HMS Enterprize 1/96 by Modelship Dockyard

[RussF]

I'm not really sure what happened to the installed pieces of redheart.

Redheart, purpleheart, or any of the highly colored exotics will eventually lose their vibrant colors and turn brown. This is due to oxidation and exposure to UV light. You can slow down the process by coating the wood with a UV inhibitor such as spar varnish, but you cannot stop the color change short of placing the wood in a sealed black box filled with argon or nitrogen.

 

[Gventura]

Redheart, purpleheart, or any of the highly colored exotics will eventually lose their vibrant colors and turn brown. This is due to oxidation and exposure to UV light. You can slow down the process by coating the wood with a UV inhibitor such as spar varnish, but you cannot stop the color change short of placing the wood in a sealed black box filled with argon or nitrogen.

Interesting, is there a better alternative to redheart then to achieve the same effect? I've only seen others use redheart which is why I picked it.

 

[Jack Sparrow]

Interesting, is there a better alternative to redheart then to achieve the same effect? I've only seen others use redheart which is why I picked it.

you could possibly stain the wood. If you are so inclined.

 

[RussF]

you could possibly stain the wood. If you are so inclined.

Agreed - or paint. If you pre-finish the redheart prior to assembly, or put some type of uv inhibiting coating immediately after assembly, will delay the process, maybe by a few months, maybe a few years. Stain will last longer, but will naturally darken some as the wood darkens with age. Paint will hold its color longest, but - take down a picture that has been hanging on the wall for 10 years, and you can see the outline of the picture in the paint on the wall. Everything will change with exposure to UV. If you want to build a model using just the natural colors of the wood, which by the way is a beautiful way to do it, then just use the contrast of the different woods to their advantage. When you start trying to replicate actual colors with colored woods, you will be disappointed later on. As I said, all wood will darken, but the relative contrast between say, maple and walnut, will remain.