Dorothy and Richard Shelson wrote:
Hi all:

I took your advice and purchased Mike Darlow's book on Turning Chessmen.
I am trying to turn the firs set in Purpleheart. I am now trying to
figure out the best way to put a finish on them. What is the best way? I
have Tung Oil and Paste wax. I have Shellway Cream which I would love to
try but it warns that if the wood has too much oil it can dullen the
finish. One web site seems to suggest using Armorall under Lacquer. Any
suggestions from this august group.

Thanks in advance.

Richard

I made a pen from purpleheart for my sister in law. Before turning, the
blank was a nice shade of purple. After finishing with a couple coats of
Tung Oil, then friction polish and carnauba wax, the pen turned a shade
of brown. After a couple of weeks, the pen turned back to a nice shade
of purple. She's been using it for a couple months now and it still is
purple.

Like others have said, it will turn to brown after UV exposure, so using
a UV inhibitor will help delay that process. Since your chessmen
probably won't be in direct sunlight much, this process will be slow,
and any UV protection you apply might just prevent it.


Read these for some info on purpleheart:
http://www.wflooring.com/Technical_I...urpleheart.htm
http://www.woodzone.com/woods/purplehe.htm



--
Brad Curfman
http://www.curfman.net