Replies

1. 
   bldrbill | Jan 06, 2009 03:49am | #1

   You can polish lathe work this way if it is already sanded smooth.  Just hold some shavings against the piece being turned.  I've never tried it with anything else.

2. 
   SARGEgrinder47 | Jan 06, 2009 05:28am | #2

   What's happening to the wood fibers when burnished is they heat up and close the pores which in essence leaves result that looks polished.

   Sarge..

1. 
   flairwoodworks | Jan 06, 2009 08:54am | #5

   Sarge,That sounds more like folklore than fact to me. I can burnish my Douglas fir workbench top by sliding a workpiece over it. I doubt any heat is generated at all in this process. If heat causes the pores to close up, wouldn't the open up again when they cool down unless prevented from doing so?Chris @ http://www.flairwoodwork.spaces.live.com(soon to be http://www.flairwoodworks.com)

    - Success is not the key to happines.  Happiness is the key to success.  If you love what you are doing, you will be successful. - Albert Schweitzer

1. 
   SARGEgrinder47 | Jan 07, 2009 07:30am | #7

   What I stated was based on over-sanding which will burnish a surface. When I do so intentionally I feel heat in the wood.. and it will not accept stain well. I figure the pores have closed for that to happen. So my theory is based on my experiences alone and nothing scientific. 

   I was not aware of the methods the turners use by rubbing the stock with saw-dust while the stock is rotating on the lathe. My best country boy guess is that is produces friction. Friction produces heat and when wood wood polishes to shine.. the pores have been filled in some way as I see it.

   So.. look in a Webster Dictionary...

   burnish:.... to polish a surface with friction__ brightness.. luster..

   Again... just my take as I have no degree on the wall from a Burnishing Institute of Technology nor do I seek higher knowledge by study of the subject over a period of time. I just know when I heat a wood surface with friction the pores appear to close and it takes on a polished look. That's about all I really need to know. . ha .. ha... ha.. ha..ha..

   Regards...

   Sarge..

1. 
   flairwoodworks | Jan 07, 2009 08:18am | #8

   Sarge,As a point of clarification, turners burnish the wood with shavings or chips, not sawdust.Chris @ http://www.flairwoodwork.spaces.live.com(soon to be http://www.flairwoodworks.com)

    - Success is not the key to happines.  Happiness is the key to success.  If you love what you are doing, you will be successful. - Albert Schweitzer

1. 
   SARGEgrinder47 | Jan 07, 2009 08:17pm | #10

   I did a little Google this morning and it appears there is no consensus on exactly what is happening other than burnishing closes the pore by simply crushing the outer layer of dead cells. Again I cannot say if the heat I mentioned has any effect on the crushing which does in essence close the grain.

   Years ago I would intentionally burnish wood (especially softwood) so that the oil stain I used then (gel came latter) wouldn't penetrate the pores so deeply and splotch. I sealed it with de-waxed shellac also but the pores seemed to close and I simply guessed it was from heat. Maybe that is not the case as it is simply crushed even though by going to higher grits of sand-paper did heat the wood?

   Again.. I really can't say what happens technically but.. I can say I know what the results are and how to deal with them. I may very well burnish a maple and purple-heart box I am making in a few days as it will likely see no finish other than oils. The oily wood Phillip mentioned as it is probably transferring it's own oil to the burnished surface and might save a step... I cannot say from a scientific stand-point but I am highly suspect from simple common sense.

   When I Googled.. it seems that Wood-carvers and Scrollers are well aware of burnishing also. I might ready more latter but I have a run of boxes to complete... so be it. :>)

   Regards...

   Sarge..

   Edited 1/7/2009 12:19 pm ET by SARGEgrinder47

2. 
   flairwoodworks | Jan 08, 2009 03:36am | #12

   Thanks for the follow up. Maybe this would be a good subject for an article, backed up by some science. FWW, are you listening?Chris @ http://www.flairwoodwork.spaces.live.com(soon to be http://www.flairwoodworks.com)

    - Success is not the key to happines.  Happiness is the key to success.  If you love what you are doing, you will be successful. - Albert Schweitzer

2. 
   mike4244 | Jan 07, 2009 10:07pm | #11

   Sarge, you are correct. The heat from the spinning piece against the shavings is what burnishes the stock.Any species of shavings will work, so will almost anything else.I burnished a chess set with burlap once. The reason for this is I had a sinus infection and did not want to use anything that might be dusty.Worked as well as sawdust.The heat created is the only factor in a good burnishing .

   mike

1. 
   SARGEgrinder47 | Jan 08, 2009 04:08am | #13

   Thanks Mike as it just made common sense too me, anyway. It was just my guess as I have been burnishing end grain and used to to it with soft-wood when I used a lot years ago. And what you said about burlap makes sense as I have used it also. I keep it around for various purposes as my wife does crafts. You just have to apply more pressure than sanding.

   As a matter of fact I have some and may burnish my first little decorative box with it in a few days. I really am limited with sanding as this this is not that large and has the shape of a B-2 Stealth Bomber making detail sanding a chore.

   Regards...

   Sarge..

