And it’s done! 16x13x2.5 block of purple heart milled down. I then used a heat gun to get the purple heart to oxidize and sealed it up with shellac. No colored stain or anything, this is just the woods colors. Next up, I’m cutting Wolf from the same pair out of hard maple.
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I’m a S1 jungler ;o. Mind sharing the file for this?
nice! here you go
enjoy!
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You probably already know this (others may not), but after making a lot of furniture with purple heart inlays or accents I won’t let any of it leave my shop without a couple coats of some UV inhibiting coating. I have seen the purple quickly fade to brown even with the piece being kept out of sunlight. Most houehold light bulbs seem to put out enough UV light that it will cause the vibrant color to fade or darken over time. Thankfully the pieces I made for my wife 5 years ago, which see plenty of sunlight, have not lost their purple hue thanks to a couple light coats of quality spar urethane.
Absolutely gorgeous piece of art, by the way!
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What UV coating do you recommend?
I am partial to aerosols for small projects. Anything bigger is usually a combination of wipe on and spraying out of my HVLP. I use a lot of exterior grade clear enamels(Rustoleum) and polyurethane(Minwax and General Finishes). The polyurethane will yellow a lot more over time if it is oil based.
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I agree that purpleheart will change color. Cherry also gets darker with UV exposure. I have had cherry boards stacked in my shop that the board above does not completely cover the lower board and when I remove the upper board the bottom board is darker where exposed to the lights in the shop. The wipe on oil based poly from Minwax will put a yellow hue to anything it covers. The water based poly is clear but can raise the grain. So if you use the water based products wet the piece slightly and sand before applying the water based polly. Shellac is a good sealer but is not very durable. The Shellac will seal the project and it will require less finish coats of poly or any other top coat. If you do not seal the project it will take an additional 2-3 coats of poly to get the same smooth finish. Be sure to wear a dust mask when cutting purple heart or any tropical hardwood. Many people start out with no reaction but continued contact makes you allergic. Be sure to wash up and blow off dust before you enter the house to keep the family safe from allergic reaction.
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If you put it in an oven on low heat, it will bring the purple color back. search purpleheart on YouTube several videos on this
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