woodker

Had another thought - the bow saw and turned mallet are also finished pretty finely (to 320 grit), and they have retained the most vibrant purple. Don't know if that is connected.

This bench stays at the school, and will be used by 100's of woodworkers. Has been in service for a couple months now, and it is hard to watch the scars accumulate, but they are generally treated pretty well. Thanks for your kind comments.

Wow..........wow!

For the bench, just boiled linseed oil (a lot), and wax. The turned mallet and bow saw have just a little butcher block oil (clear, to not add the usual amber tone), and wax. Some of the purpleheart boards started purple, and stayed purple. Some of them turned brown (like jatoba) as soon as they were cut (planed, machined, or sanded), but they would return to purple within a couple of weeks.