyne prancei M.F.Silva
* Peltogyne purpurea Pittier
* Peltogyne recifensis Ducke
* Peltogyne subsessilis W.A.Rodrigues
* Peltogyne venosa (M.Vahl) Benth.

[Jim King]

Purpleheart is a very common wood but like most tropicals there is very little known about it. My experience here in the upper Amazon is that we have one kind of purpleheart ( we think) , we have been waiting for years for the trees to flower as the flower is the only way for a sure ID. No flowers yet. There are other purple woods distinctly different than purpleheart.

The link below from the biggest tropical wood laboratory in the world makes the subject even more confusing.
http://www2.fpl.fs.fed.us/piper/query/startQuery/357520a5-f92a-4ac6-9a2e-0b9a8166c3ac

The problem with tropical woods is that over the last couple of centuries there have been many studies and many people putting names on woods in different regions. Until the internet this information was hidden in laboratories all over the world. Now everyone is publishing the information in their files and it is shear pandamonium. The same wood can have up to 50 scientific names and be one and the same. The scientific world has a lot to do when it comes to plants and trees of tropical forests.

As for the color we have found that purple heart is cream to brown when cut and in a few hours turns colors from lavender to purple. It will turn dark over time but a sanding will bring back the purple color.

If you wipe vinegar on it most times it will come out a cranberry color.

Here are a couple of photos.

[Leo Van Der Loo]

Thank you for the pictures Jim I appreciate them also the info on the known purple heart and the mess these "experts" have created with every one trying to put their name on the trees, and yes all other plants and animals/insects, and of course will be kwibbling about which one is right.

[Steve knight]

here are two purplehearts. the bigger block is the curly stuff that is really dense and stinky. it hardly changes color when milled. the smaller piece is the stuff that turns a lighter purple when cut. the purple color is really stable. I just sanded these and then put the fist coat of finish on them


http://i154.photobucket.com/albums/s266/knighttoolworks/posting/P1010254.jpg

http://i154.photobucket.com/albums/s266/knighttoolworks/posting/P1010257.jpg
http://i154.photobucket.com/albums/s266/knighttoolworks/posting/P1010258.jpg