Idiot needs help

No skills · 6 Jul 2015

Hello all,

I have a small piece of Purple Heart that I need to put a finish on. I know this timber will not keep its lovely colour over time and this isn't an issue and this isn't something I'm trying to stop.

So with that in mind is Danish oil a suitable finish for Purple Heart? I have a very limited time scale for this project (completion Thursday evening) so I'm thinking a couple of thin coats wiped on (one tomorrow and one Wednesday) and then maybe a coat of wax.

Any problems with this approach? Should I sand between coats of oil and if so what with?

Thanks in advance to the collective

Alexam · 7 Jul 2015

I have just finished a box with an element of Purpleheart and used Tru-Oil for the first time. I am so impressed with this that I will be using it regularly. Two coats are good, but with three coats, it has a beautiful sheen to it and makes the purpleheart really 'Pop'. The oil is a bit pricey, but well worth it.

I sanded gently with 600 grit Abranet between coats and I did try some microcellular wax on a small area afterwards, but it does not improve it. The oil does need 24 hours between coats but wipes on beautifully.

Alex

No skills · 8 Jul 2015

Alex, thanks for that. Box looks very good btw.

Phil Pascoe · 8 Jul 2015

On the bottle it says "allow to dry thoroughly, at least two hours." I think I put six or seven coats on a bowl and cut it back a couple of times yesterday. There are loads of vids. on using TruOil - worth a look.

gregmcateer · 8 Jul 2015

Lovely box, Alex - you should be showing your work on here more

Alexam · 9 Jul 2015

Thanks Greg & No Skills for the nice comments. We had not used Purple Heart before, but this combination encourages to use it more. I did try the Tru-Oil on the face of another slice and it looks good, so another box with the outer surfaces of Purple Heart is called for soon.

Phil, I found that a couple of hours is not long enough to really harden before denibing, so I was leaving it each day

Alex