   Edited 1/7/2009 8:09 pm ET by SARGEgrinder47

2. 
   Metod | Jan 08, 2009 08:22pm | #14

   Sarge,
   I'd guess that heat is important but not the only factor in burnishing. Were it, a hairdryer or a heat gun would probably suffice.
   Best wishes,
   Metod

3. 
   SARGEgrinder47 | Jan 09, 2009 01:41am | #15

   As I stated Metod.. how important the heat is I can't really say? But friction is extremely important and friction generates heat. The heat could be just a by-product of the friction or could be a key factor in why the combination results in burnished? Again I am not a scientist nor intend to spend years in a Think Tank or monastery with testing for why.

   I know how to burnish and I know when I should use or avoid it... I think that is much more important than pin-pointing the why? :>)

   Regards...

   Sarge..

4. 
   Metod | Jan 09, 2009 02:08am | #16

   Sarge,
   I did not mean to contradict you. For applications, as you say, it is important when to or not to burnish.
   It is just 'my cup of tea' to understand things also - not everything calls me to understand it, though <g>.
   Best wishes,
   Metod

5. 
   SARGEgrinder47 | Jan 09, 2009 04:01am | #17

   I didn't mean to lead you into thinking I felt contradicted, Metod.. I simply don't know why burnishing happens from a technical stand-point other than pressure which leads to friction and heat. I really feel that the why may possibly be for those that search for ultimate answer which is not necessarily me. :>)

   Regards...

   Sarge..

6. 
   montet202 | Jan 10, 2009 03:03am | #18

   Sarge,

   Please share some insight as to when and how you, yourself, burnish.  Are there certain woods, pieces, times, whatever, where burnishing is better?

   This is really what I am looking for.

   Thanks for sharing your experience,

   MS

7. 
   SARGEgrinder47 | Jan 10, 2009 06:26am | #19

   I burnish end grain showing quite often MS. Like on table tops.. etc. I use to burnish a lot also when building with soft-wood back in the days when liquid oil stain was about all you could get. I was not all that familiar with de-waxed shellac in those days and you had to mix it so..

   Soft-woods (and even cherry) is notorious for splotching with stain. The liquid oil stain would penetrate deep into pores used alone and was a pain to avoid splotch. So.. I burnished the wood by taking it to 320 and working the 320 grit rather hard with does the trick. BTW.. don't go too high with sand-paper or you risk burnishing when you don't want too.

   French polishing is a form of burnishing as the shellac is rubbed in with wrapped cloth as opposed to padding. I haven't French polished anything in 15 years or longer though. So.. mainly I use it for end grain as I tend to build larger carcass pieces. But.. I'm doing my first set of small boxes and may use it there.

   I'm almost to that point and I will try it on scrap sanding to 320 then burnishing with Abralon up the grits of 500 to 1000 and stop there. I want to see how it looks. If good.. simple oil will get the call at that point on the maple and purple-heart. It just depends on how it looks and is always good to test on scrap before you go live.

   Regards...

   Sarge..

3. 
   Thorvald | Jan 06, 2009 08:37am | #3

   I don't know if the technique produces better results on one species than any other - I do like the way it makes cherry glow.  However, it isn't a shortcut.  The only time I do it is after I've finished planing a surface and it's already smooth and shiny.  Rubbing it down with a fist full of shavings is just a final step to bring up a really nice surface.  It isn't a substitute for all of the preceding work.

   Shine on,

   Verne

1. 
   philip | Jan 07, 2009 11:39am | #9

   "I don't know if the technique produces better results on one species than any other"
   The , er , technique does produce better results when one uses shavings from oily woods such as Teak.....Philip Marcou

4. 
   flairwoodworks | Jan 06, 2009 08:52am | #4

   I have done this on the lathe, where you just handful of shavings up to the spinning workpiece. I have also done this on Douglas fir, just by rubbing another piece of wood on it. This was unintentional - I dragged a weighty workpiece across my Doug fir workbench.

   Chris @ www.flairwoodwork.spaces.live.com
   (soon to be www.flairwoodworks.com)

    - Success is not the key to happines.  Happiness is the key to success.  If you love what you are doing, you will be successful. - Albert Schweitzer

5. 
   BruceS | Jan 07, 2009 02:03am | #6

   A little off topic but related.   Burnish with Hay and Straw.   As a young lad I used to play with the boys in their maple planked barn.   Those floors were smoothest, slickest, prettiest floors you could imagine.  Decades of straw/hay burnishing.

   Work Safe,  Count to 10 when your done for the day !!

   Bruce S. 

    

6. 
   hzharry | Dec 01, 2010 04:31am | #20

   Burnishing

   For those interested this is covered in "Fine Woodworking on finishing and refinishing". Notes on clear finish by Oscar MacQuiddy, in this article he states the friction produces heat and fine wood dust. the heat softens the oil and opens the pours

    so they are filled with the wood dust, eliminating the need to fill the pours with a seperate prouduct and sealing the wood with another. From my studies this process goes back to the mid 1700's. This process is close to French Polish which came much later but French Polish didn't provide a water resistant finish.