Where do I put it?

[w.2014.h]

I hope this is the right place for this thread. I am in my final stretch to finishing a picture of the Last Supper, pattern by Bruce Worthington. It is an 800 piece Intarsia and I am donating it to my church's new office building. They would like to hang it in the main entrance when they get it. When there it will have sun on it for probably 2 hours everyday. I want to know if that is ok because I have had problems with wood fading in the sun, especially Poplar. I am using the following woods:
Poplar, Walnut, Oak, Hickory, Purpleheart, Yellowheart, Bloodwood, Cocobolo, Ebony, Lacewood, Zebrawood, Cedar, Aspen, Blue Pine and Wedge.

Any thoughts on it are appreciated! Thanks

[Forester21]

The popple may turn brown instead of green if it was green to start. The purpleheart will get purple. I don't think the others will be effected. (Affected? Never could keep those two words straight.)
T

[JimSawyer]

I'd love to see the finished piece when it's done.

I've seen purpleheart turn really dark too....

There was a great chart in issue #34 that showed the properties of different woods, and also what to expect of wood over time...

[w.2014.h]

I'll see what I can do as far as pics go. Also, do I need to worry about colors "mixing" when I varnish it? It's my first time working with exotic wood and I don't know how it will react.

[kartoffolin]

Purpleheart will get more purple, the poplar will turn brown after a while in the sunlight. If I were you, I would apply some thinned acrylic paint to the poplar if at all possible. I find that it helps to retain and enhance the color.

[lkbraa]

Would luv to see a photo(s) of the finished project!

And your question about colors "mixing" is a HUGE YES!!!! You need to be very, very careful with the varnish/finish you apply! I am not trying to scare you, just saving you A LOT of headaches I have encountered. This is even true when using mineral spirits to wipe off any dust or checking for excess glue. Woods I have encountered problems with (in your list) are Cocobolo and Wenge with the colors 'bleeding', especially when using very porous woods like Blue Pine and Cedar next to them. Several light, light coats seem to work out better than completely saturating the entire piece. Another issue is the difference with 'oily' woods vs. porous; you have to treat them different and not a project as a whole. Once you get the first few coats on (non-wax Shellac works great) then you do not have to be so cautious. However, this is just my two cents and there are more skilled/knowledgeable people on the forum that can give you advice.
Good Luck!

[Janette]

I've never heard of woods bleeding. The only time I've ever ended up with anything besides the finish on the paper towel is when I use a magic marker to color and eye black. sometimes Tenn. red cedar will come off a bit but I'm thinking it's just leftover dust. What finish are you using? Unless you use some sort of UV protectant, the colors will tend to change somewhat over time - which isn't necessarily a bad thing - it just makes the project "richer".

[w.2014.h]

I plan on spraying, maybe brushing a little, Deft. It's a polyurethane varnish. It's the only thing I have experience with.
@lkbraa- will spraying help reduce bleeding colors?
@kartoffolin- By thinned actrilic paint do you mean any waterbased paint mixed like 50-50 with water? I am interested in trying to stop the Poplar from turning brown. Any specific brands?
@Janette- What kind of UV protecter are there? Brnads?

This is my really first "big project" and I'm really nervous about jumping into the finish. Thanks for the thoughts!

[Janette]

I'm not a big fan of spray finishes for intarsia although I know there are a lot of people that use them and are happy with the results. I don't see how you can get it into all the nooks and crannies of intarsia. I use a clear gel varnish - to me, it gives it a nicer look. If you do use a spray - stick with satin. You're supposed to sand in between so I don't know how the heck you'd do that with a big piece like you're making. As far as UV - there are some out there I'm sure but since I haven't tried any, I wouldn't want to steer you in the wrong direction.

[stephenD]

I have no experience at this so am just asking for my own benefit as well.
Would a sanding sealer application first stop the bleeding?
Does a sanding sealer seal the wood?
Can you apply a color oil, like watco maple or black walnut with success after sanding sealer?