purple ak

[JohnnyK]

hello all... i need some advice... im working on a custom ak for my wife.. for our anniversary... she knows im working on it but doesnt know the timeline... (her favorite color is dark purple) so im wanting to refinish some ak wood dark purple and put it on a ak 74 for her... ive seen youtube videos on how to refinish in red and brown... i know how to mix the polyeurathane and rit dye but my question is what would be a good stain to put on the wood first? i know red mahagony is good for a deep blood red...(another upcoming ak project)... but what about dark purple? ive stripped, filled and sanded the wood and its basically to stain... thanks, Johnny

 

[tyeo098]

Bleach the wood.

Krylon it.

Hit it with clearcoat poly.

LET IT DRY. I got impatient and ruined it. The stuff is hard as balls once it cures correctly.

 

[GlowinPontiac]

http://www.veneersupplies.com/products/TransTint---Purple-2-oz.html

This stuff claims to be fairly UV resistant. Not sure how much time the AK will spend in sunlight but alot of woodworking sites claim most dyes fade fast when exposed to UV light.

 

[Inebriated]

Just an alternative suggestion... Get some polymer furniture, and dye the polymer with the rit dye.

 

[JohnnyK]

im going to use purple rit and maybe a little black depending on how dark of a purple i can find but i was going to stain the wood first before using dyed polyeurathane. what color stain should i use??? i already bleached the wood also.

 

[Sam1911]

I think you're going about it all backward!

KG GunKote comes in a very dark, gloss purple. Here's a test piece I did with it:



Then go to Ironwood Designs (http://ironwooddesigns.com/IWDWoodtypes.html) and order up an AK-74 3-piece set in Birch or Beech and use a simple natural oil finish to keep it blond.

The look would be VERY nice. A whole lot nicer looking than purple painted furniture on a blued (or eastern bloc black laquered/painted) gun.

 

[TurtlePhish]

There's dark purple (plum) polymer furniture available if you're not too set on wood. I have it on my AK and it's nice.

 

[WardenWolf]

For the wood, take your pick. There's several purple options available.

http://www.minwax.com/wood-products/stains-color-guide/

Minwax makes a good product. If you do go with a water-based stain, be sure to put a polyurethane finish on top.

 

[barnbwt]

most dyes fade fast when exposed to UV light.

As both my sofa and a wood-working project of mine have shown, RIT begins fading within days, even behind a sliding glass window. Every year or so I'll pull off the couch covers (initially jet black, then charcoal, then gray, then brown within 9 months :yuk and wash them with a bottle or two of RIT with an extra rinse cycle. It works, but definitely not something I'd do for durability.

TCB

 

[Bhi curamach]

Poly Sucks. Use a spar urathane for a top coat. Your local Sherwin Williams should have any stain Color you want. Including purple. Or get the plum furniture someone mentioned. I have a Russian set id self so I can get the wood my son seems to prefer. PM any questions, I make my living as a painter and am no stranger to finishing wood. From faux finish to toned lacquer to straight up stain/finish projects, I got that knowledge you need, homie! First taste is always on the house..

 

[JohnnyK]

ive shown my wife the poly furnature and she likes wood better... im liking the purple stain idea... i want to have a thick finish as im using beat up wood... ive sanded it as much as i can... used wood filler where possible but i want a thick finish to cover whatever additional flaws i can... also i do plan on having iron clad armory use the purple gunkote... curious to see how this project will turn out thanks, johnny

 

[desidog]

Paint and poly don't have anything on Purple Heart wood.

 

[JohnnyK]

i did an experiment between sherwin williams stain and red mahagony stain and purple rit/poly mix on top and i like the rit/poly much better... almost done with wood part... im about to order parts kit and have custom creation put to life... complete with purple gunkote...