i turned a darter as a test yesterday, will try a few more sealed and unsealed and put em in the h2o
anyone here tried using purpleheart before? what were your experiences?
any advice re: ripping and sawing, turning/sanding, sealing/painting, or finish?
i may use it for all my sinking lures if it passes the tests ayc does for floaters...
also has anyone tried any other exotic marine/shipbuilding woods like teak?

purpleheart is heavy anbut contains alot of air. (?) When you put it in sealer it will bubble for along time. The dust is nasty so wear a respirator.

Purpleheart has Silica in it, your tools will take a beating. It is pretty and fairly stable though....

Silica ??? like the dust from hammer drilling/grinding concrete ?.. Took a 30 hr. osha course .. they said silica is the next abestos... barbed particles that go in the lungs but don't come out .. Is that the same stuff ?????:err:

Silica = sand = glass. Small particles can get trapped in your lungs. Yes, they can be sharp, pointed pieces. The guys who used to make the flints for flintlock rifles years ago used to have troubles cause of silica (flint = silica). Silicosus (sp?) or some such disease was what they got. Make sure you have a good respirator if you use that stuff.

Jigman

ahh sweet sweet silica... (cough)(hack)..

yes wear a resperator...

I believe it's the same stuff. My dad worked in custom cabinets for 40+ years, claims thats what the white streaks you see are. Probably in the soil and gets accumulated in the tree as it grows.

is sealing purpleheart required before paint/finish?

All wood[plugs] should be sealed even ayc.