Ive baked purple heart heaps of times. It smokes up like a mofo, but that is just from the oils. it has never even come remotely close to burning, and the colour difference is astonishing and stunning. It deepens the colour from that basic almost man-genta, all the way up to a rich au-bro-gine. After doing it once, it is no longer an option, and I won't EVER consider using PH without baking it first.
The ignition temperature of wood varies by species, but at temps like 300 and for only 30-60 minutes, there isn't really any concern. Most wood isn't going to ignite anywhere under 400-450, and even then it will take awhile to start smoldering. Baking purpleheart at 300 for about 30 or so minutes (depending on size of the piece) seems to set the color for much longer.
I've used heat treating in an over to revive purple heart and it does work. You want to elevate the purple heart off a metal rack or cookie sheet so you don't get the heat differential on the metal surface. Snecker has a great video on it.
Good information to know......thanks for sharing! The tip about using denatured alcohol to smooth out the shellac will come in handy for me on other projects too. I never knew that was an option so appreciate that you mentioned it.
I built several "gentleman's valet" boxes for Christmas several years back from purple heart. First off, be careful with this wood. It has one of the more potently allergenic dusts. I wasn't ready for it and it made me feel terrible for a week before I looked up and saw my purple air handler filters and put 2 and 2 together. I finished projects with a French polish using Minwax finishing wax and a traditional technique with water rather than solvent. It took about 12 coats but 7 years later and they still look like a wet purple heart crayon. Excellent video. I'm going to try this when I break out my purple heart again.
I bought a great looking piece of 3/4" x 5" x 2' purpleheart from a local store and did exactly as you instructed here and the piece came out looking fantastic. My first time ever working with hardwoods too, most of my woodwork is just frankensteining pine lumber from lowes. Thanks for the video!
I make my shellac from flakes, I build layers with about 7 coats of shellac, they dry in only a few minutes with a 2 pound cut. Then 3 coats of spray lacquer. That's what I was taught in HS over 30 years ago. It seems to work pretty well.I just recently started woodworking again since becoming disabled a few years ago. I've only did some minor home repair/construction type stuff since HS. I like 100% tung oil for cutting boards with purple heart in them since it's food safe.
Thanks Mark! Your videos are always helpful for me. I do have a question about dewaxed shellac. I have been looking for some in a spray but I haven’t found any spray shellac that says dewaxed. I want to dye some figured wood and am thinking shellac would be good between colors to keep from one dye dissolving the previous color. Maybe an idea for another video 😊
First, thanks for all the great videos- really helps with the rabbit holes of finishing. Second- question- Do you prefer the flat GFWBHP over a satin or higher gloss on purple heart? About to finish a box made of purple heart (lid panel), zebra wood (sides), and wenge (interior and bottom)- wanting to get the best finish possible. Thanks again.
Whoah, that sounds like a killer combo! Personally, I like flat over glossy as it allows the grain to shine in a subtle way. That said, we've seen plenty of glossy purple heart projects that look great too. With those three woods, I'd still lean towards a flat finish.
Thank you Mark, I have a guitar that I have been working on, the body is Purple Heart, the neck is purple heart and maple and the fretboard is rosewood, I have already added boiled linseed oil, which did darken it up, and I did that after setting it in the sun after I finished sanding it , and I can't seem to paste a pic in the comments,, but if I have already applied an oil, would you recommend the same process of dewaxed shellac then the water based topcoat or do I need a sand-n-seal coat to form a barrier between the oil and these other coats?
You can apply the dewaxed shellac as an in between coat for the high performance. In your case, you'd only need 1 coat of shellac just to act as a barrier. Feel free to email us with pics and I can help further: helpdesk@woodworkerssource.com
I bake if for my inlay projects. 350, one hour. Nice rich color, no cracking, and goes all the way through the board. It will warp slightly. Do it before milling and it's a non issue.
