Trick to Finishing Purpleheart?

[GregHight]

Are there any tricks to getting a good finish on Purpleheart without doing a CA finish? It seems that PH is the only wood that just leaves me unsatisfied with the final finish. Any help would be appreciated.

 

[akbar24601]

What is it that you are unsatisfied with?

 

[bad]

I've never had any problem with Purpleheart. I finish it the same way I finish all the rest of my pens.

Is your dissatisfaction due to the colour? When purpleheart is first turned it comes out brown. After a while it returns to it's purple colour.

 

[hewunch]

Purpleheart reacts to heat. So when I am making something with PH I will bake the turned blanks (turned through final sanding but not finished) on low heat until they turn. Let them cool then sometimes, I just use the buff system on the bare wood. But I have found CA works really good on PH so I use it frequently. I could see where friction polish wouldn't hold up well on it at all.

 

[GregHight]

I learned the trick about sun baking when I first started doing pens, so that's not the issue. I just cant seem to get a good smooth finish on it unless I do a CA. It seems like it dries out and leaves it feeling too rough. I have tried EEE then Balens or just shellwax. Maybe I'm just being too picky?

 

[austing458]

micro mesh it!!

Try finishing it then using acrylic sandpaper(micro mesh)to polish the finish you have on it already, that's what I do with poly finishes, it will help alot!!!

 

[its_virgil]

If I recall (don't use purpleheart and haven't used any in a long time) purpleheart is one of those woods with open grain. CA will fill the open grain but other finished will not. They soak in and don't give that really smooth surface feeling. Try applying a CA slurry after sanding to 240 or 320. Scrape off the dried CA slurry and do your sanding routine and the finish of your choice. Maybe you will get the results for which you are looking.
Do a good turn daily!
Don

Try finishing it then using acrylic sandpaper(micro mesh)to polish the finish you have on it already, that's what I do with poly finishes, it will help alot!!!

 

[GregHight]

I'm familiar with CA finishes but what is a CA Slurry?

 

[its_virgil]

Catch sanding dust on the sandpaper, apply CA to mix with the dust forming a slurry which will fill the pores and seal the wood. The slurry will be the color of the wood since the dust from the wood is being used. Check my CA finish article for more info: http://www.RedRiverPens.com/articles I use a CA slurry on most all pens prior to applying the CA finish.
Do a good turn daily!
Don

I'm familiar with CA finishes but what is a CA Slurry?

 

[hewunch]

Don, I would call PH moderately open grained. Nothing like Paduak. Just my $.02. I have not had a problem finishing it for quite some time.

 

[RussFairfield]

"Not satisfied" is not a question that can be answered. Please tell us what it is that you are not satisfied with.

Give us some direction. Is it the gloss, smoothness, color, what?? I have never found purple heart to be any different from any other wood for turning, sanding, or finishing.

 

[jkeithrussell]

I use a lot of purpleheart, and I've never had any trouble with it. I almost always finish it with CA. It tends to turn brown from the heat associated with drilling, turning, sanding, polishing, but then it goes back to a nice shade of purple with a little exposure to UV rays.

 

[mbroberg]

For what it is worth, I made an Ice Cream scoop handle out of purple hart and finished with MinWax Poly. it turned out great. I have used Purple Heart in segmented pens finished with Plexi-tone without any problems.

 

[Ashby]

I use a lot of purpleheart, and I've never had any trouble with it. I almost always finish it with CA. It tends to turn brown from the heat associated with drilling, turning, sanding, polishing, but then it goes back to a nice shade of purple with a little exposure to UV rays.

Perhaps a stupid question...wait until the colour comes back to purple before doing the CA finish, or will the colour still come back afterwards?

 

[hewunch]

Since CA is not UV inhibitory, you should be fine putting the finish on. HOWEVER, I highly recommend baking the tube (per earlier post) and then finishing as you will have your color before the pen is finished.

 

[GouletPens]

Let me ask you, are you really satisfied with the non-CA finishes you're putting on your other, non-PH pens? If CA looks good on it, why not just do CA! Take it from someone who desperately sought to avoid doing CA for over a year of making almost 500 pens....nothing else will give you the same durability yet take less time. Sure, you can do lacquer or poly, but they take as much time as CA. Friction polishes and the like are faster to apply, and faster to disappear. Spend your time learning CA well, and you'll be glad you did and not want to go back.