Kingwood's color

S

sirwilliamjr

Joined
Feb 2, 2004
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I just bought a piece of kingwood for a handle (I'd never seen it before but it looked nice). It looked kind of a reddish color, but when I got home and cut it, it was really purple. It's nice looking, but I wasn't looking for purple for this knife. I've heard that the purple only comes out when it is freshly cut, and then it goes away. Is this true, and do you do anything to it to make it less purple? Thanks.

-Will
 
I'm not sure what Kingwood is Will. It sounds like Purple heart. That id very purple until it gets a little UV. It will turn a reddish brown then. The secret to keeping the Reddish brown is to use a non UV blocking finish. That's far easier than the normal problem of keeping the purple color.
 
Para Kingwood will keep a rather purplish color with black streaks.
 
:) I've used some Kingwood in the past, I was thinking it turned purple as it was worked down and then darkened quite a bit as it aged on the knife.
 
The purple gets more brownish with age, though there will still be apurple tinge to it. It is a variety of rosewood and finishes very nicely. It makes a fine looking knife handle.
 
It will be vivid color when fresh worked.Let it sit out in bright sunlight for a few days after sanding,and before applying any finish.That will allow it to fade to its normal color.It should end up the color the block was before you cut it.It may slowly mellow over a longer time.That is one of the Nice features of rosewoods.
SA
 
Showing my age again, but I remembered that when I started this craft there used to be a distinction between "Kingwood" and "Para Kingwood", and some suppliers would list both. After some digging, I found why:

"Kingwood" is a common name for Dalbergia Cearensis, and grows in South America. It is also called "Violete".

The "Para Kingwood" I spoke of usually refers to another variety Dalbergia Congestiflora, and is also referred to as Mexican Kingwood and Camatillo. If I remember correctly, this heartwood tends to stay more purple. I've got a polished/unsealed Lloyd McConell hunter from the mid-80's that's as purple as the day I bought it.

Just to complicate matters more, a colloquial name for Goncalo Alves, Astrolinium fraxinifolium, is also....Kingwood.

For awhile I thought I was not only nuts, but that the internal database had been corrupted. :rolleyes: I can live with nuts....
 
Got a pic?
I used what I was told was Kingwood on my first knife a few years back.
It is striped with dark walnut brown with slightly irridescent tan stripes (like bubinga). It's pretty hard and polishes well with tongue oil.

Yech... I just pulled it out of the sheath and the brass guard has a nice thick glob of green patina on it like it's been slimed.

I'd give a pic but its not really that great for a first knife and I don't have a digital camera, and the green isn't very nice either.
 
Para Kingwood is my favorite wood to use. The color is very beautiful, it smells wonderful when you work it and it finishes very nice while remaining fairly stable. I am very particular about the pieces I use though. Much of the stuff is wide, straight grained and boring. I am always searching for the twisted knotty stuff. If you can find a good piece it is breathtaking!

If given a choice I would work with Kingwood or African Blackwood when ever I could, both are a real joy, and if you get a chance to turn either, you will really like that! The rich purple will eventually oxidize down to a deep crimson brown.
 
I won a blue ribbon at our county fair with a kingwood handled knife. The crowd went wild over it! I dont remember purple in it. It was tan brown and black stripes.
 
Thanks everyone- sounds like I heard right about it fading back to a less purple. I'll just be sure to let it get some sun before I finish it. BTW, will boiled linseep oil work for a finish? Linseed is kinda my "use it for everything" finish.

-Will
 
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