First time I've seen this channel. Really great info - I never saw that purple heart solution before...and I just subscribed! ! BUT..... if i may, here's a similar but new issue that I hope you've come across before: I've always wanted to use Padauk in a bunch of my pieces bc of its fantastic colors, but I've avoided it bc I know those reds and yellows are soon gonna turn an ugly gray. So, after doing some research, I now know that what starts that graying process in Padauk is not UV. It's the initial machining (sanding, planing, etc) that triggers the graying. I still don't know how to reverse or prevent it, but at least i know what starts it. So, to your knowledge, is there anything that can be done for Padauk (or for that matter, Bloodwood, Canary, Osage Orange and other colorful exotics) that could prevent, eliminate, slow down, or reverse the process that takes those beautiful colors away? Woodworkers everywhere would be forever indebted if you had a solution to that. Any knowledge or suggestion? Thanks so much!
I found, (on both purple heart and padauk), that just simply using water-based poly, 4-5 coats, does the same thing. Hasn't lost its color over years in any of the projects I've worked. Seems a whole lot simpler, no?
A very successful method used by old masters is to treat the Purple Heart to retain the rich color is with lemon juice (squeezed from lemons not bottled). Use a brush to cover the surface and allow to dry. I learned this from Italian Marquetry craftsman. This treatment stops the oxidization of the woods oils that causes the dark coloring. Complete all sanding before applying lemon juice, if you sand after the treatment it will oxidize.
Interesting, but I'd assume the lemon juice would then raise the grain and need to be treated? We had another suggestion using oven cleaner, maybe we'll test these both!
Very interesting information. I understand all that was stated. How does the finish hold up on turned items like pens, bottle stoppers or have you not had a chance to test that? Keep up the great work. 👽
In the wood selections for a Wand in Hogwart's Legacy, I saw Ebony, but not Purple Heart, and was disappointed... The first time I saw the wood was in 1998, and have loved it ever since! Strangely enough though, Poplar was an option though... Makes me wonder if they even understood anything about woods.
Put some acetone on your purple heart before you let it sit in the sun. Cuts the required sun exposure down to an hour or so. I do it all the time and it really brings out the purple
I love purpleheart but it's so dissappointing then the color turns grayish brown. I've used a lot of different finished, but like Padouk, nothing really seems to work. I don't mind using heat to revive, but I can't expect clients to do this.
Purpleheart can be a crap shoot. I have pieces that were deep purple before milling. Some pieces turned back to purple after a few days, but some have been cut for 10 years and still remain that orange brown color. Sometimes putting it in the sun for a day or 2 will bring the purple back. Once it is purple, clear finishes with UV inhibitors are best.
I thought the UV exposure was the reason purple heart loses its purple color, how come you put it under UV light to bring up the color in the first place?
It's like a bell curve. After cutting, shaping, sanding the gray color needs some UV to get the purple going. But then when you have nice color, you want to topcoat with the High Performance finish to help shield from UV and prolong the lifespan of the purple.
Just had a braindead theory, perhaps as the colour shifts into a deeper violet it reaches the cutoff frequency where we can’t detect blue light anymore - and since blue is on the verge of our visible spectrum it simply renders out completely and we start to see the colour of the wood again…
You say to put Purple Heart out into sunlight to revive the color with UV light. Then you put a protective coat of 3 or more layers of General Finishes High Pergormance Flat ? That blocks UV light. If UV light makes it turn more purple to begin with, why would you want to block it with the finish?
Because over time UV exposure will turn it from purple to brown. It’s like a bell curve. It starts out grey, turns to purple, then turns to brown. You wanna lock it in when it’s purple.
Careful, the owner of Odie's doesnt take kindly to people stating that Odie's isnt perfect for every occasion. Even more-so because you're clearly wearing a snap-back and in your garage. Lol.
The sale of denatured alcohol in California has been criminalized. Any store owner that sells denatured alcohol in California will be sent to prison, that's how bad it's getting in California.
But, what IS the finish? Water based poly with uv agent added? The 'brand' isnt useful to know as I cant buy it. The shellac was much better BTW , I agree.
I'm still shocked people put their wood in a home oven. What's the weirdest home hack you've heard for woodworking?
I have heard of using a microwave to dry out bowl blanks for turning. 👽
I've heard that one too!
