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Padauk, as exotic woods from other countries go, is relatively inexpensive and readily available. Hard and easily machined and durable, it has a unique characteristic that tends to keep it from being a favored wood in the woodworking industry. Its color can be challenging. Freshly machined padauk is the color of pumpkin. It reacts to UV light more than any other wood we have ever used. Once machined, it will immediately begin the process of color change, not just from light sources, but from an oxidation process as well. A clear finish on the orange wood results in a deep burgundy color that will quite quickly (over several months normally) turn into a deep, dark brown that is often almost black. Much antique furniture that was crafted of padauk was bleached white and then stained in an effort to mask the remarkable color transformation characteristic of natural padauk.