# my purpleheart ain't purple!!



## intheshop

I bought a piece of purpleheart the other day, and the faces of it are a deep purple (excuse the inadverntent reference to the great '70s rock band, please). But when I cut into this board, it is essentially brown. I turned a couple of pens with it, and they are just brown as well. What gives??


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## ShaneA

It is known to dull, and lose the purple color over time and sun light exposure. Strange that it would be purple on outside and browner on inside. Hopefully someone can give insight as to why/how that happened.


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## mpmitche

Purpleheart is very odd with its coloring. When new wood is exposed it is brown but it will turn purple again. I'm not sure if it is light or oxygen that changes it but it will come back. On the other hand it may turn black or grey over a long period of time. It is also difficult to keep looking good when finished. I built my daughter a trinket box and tested oil, shellac, varnish, and wax on some test pieces. All the finishes drastically changed the color and in my mind ruined the color. The wax was the best but still not satisfactory. I finally gave her the box untreated. She has had it in a dark place in her room for about a year and it still looks very good.


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## Finn

when I cut purple heart and it turns brown I just set it out in the sun for a few hours and it goes back to purple. I think it is the heat that does it.


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## intheshop

Thanks all, for your insight.


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## mpmitche

You may be right Jim, I've heard that putting it in the oven can change the color as well. Never tried it though.


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## superstretch

An oven will bring out the color and make it bolder.

All the purple heart I've worked with seems to work like this:

newly exposed surfaces are gray or tan.. After a few hours to a day in the sun, it changes back to purple and keeps getting darker and darker (after years of exposure) until it is a dark, featureless brown.

Be careful when sanding/cutting. The heat can bring out the color, but any burning is a huge pain to get rid of.


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## Jeff28078

Once the purple color returns polyurethane will maintain the color. At least it does on projects I've done that are a few years old and kept inside.


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## 280305

Here is just another personal experience. A box that I made almost four years ago has purpleheart on the lid. I finished it with Danish Oil. It is inside, out of the sun, and is still purple.


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## KenBee

That is like my White Oak. It is brown and no where near white and my Red Oak is tan, Black Walnut is deep brown and the list goes on.


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## reggiek

As for why it is browner on the inside would relate to where this cut was taken from the tree. The heartwood is the purple color….the sapwood is browner as it is more exposed to the sun and elements. I would suspect that you got a piece of mostly sapwood…with a bit of heart on the edge. Purpleheart is pretty solid to begin with, so I would think that the sapwood (being softer) is still pretty solid. Of course it is not that vibrant purple color….but is still good to go for whatever you want to use if for.


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## Andy123

I sit mine in a window in my shop and within a day it will turn purple again.


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## thedude50

id putt my 2 bits worth bit the topic seems well covered i was told by my wood guy to put the project under a tanning bed and it will turn color it worked on my project 2 hours in the bed and it was dark purple from ugly brown


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## Tennessee

I'm surprised about the sunshine thing. When I cut it for my guitars, it does the gray/brown thing, and I just leave it on the bench in my dark shop for a couple days and it's bright purple again. Once coated with lacquer or poly, it seems to stay the same. I've been told it's a reaction between the purpleheart oil and the oxygen in the air. Now I'm confused, but I do know mine is always purple when I coat it, and I have guitars out there two years in purpleheart that are still bright purple.


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## ChuckC

To add one more thing: If you use a water based PU the purple color will last longer. Anything oil will darken it. I use Minwax water based PU and then wax it afterwards. Good luck!

Coincidentally, I cut some purpleheart last night and I am now waiting for the brown to switch to purple again..


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## intheshop

Thanks for all the input guys. I've noticed it is getting a little "purpler" the last few days.


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## isu1977

OK, I tried the oven suggestion. Set it at 150 and left it in for an hour. No change. any ideas on what temps and times to try?


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## gargey

You need to dial up the temp a lot. Once it catches fire it will turn blue-red but after a while it will be white-black and lose a lot of its stength.


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## ArlinEastman

Like some have said

Heat will bring it back out and I first used a hair dryer and it came out OK. After that I got a heat gun off of EBay and it came out much better.

I forgot one thing. On woods that change color over time due to exposure from UV light I have been using now for the last 3 years Sun Block of 80 and the colors still have not changed yet. I am going to see how long it really lasts. Also on a few others I have applied one more coat after 3 years and will see how long that lasts to.


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## papadan

Move it away from heat and sunlight and wait a couple days. The purple will return. Heat and or sunlight make it turn brown, like when cutting and sanding!


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## ArlinEastman

> Move it away from heat and sunlight and wait a couple days. The purple will return. Heat and or sunlight make it turn brown, like when cutting and sanding!
> 
> - papadan


Heat nor sunlight make it change it is the UV in the sun that does it.


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## splintergroup

Purple heart will do whatever it wants 8^)

Eventually it will always brown in the end (as with other 'colorful' woods)
See the article on it here










I had a turning block of PH that I had decided to cut into 1/2" thick box sides. The wood was a nice purple.

After cutting, all the exposed cuts were brown. I placed the cutoffs into a drying oven at 125 degrees for a week and no change. A week in the sunlight and no change.

Other PH I have would turn brown if covered up in the shop with an object or piece of paper. Remove the "shading" object and it returns to the original purple.


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## papadan

> Purple heart will do whatever it wants 8^)
> 
> Eventually it will always brown in the end (as with other colorful woods)
> See the article on it here
> 
> 
> 
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> 
> 
> 
> 
> I had a turning block of PH that I had decided to cut into 1/2" thick box sides. The wood was a nice purple.
> 
> *After cutting, all the exposed cuts were brown. I placed the cutoffs into a drying oven at 125 degrees for a week and no change. A week in the sunlight and no change.
> 
> *Other PH I have would turn brown if covered up in the shop with an object or piece of paper. Remove the "shading" object and it returns to the original purple.
> 
> - splintergroup


Exactly what I said!


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## splintergroup

Yep, after cutting, I still can't find a way to get the purple back. Sunlight/no-sunlight, heat/no-heat. It's gone for good 8^(

The other PH I have just needs a days worth of sunlight and it's all purple again.


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