Finish for purpleheart

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djpotvin

New member
I understand that purpleheart when subject to light fades to a dull brown.  I am fixing ( as we say in Texas) to construct a chest from it and would like some help on an  appropriate finish.  I know spar vanish contains UV blockers but frankly I do not like the thick elastic  look of spar varnish.  I could thin it and wipe it on but I suspect it would lose its UV blocking if I did so.
Are UV blockers available seperately so I could add it to wipe on poly or an oil poly mix.
 
After enjoying the forum and all the knowledge it's great to finally be able to help.  Purpleheart reacts to air and light.  Freshly milled is it a brownish grey with purple tones.  After air exposure it starts to develop into a bright purple and then eventually fades back to the brown tones.  Water based finishes seem to retard the fading process better than oil based finishes.  Contact Jeff at www.homesteadfinishing.com. In the past he has added UV blockers to some of the Target coatings to increase their UV protection.  Remeber, you are only slowing down the process and it will eventually loose all the purple tones.
 
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