DIY bench burnisher?

[Chef niloc]

Hii

i want to make a bench burnisher like the cobra MP one out of a bench buffer. I found a sight ( thanks to a search here) that has the grooved wooden attachment, but  does anyone know what the  correct attachment ( and possibly where to get ) to fit the sanding drums to the other side? Looks like one would need a rubber drum or contact wheel of some sorts with a half-inch arbor hole? But I could be completely wrong

 

[TomE]

McMaster-Carr has sanding drums and sleeves.  https://www.mcmaster.com/products/sanding-drums/  One thing I like about the Cobra burnisher is the ability to adjust the speed.  Need to control friction-heat to get a good result. The right amount of water and saddle soap on the edge is important, and I run the burnisher at about half speed.  I usually finish the edge by hand with canvas and a burnishing gum or solution.  Also, the wooden burnisher on the MP has that wide flat section that I use often for multiple layers of leather straps.

Edited July 19, 2024 by TomE

[Chef niloc]

Thanks Tom didn’t think about the variable speed aspect as I currently is a drill press which has variable speed the extra buffer I have laying around doesn’t. By the time you buy the attachments looks the the cobra is running about $300 or so more to have a dedicated machine certainly works considering

[CdK]

@Chef niloc This is what I did, started out with a low speed grinder from Amazon, $80 & sanding drum kit from Harbor Freight, $18. I turned a screw on arbor for the RH thread and pressed this into a block of cherry. I then turned the wood to add the grooves. I rotated the grinder body 180* so the rotation is away from me.

Edited July 23, 2024 by CdK