FYI: I’ve avoided using purple heart and padauk in woodworking over the years because 1. They are expensive and 2. I heard they turn dark in 10 to 20 years. I doubted the “turning dark”. Well, I found some old toys I made my kids 20 some odd years ago. The hippo is purple heart – now it is close to jet black. Note that I sanded the bottom of one of the feet to make sure it originally was purple heart. The 3d puzzle had three stripes of padauk – and they turned jet black. Turning over one of the pieces reveals that some of the padauk is dark red, not completely black. When I was making these toys, I was finishing with a marine grade poly with UV inhibitors. And they have stayed inside on shelves out of direct sunlight for 20 years. And they still went dark!!
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They may be darker than you originally planned 20 years ago, but they are still lovely. They will be able to be handed down to the next set of kids. Terrific work!
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Try using Rubio Monocoat which is a flax based oil instead of poly. I finished 2 tables, a bench, and a bedframe and it keeps the look of raw wood. It’s also a mat finish rather than shiny. I’d recommend the White 5% color. The colorless one (Pure) leaves a slightly yellowish hue but the White 5% compensates for that.
Rubio Monocoat Oil Plus Part A, 20 ML, White 5% Amazon.com
Let us know how it looks on Purple Heart in another 20 years 