Making purpleheart purple

[dbriski]

I am making a segmented bowl/box and using purpleheart as accents. The purpleheart before cutting was fairly vibrant and purple. After cutting is much darker and not as purple. How can I get it be vibrant again when I am finished? Will UV hurt or help the cause (I have cherry in the bowl too so I was thinking of giving that a tan the strengthen the color).

 

[jthompson1995]

UV should help both the cherry and purpleheart get their color.

 

[ctEaglesc]

Put it under a light.
Shop lite, sunlight, bud lite it doesn't discriminate.
(Make sure the bud lite is flourescent.)

 

[kent4Him]

Put the pieces in your oven for a while.

 

[Rifleman1776]

They are all correct. But know that eventually it will turn dark then brown again. There was once a product on the market to arrest this change but the maker died and did not leave the forumula.

 

[bradh]

As mentioned heat and light will work and both will evenentual turn the wood dark again too.
What I do with pens is hang them off the rear view mirror of my truck with a pit of wire. I am in and out of my truck and can watch the coolour shift carefully. When the colour looks to be at it's peak, I throw them into the console out of the sunlight.
This is just a trick I use to be able to monitor the colour shift and avoid taking the colour too far. I find the mirror trick allows light to come at all sides of the wood. I spin the wire occasionally to even out the light exposure.
hope this helps,
Brad Harding

 

[ilikewood]

Be careful not to use too much of Eagle's advice. Too much "bud lite" will make it look purple when it is not.