I've done it. Smells awesome nice though :)
Ive baked purple heart heaps of times. It smokes up like a mofo, but that is just from the oils. it has never even come remotely close to burning, and the colour difference is astonishing and stunning. It deepens the colour from that basic almost man-genta, all the way up to a rich au-bro-gine. After doing it once, it is no longer an option, and I won't EVER consider using PH without baking it first.
The ignition temperature of wood varies by species, but at temps like 300 and for only 30-60 minutes, there isn't really any concern. Most wood isn't going to ignite anywhere under 400-450, and even then it will take awhile to start smoldering. Baking purpleheart at 300 for about 30 or so minutes (depending on size of the piece) seems to set the color for much longer.
you are probably the MOST HELPFUL wood professional on YT. keep up the good work, and many thanks from a forever-amateur-weekend-warrior in SoCal!
@Mark I haven’t seen much from you recently - good to see you posting again.
Hope all is well.
Cheers!
I've used heat treating in an over to revive purple heart and it does work. You want to elevate the purple heart off a metal rack or cookie sheet so you don't get the heat differential on the metal surface. Snecker has a great video on it.
Hey, I think I know that guy. True story: I just finished filming a long overdue update to my purpleheart baking video, and this showed up in my feed.
Kia Ora & Good Morning from North Shore, Auckland, New Zealand ...great video bro.
It is time to open a store in St. George!! I love Woodworkers Source!
I did vinegar but also put it in the sun. Turned out to have one of the prettiest purple color I had ever run across
We really expected the vinegar to do more, but glad it worked for you!
Thanks Mark, you always bring good stuff to the table. Oh ya, and thanks for the last 3 orders of wood too.
You bet! What do you need a video on next?!
Nice one Mark!!
Thanks Mark! Good sound recommendations.
Thank you Mark! I always enjoy your videos.
Good information to know......thanks for sharing! The tip about using denatured alcohol to smooth out the shellac will come in handy for me on other projects too. I never knew that was an option so appreciate that you mentioned it.
You have my attention. Those are lovely pieces.
I built several "gentleman's valet" boxes for Christmas several years back from purple heart. First off, be careful with this wood. It has one of the more potently allergenic dusts. I wasn't ready for it and it made me feel terrible for a week before I looked up and saw my purple air handler filters and put 2 and 2 together. I finished projects with a French polish using Minwax finishing wax and a traditional technique with water rather than solvent. It took about 12 coats but 7 years later and they still look like a wet purple heart crayon. Excellent video. I'm going to try this when I break out my purple heart again.
I bought a great looking piece of 3/4" x 5" x 2' purpleheart from a local store and did exactly as you instructed here and the piece came out looking fantastic. My first time ever working with hardwoods too, most of my woodwork is just frankensteining pine lumber from lowes. Thanks for the video!
Never seen figured purple heart before. That piece is gorgeous
Great tips thanks for sharing
Uncle Mark, your job is really great :-)
- Penny
Perfect timing, Mark!
Am about to make a gift for my mom and wanted to know how to keep that beautiful color for her!
I had a feeling you needed this one 😏
I make my shellac from flakes, I build layers with about 7 coats of shellac, they dry in only a few minutes with a 2 pound cut. Then 3 coats of spray lacquer. That's what I was taught in HS over 30 years ago. It seems to work pretty well.I just recently started woodworking again since becoming disabled a few years ago. I've only did some minor home repair/construction type stuff since HS. I like 100% tung oil for cutting boards with purple heart in them since it's food safe.
Thanks for the great information
Thanks for sharing.
Hot that Purpleheart with a propane torch for instant purple. But go easy
Thanks Mark! Your videos are always helpful for me.
I do have a question about dewaxed shellac. I have been looking for some in a spray but I haven’t found any spray shellac that says dewaxed. I want to dye some figured wood and am thinking shellac would be good between colors to keep from one dye dissolving the previous color. Maybe an idea for another video 😊
Many of the dyes have alcohol in them. That can melt the shellac and blend the dyes anyway. Some of the wood turners use spray fixative instead.
Aerosol shellac is usually dewaxed but it’s pretty thick so it’s not as nice to use
First, thanks for all the great videos- really helps with the rabbit holes of finishing. Second- question- Do you prefer the flat GFWBHP over a satin or higher gloss on purple heart? About to finish a box made of purple heart (lid panel), zebra wood (sides), and wenge (interior and bottom)- wanting to get the best finish possible. Thanks again.
