Damasus Hidden Tang WIP

Purpleheart has some drawbacks in my book.
1. The grain is VERY big and open.
2. It should be finished with some type of coating.
3. It oxidizes badly! It will start out a beautiful deep purple, and over a relatively short time frame (usually a matter of months) it will oxidize out to a really ugly brown color.

Bocote or Blackwood would be nice. My personal choice would be blackwood. It's very fine grained, stable over the long term, easy to work/finish, and I think it looks really classy. ;)
 
This is the first knife I made about 2 years ago. Ebony and purple heart. It looks the same today although it doesn't see much sun. I guess it all depends on how much UV exposure it gets.

c_0001.jpg
 
I guess it all depends on how much UV exposure it gets.
Click to expand...

Spot on! I guess I should correct myself and say..... if exposed to UV, such as a daily carry situation, it's will oxidize out quickly. If it's stored in a safe, drawer, etc. where light exposure is low, it will take it a longer time to turn that poopy brown color. :)
 
Well...you have to assume worst case scenario if you're selling it. That would be EDC...outside in the sun all day...

Do any specific finishes have UV blocking?

Lucius...awesome first knife!
 
African Blackwood is great. All you have to do is sand it to a very fine grit then buff it. The oil in the wood makes it shine. Some might even think that it is synthetic. The only problem is that the harvest of the trees is being regulate (a good thing) and we have to compete with the woodwind instrument makers.

Doug
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top