Mimicking the look of purple heart

[Formernuke]

I'm going to make a flag display case for my fathers flag. I want to mimic the look of purple heart wood because we all know the color of purple heart just doesn't last.  I'm thinking of using maple.

 

What I'm wondering is the coloring.  Should I do water based stain or tinted shallac?  Should I water base stain then shallac over that?

 

Either way I will go back over it with a UV protection top coat.  Depending on which of the above would water based or oil based be better?

 

Thanks in advance

[wtnhighlander]

This is just an opinion, because I've never tried what you want to do, but I suggest using an alcohol dye, like trans-tint, directly on the maple, then blonde shellac tinted with tbe same dye over that. If you have means to spray both, I think you can do it without the shellac lifting any color from the wood. However, it won't really look like purpleheart. The grain structure is different, and purpleheart isn't just purple. Experiment on some test pieces, I bet you can get pretty close.

[JohnG]

Check out this thread, page 2

[Formernuke]

7 hours ago, JohnG said:

Check out this thread, page 2

Yes thats the color I'm after.

 

So should I stay with curly maple or get white oak instead?

Did you use water based stain for both the black and the purple?

Or would black stain and tinted shallac work better?

Spraying might or might not be an option right now being I live in MA and it is winter time.

[Formernuke]

8 hours ago, JohnG said:

 

Sorry can't figure out how to remove the qoute now.

 

I did plan on using transtint for at least one of the stains.  I plan on water rather than alcohol since it gives me a longer work time.

[JohnG]

That’s not my project, just showing something similar that someone else did. @NSBrad may be able to provide more details, though he hasn’t been on here in about a year.

I can’t tell you which wood to use, it would be best to do a test to make sure you can get the results you want. 

[Formernuke]

6 minutes ago, JohnG said:

That’s not my project, just showing something similar that someone else did. @NSBrad may be able to provide more details, though he hasn’t been on here in about a year.

I can’t tell you which wood to use, it would be best to do a test to make sure you can get the results you want. 

Lol, finally found someone who did it and they aren't around.

[Chestnut]

4 hours ago, Formernuke said:

So should I stay with curly maple or get white oak instead?

White oak will mimic the grain of purpleheart better and will also be easier to stain as it doesn't blotch like maple does.

4 hours ago, Formernuke said:

Did you use water based stain for both the black and the purple?

Or would black stain and tinted shallac work better?

At the risk of being pedantic be careful with interchanging the term dye and stain. They are not the same thing though they accomplish much the same thing. In this case I'd use a dye as it will allow for more flexibility on colors. It might also be prudent to mix the color and do 1 color application instead of trying to stack applications. A water based dye like transfast or transtint you can mix to your liking using test boards and then apply to the project.

I'd top that with an untinted shellac.

4 hours ago, Formernuke said:

Spraying might or might not be an option right now being I live in MA and it is winter time.

Oak might be easier then. For maple blotching will happen unless you spray.  Depending on the surface prep you can reducing the blotching effect but it will still occur to one degree or another.

The last option is to just use purpleheart. It stays purple for quite a while i have some frames from purple heart that are still purple after a good 7-8 years. Minimze sun exposure and it'll change more slowly. I also like the brown that results, but i like medium browns from woods like walnut and cherry.

[Formernuke]

17 minutes ago, Chestnut said:

The last option is to just use purpleheart. It stays purple for quite a while i have some frames from purple heart that are still purple after a good 7-8 years. Minimze sun exposure and it'll change more slowly. I also like the brown that results, but i like medium browns from woods like walnut and cherry.

Did you treat them with something to help them last?  I have a shaving set from it that I coated with a marine oil based sealer about 5 coats..... one year later with almost no sun exposure (the blinds stay shut in the bathroom) they are red now.  This will be hung in a room that does have sunlight coming in, that's why I ruled out PH, but if I can pull it off I would rather as it is my favorite wood.

[Chestnut]

Picture frame was coated with shellac. I have a mallet that was regular poly and then a table I've made for someone else I used Spar Urethane. It has changed and it won't last for ever so it comes down to how much work you want to do.

[Formernuke]

1 minute ago, Chestnut said:

Picture frame was coated with shellac. I have a mallet that was regular poly and then a table I've made for someone else I used Spar Urethane. It has changed and it won't last for ever so it comes down to how much work you want to do.

As much as it takes, I have no problem doing multiple coats of shallac and UV protect.  I planned on it anyway.

[wtnhighlander]

Food for thought - There are climatological charts on the the EPA web site that show the mean UV index across the US for each month of the year. One outstanding fact is that the UV index increase as you approach the equator, no matter what time of year. From this, I would draw the conclusion that purpleheart pieces living in northerly climes are likely to retain their color longer than in southern areas, all other factors being equal. @Chestnut live well North of me, for example, so I would expect his purpleheart to retain color longer than mine. How long, of course, is certainly open for debate.

[Formernuke]

12 minutes ago, wtnhighlander said:

Food for thought - There are climatological charts on the the EPA web site that show the mean UV index across the US for each month of the year. One outstanding fact is that the UV index increase as you approach the equator, no matter what time of year. From this, I would draw the conclusion that purpleheart pieces living in northerly climes are likely to retain their color longer than in southern areas, all other factors being equal. @Chestnut live well North of me, for example, so I would expect his purpleheart to retain color longer than mine. How long, of course, is certainly open for debate.

So I might too,I'm not sure where @chestnut lives but I'm not real close to the equator.  So I know if I make it from purple heart it will change but anything I can do to prolong the color is great.  I just need to know how and I'll do it.

 

I'm making this as a last tribute since he was the first to ever help me use tools.

[Chestnut]

34 minutes ago, wtnhighlander said:

Food for thought - There are climatological charts on the the EPA web site that show the mean UV index across the US for each month of the year. One outstanding fact is that the UV index increase as you approach the equator, no matter what time of year. From this, I would draw the conclusion that purpleheart pieces living in northerly climes are likely to retain their color longer than in southern areas, all other factors being equal. @Chestnut live well North of me, for example, so I would expect his purpleheart to retain color longer than mine. How long, of course, is certainly open for debate.

Adding complication to this my windows aren't, UV or IR or what ever it is, coated because we have more heating days that cooling days. The nice part about the color change with PH is that it is slower than most woods. It takes many years and most often the color shift isn't super noticeable unless you compare pictures of the piece over many years.

You could always try adding dye to the purpleheart and see how that goes ...

 

[Formernuke]

38 minutes ago, Chestnut said:

Adding complication to this my windows aren't, UV or IR or what ever it is, coated because we have more heating days that cooling days. The nice part about the color change with PH is that it is slower than most woods. It takes many years and most often the color shift isn't super noticeable unless you compare pictures of the piece over many years.

You could always try adding dye to the purpleheart and see how that goes ...

 

How about just what is the best UV protection final coat.

 

Based on your your very helpful information I can now make this from my (and his) favorite wood.

I'm thinking correct me if I'm wrong.  Several (at least 5) coats of clear shallac. And then several coats (as many as necessary) coats of UV protection clear coat.  The question is which clear coat?

[wtnhighlander]

Short of actual paint, you will probably get the highest UV protection from a marine varnish of some sort. 

Here is a comparison between one marine varnish and other "outdoor" clear finishes.

[Coop]

I think that is a great tribute to your father! 

Another thought would be to use Purple Heart and if in a few years, the color is not to your liking, resurface the face of the frame, leaving the edges as a contrasting color.