Whoah, that sounds like a killer combo! Personally, I like flat over glossy as it allows the grain to shine in a subtle way. That said, we've seen plenty of glossy purple heart projects that look great too. With those three woods, I'd still lean towards a flat finish.
Wish I could get hold of some PH, Dave 🇦🇺
just put it in the oven right before watching this haha was a ok !
Haha 😂 awesome
Informative. Thanks. Great tips as always. Man, I need to get "some people" so they can contact your people etc.
Haha, nice catch
Thanks Mark, another really informative video. Isn't that the same process you us for Padauk also?
That's correct! Though I still like adding the grain filler on padauk. Padauk seems to revive it's color after sanding much better than purple heart
muy bien gracias
De nada 👍
Thank you Mark, I have a guitar that I have been working on, the body is Purple Heart, the neck is purple heart and maple and the fretboard is rosewood, I have already added boiled linseed oil, which did darken it up, and I did that after setting it in the sun after I finished sanding it , and I can't seem to paste a pic in the comments,, but if I have already applied an oil, would you recommend the same process of dewaxed shellac then the water based topcoat or do I need a sand-n-seal coat to form a barrier between the oil and these other coats?
You can apply the dewaxed shellac as an in between coat for the high performance. In your case, you'd only need 1 coat of shellac just to act as a barrier. Feel free to email us with pics and I can help further: helpdesk@woodworkerssource.com
question, will uv exposure work after an oil finish is applied?
We tested whether of not you have to age first. Oil first will work, it might take a little longer or stay darker.
I bake if for my inlay projects. 350, one hour. Nice rich color, no cracking, and goes all the way through the board. It will warp slightly. Do it before milling and it's a non issue.
First time I've seen this channel. Really great info - I never saw that purple heart solution before...and I just subscribed! !
BUT..... if i may, here's a similar but new issue that I hope you've come across before:
I've always wanted to use Padauk in a bunch of my pieces bc of its fantastic colors, but I've avoided it bc I know those reds and yellows are soon gonna turn an ugly gray. So, after doing some research, I now know that what starts that graying process in Padauk is not UV. It's the initial machining (sanding, planing, etc) that triggers the graying. I still don't know how to reverse or prevent it, but at least i know what starts it. So, to your knowledge, is there anything that can be done for Padauk (or for that matter, Bloodwood, Canary, Osage Orange and other colorful exotics) that could prevent, eliminate, slow down, or reverse the process that takes those beautiful colors away? Woodworkers everywhere would be forever indebted if you had a solution to that. Any knowledge or suggestion? Thanks so much!
I found, (on both purple heart and padauk), that just simply using water-based poly, 4-5 coats, does the same thing. Hasn't lost its color over years in any of the projects I've worked. Seems a whole lot simpler, no?
Definitely fine too, I just like the kiss of color the dewaxed shellac added. And for padauk, a dark grain filler can look really nice!
I bake my purple heart in the oven. You should do the same. The color looks a lot better.
I wonder if the big UV lights for UV resin works.
It’s a really good question
You can also put acetone on the Purple Heart and put it in the sun for 30-40 mins, it really helps to bring back the color.
I have a really nice piece of walnut I want to make into a table. What product do you use to keep water rings off of the surface?
Coasters
A very successful method used by old masters is to treat the Purple Heart to retain the rich color is with lemon juice (squeezed from lemons not bottled). Use a brush to cover the surface and allow to dry. I learned this from Italian Marquetry craftsman. This treatment stops the oxidization of the woods oils that causes the dark coloring. Complete all sanding before applying lemon juice, if you sand after the treatment it will oxidize.
Interesting, but I'd assume the lemon juice would then raise the grain and need to be treated? We had another suggestion using oven cleaner, maybe we'll test these both!
