re-purpling purpleheart

Dan Noren

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falcon heights, minnesota
how many here have just left purpleheart outside, how many use the ultraviolet grow bulbs, and how long might it take? i have several purpleheart with yellow heart celtic knot pens to make, and i need to find out. thanks!

p.s. i already have some test bits under the grow lamp for about 15 minutes at this writing.
 
I put mine in the sun. Worked like a charm after only a couple hours... ;)

I made a picture frame from it, and it's still pretty purple, two years later...

Thanks,

Bill
 
Last year, about a week before xmas I finished up some small gifts I made out of purple heart. In the process of sanding the items, they lost their vivid purple color that most of us find so appealing. And, of course, wouldn't you know it, living in the Pacific Northwest there wasn't a lick of sun outside and none in the forecast. Following a tip I received (here?), I purchased a UV lamp and placed them under it for 3 days to no effect. In desperation, I tried placing them on a cookie sheet at 250 degrees for 20 minutes and that produced pretty good results but it also caused micro cracks in the end grain and made the sap come out like crazy.

(Oh, I should probably mention that baking them produced one of the worst stenches you've ever experienced. :doh:)
 
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