RedHeart ?

[Johnch]

I am looking to turn a few Duck and Goose call barrels in the next few weeks
I stopped into WoodCraft today to see what was in the box of cut off pieces
As normally there are nice chunks of wood for just a few $$

I picked out 3 at $1.99 each and all of them should make 2 or 3 calls each

One I have never worked with was RedHeart
I figured a nice dark red duck call should look nice

Anything I should look out for ?
I will be putting epoxy on it to seal the wood inside and out
I will then do the finish sanding and polishing

Thanks
John

[samari46]

I've heard of Purple Heart but never Red Heart. Any idea as to where it comes from?. Frank

[Wayne Smith]

If I remember correctly - and I may not - like purple heart with out UV blockers it turns brown when exposed to the light.

[Mk42gunner]

Maybe do some lurking on a woodworking site? Don't know anything about red heart, but some exotic woods can cause medical issues with some people.

Robert

[samari46]

Wayne, not a wood expert but purple heart is just that. Purplish color and exposure turns it brown. Have a piece in the garage for some years and has a nice shade of brown. And yes some forms of wood like cocobolo when sanded can cause moderate to severe reactions when sanded or sawn.Was doing knife scales and never heard or possible reactions. Difficulty breathing. Now if and sanding or sawing I wear a half face respirator with N95 outer filter and secondary filter. Frank

[Tonto]

https://www.wood-database.com/redheart/

Walnut dust bothers some folks too as mentioned so do many others and somewhere out there is a list of woods and their possible problems. The link is to a very cool site for wood buffs. Red heart can keep its color with the right protective finish.

[Tatume]

I used purple heart to mount rod holders on my boat. They didn't turn brown, they turned grey. They also stayed out in the weather for 30 years and didn't show a trace of rot. Good stuff.

[Tatume]

Redheart is a unique Central / South American hardwood characterized by a reddish base color — ranging from dull to bright pink, pinkish-red or red — with streaks and highlights diverse in color, from darker red tones, to yellows, oranges and even occasional purples. Grains range from irregular to wild (although sometimes straight, also), and can often be multi-dimensional or overlapping — often to very dramatic effect, especially when vibrant secondary colors are present. Its texture is fine and smooth, although it does not possess much natural luster. It works, turns, glues and finishes well, as would be expected with a wood of its moderate density.



https://www.rarewoodsusa.com/product/redheart/

[Johnch]

Thanks


John

[W.R.Buchanan]

All of these woods are from the Rosewood class and they have a very high Oil content. For example Cocobolo needs no added material to finish, you simply buff it. The dust off Cocobolo will kill you if you breathe enough of it. I came close once and never again, as I was hacking up stuff for 3 days afterwards, and it burns when it comes back out!!! This stuff is very dense up towards 65 lb. per Cubic Foot. Desert Ironwood is the heaviest stuff I used for knife handles. It was 85 lbs per Cubic Foot and will not float. It has lots of sand in it due to living in the desert and getting sand blown into it constantly and it wears out grinding belts fast! The dust from that stuff is lethal as well.

Conversely Really heavy walnut is around 35 lbs per Cubic Foot.

I have a piece of Purple Heart laying around in my shop with a Slingshot pattern stuck to it. It is the same color as when I got it.

My all time favorite is African Black Wood. it is like Black Cocobolo but when you buff it you will get iridescent purple stipes running thru it. Really quite pretty.

Randy