Very interesting information. I understand all that was stated. How does the finish hold up on turned items like pens, bottle stoppers or have you not had a chance to test that? Keep up the great work. 👽
I'm not a turner, so I can't say for certain, but it should hold up just fine! We need a turner so we have some projects to test with
@@WoodworkersSourcecom Thanks for the reply. 👽
In the wood selections for a Wand in Hogwart's Legacy, I saw Ebony, but not Purple Heart, and was disappointed... The first time I saw the wood was in 1998, and have loved it ever since! Strangely enough though, Poplar was an option though... Makes me wonder if they even understood anything about woods.
Ebony and Poplar?! Oof, showing up to Hogwarts with a poplar wand is sure to get you bullied or sent to Hufflepuff
So can you also use spar varnish to preserve the color since it's got uv blocking?
Put some acetone on your purple heart before you let it sit in the sun. Cuts the required sun exposure down to an hour or so. I do it all the time and it really brings out the purple
Niiiiiiiiiice
Why would you thin shellac with mineral spirits?
Only to make it a little easier, personal preference
Pva works well
What about on pens?
Yes
I love purpleheart but it's so dissappointing then the color turns grayish brown. I've used a lot of different finished, but like Padouk, nothing really seems to work. I don't mind using heat to revive, but I can't expect clients to do this.
Is it true that you shouldn’t use Purple Heart to build a cutting board? I have head yes and no just curious what a professional opinion is
No, you can definitely use it for a cutting board 👍
Thanks
Purpleheart can be a crap shoot. I have pieces that were deep purple before milling. Some pieces turned back to purple after a few days, but some have been cut for 10 years and still remain that orange brown color. Sometimes putting it in the sun for a day or 2 will bring the purple back.
Once it is purple, clear finishes with UV inhibitors are best.
I thought the UV exposure was the reason purple heart loses its purple color, how come you put it under UV light to bring up the color in the first place?
It's like a bell curve. After cutting, shaping, sanding the gray color needs some UV to get the purple going. But then when you have nice color, you want to topcoat with the High Performance finish to help shield from UV and prolong the lifespan of the purple.
Just had a braindead theory, perhaps as the colour shifts into a deeper violet it reaches the cutoff frequency where we can’t detect blue light anymore - and since blue is on the verge of our visible spectrum it simply renders out completely and we start to see the colour of the wood again…
You say to put Purple Heart out into sunlight to revive the color with UV light. Then you put a protective coat of 3 or more layers of General Finishes High Pergormance Flat ? That blocks UV light. If UV light makes it turn more purple to begin with, why would you want to block it with the finish?
Because over time UV exposure will turn it from purple to brown. It’s like a bell curve. It starts out grey, turns to purple, then turns to brown. You wanna lock it in when it’s purple.
Careful, the owner of Odie's doesnt take kindly to people stating that Odie's isnt perfect for every occasion. Even more-so because you're clearly wearing a snap-back and in your garage. Lol.
😂🤷♂️
Are you referencing something?
@@prozack1312 big beef between odies owner making fun of snap back wearing garage woodworkers/makers and it blew up pretty nasty.
Who is this Odie person and are they on RUclips, fancy winding them up 😂
@lifeisabeach-by2gm James Tinghitella is his name, I think he deleted his channel but odies is still and his Instagram is gold.
The sale of denatured alcohol in California has been criminalized. Any store owner that sells denatured alcohol in California will be sent to prison, that's how bad it's getting in California.
That is wild
Are you planning a 1 year update?
planning it, of course! Will we remember, maybe...
Sounds like the purple comes from sunlight. So, I've gotta wonder how the wood turns purple to start with. . .
Did you mean mineral oil mixed with shellac
Nope. Mineral spirits. It evaporates after it does the job
@@WoodworkersSourcecom thanks I appreciate that
The sun always turned my Purple Heart wood brown, not purple
No matter what you do, other than put Purple Heart into a dark closet, it is going to turn brown.
😕😕
Problem is, purple heart isn't even close to being purple. It's more like magenta.
But, what IS the finish? Water based poly with uv agent added? The 'brand' isnt useful to know as I cant buy it. The shellac was much better BTW , I agree.
Wood in oven is a bad idea...Cracking
Well, it looked good and sounded good until you said to thin the shellac with mineral spirits. Instant turn off. Good luck and check your scripts
Always denatured
Haha! As they say, don’t knock it until you try it 👍👍🫣🫣