Many people don’t realize the diversity of color that can exist in wood, especially tropical hardwoods.

Photo credit: http://pixgood.com/purple-heart-wood-tree.html

These woods are usually rare, very dense, richly colored, and expensive. Staining of woods has become so commonplace that many times, people who are unfamiliar with the natural colors in hardwoods assume that these woods have been artificially caused to have their coloration. This is especially true of Purpleheart, of the genus Peltogyne, which sadly sometimes elicits the response “Why would they stain that wood such a bright purple?”

Decorative Stem Insert.
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Trees of the Peltogyne genus grow in rainforests of South America, and produce a bright purple heartwood. This wood is also incredibly dense, and if you are lucky enough to get your hands on a large board of Purpleheart you will likely be surprised at how heavy it is. The grain is relatively straight and boring, but this makes it perfect for colorful hardwood accents in larger pieces of furniture or home decor.

To me, the most interesting characteristic of this wood is not the color itself, but how much the color changes with conditions. One of the first times I cut into a board of Purpleheart, I was very disappointed! The interior was a lame, dull, brownish color, with almost no hints of purple. I was turning it on the lathe, for a decorative insert in a tobacco pipe stem, so I wanted the richest coloration possible. I soon learned that this is common. In fact, freshly cut Purpleheart is usually grayish brown in color, and after a couple days the wood turns bright purple. This color change is accelerated with extra exposure to UV rays. Sure enough, I placed the stem (pictured on the tobacco pipe above) on the window sill for a couple days, and the purple was vibrant! Over longer periods of time (several months to decades), Purpleheart will continue to change color, becoming a darker brownish purple or deep maroon, or even eventually black. There is no stopping this very gradual

Fernweh Woodworking Purpleheart iPhone dock.
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fade, as much as you may want to somehow lock in the brightest phases of color change. It can be slowed, however, with the use of UV inhibiting finishes (common in decking finishes or other outdoor wood applicators). You can also rejuvenate the color whenever you want by sanding past the top layer of color and refinishing the wood.

Personally, my favorite way to finish Purpleheart is to sand it down to at least 320 grit, wipe away the dust, and apply Tung oil. If I’m worried about excessive color fading, especially for items that will be placed near a window or in a place exposed to sunlight, I use Minwax Helmsman’s Spar Urethane (available at Lowes) for its UV inhibiting qualities. Sometimes watching the color change over the months and years is fun, though.

The next hardwood profile I write will probably be Black and White Ebony, as it’s one of the first hardwoods I worked with and I’ve always enjoyed it. I’d love to hear your thoughts or input in the comments section!

Don’t forget to poke around my new website, and the new webstore! Until May 31st, almost all of my products are 25% off with the coupon code “Grand Opening.”

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