Custom Chambered Pupleheart/Figured Maple Build

[dmraco]

You sure that's enough for a guitar?

Your forgetting about the maple too.    Probably 50/50
  This purple heart is dense and heavy

 

[Cagey]

I was kidding. Looks like enough for several guitars  :laughing7:

 

[dmraco]

I hope enough for 2

 

[dmraco]

Gluing has begun.  The bottom piece with the Purple Heart center and maple side will be the back of the guitar.  Now for a layer of Purple Heart.

 

[Logrinn]

This will be fun to watch. I expect the end result will look awesome. ccasion14:

 

[dmraco]

Thanks.    I am working on a shape.  It will be similar to what B3GUY did but with a deeper cut for higher fret access.    This will also be a semi hollow design.  I will be takingetting out some of the material and creating chambers.  This purple heart is so heavy

I may add some surprises too!

 

[Logrinn]

I may add some surprises too!

Intriguing! Now I am definitely following this closely.

 

[rgand]

I'm also following this with interest. I didn't realize that purple heart was a relatively heavy wood. I know the stuff really looks great with a lighter wood like maple.

 

[Cagey]

It's double the weight of Alder. Alder is 28lbs per cubic foot, while Purpleheart is 56. Maple is considered heavy for a guitar body; it's at 44lbs/cubic foot. Ash is typically 38.

 

[rgand]

Thanks, Kevin. That puts it in perspective for me.

 

[dmraco]

Since you seem to know your purple heart. What about protection?  Will nitro keep it from turning brown?  Is poly better? 

I am not sure if it is O2 or UV sensitive

 

[Cagey]

It's UV the stuff reacts to. Turns it more or less brown. There are finishes you can get that specifically block UV, but I'm not sure what their chemistry is or how effective they are for that purpose. My understanding is that UV is actually fairly easy to block, which is basically why you can't tan indoors under a glass ceiling, and why new contact lens wearers are suddenly more sensitive to sunlight than when they wore glasses. So, knowing that, I wonder if some of these UV blocking finishes are just clear finishes that they're playing marketing games with.

 

[amigarobbo]

There appears to be some arguments about that

http://forums.finewoodworking.com/fine-woodworking-knots/finishing/purpleheart-discoloring-oxidation


I think the blackish/browny purple after it's faded looks great

http://www.hobbithouseinc.com/personal/woodpics/purpleheart.htm

 

[Cagey]

I think the argument may stem from uncontrolled experiences. I can imagine different intensities having more or less effect and/or at different speeds, leading people to have different opinions on what works or doesn't. Look how differently your skin reacts to it depending on the time of year and where you are on the globe. I could go outside shirtless for an hour in Michigan right now with no ill effects, while that kind of exposure in Florida would burn me up.

 

[amigarobbo]

Here's my fretless purpleheart neck, the lights was starting to fade, but it's definitly going darker where I've been handling it, on the back of the neck but not on the headstock,

As to if that's just my grubby hands or an effect on the wood?  :icon_scratch:

 

[rgand]

That neck looks really nice having darkened, Amigarobbo.

 

[Cagey]

Yeah, I think I like the darker version better myself. Looks richer. Probably matches other colors more easily as well.

 

[dmraco]

I would like to keep it more purple.  It will not be out side and it will have a finish.  I did not realize you could leave it unfinished

 

[Cagey]

One of my brothers used to make little amp cabinets out of Padouk and Purpleheart both, and he never finished any of them. Sand 'em smooth and call it a love story.

 

[dmraco]

So here is an update.  The body is ROUGH cut.  As it stands now, it weights just under 6 pounds.  I still have to route it out but I also still have the top cap to add.  I may edit my design a bit. 

Next up is the sander to smooth the edges.  The top will end up looking like the reverse of back, purple heart sides and maple center.