Purpleheart, another rain forest wood that is becoming increasingly more difficult to obtain, has excellent exterior weathering capabilities. It is also hard and dense and contains a naturally occurring oil that makes the wood insect repellent and nearly weatherproof. It tends to be somewhat brittle, but turns very well on a lathe. If tooling is not kept quite sharp, burn marks will almost surely show up in any machining process. And as its name implies, it has a natural deep purple color that will turn to a dark brown with exposure to UV light and moisture.