Cleaning a Cocobolo Burnisher

[Brooks125]

It there a trick to cleaning the leather residue left on a cocobolo burnisher?  I have several of the Dremel burnishers and some have residue from too much heat and too dry leather.  I like the smooth surface and don't want to sand them off.  Surely there is a proper method.

Thanks in advance

[TomE]

A damp piece of canvas removed the gummy residue from my burnisher.

[Hags]

Yep, I use wet canvas or a rag. 

[ThisIsMyFirstRodeo]

Clean your wood tools just like you would anything else wood. At the most basic, grab some mineral spirits and #000 steel wool and lightly scrub (always with grain) to break loose the surface. Go from there to 120g sandpaper LIGHTLY to remove the bulk, wipe down with spirits and clean tack cloth, move to 220g, wipe down with spirits and a NEW clean tack cloth. Probably ok to move on to 400g wet sandpaper, wiping down again, then 800g, 1000g, 1200g, 2000g. A lot of woodworkers will go to buffing wheels after 400g, and finish out from there, or stop at 1200g. Cocobolo though, can have such a great luster that I personally keep going as far as I can (I have pads out to 8000g). Personally, I keep going with stropping leathers, but that’s just my perfectionist ocd neuroses having their way with me…

A key component with it is always use a clean rag between grits, and fresh water with each grit, otherwise the rougher particles will remain. If you already do any woodwork, sorry for my soapbox, and if anyone wants a refresher or to learn more, Woodworkers Source has some great resources. 

But, This Is My 1st Rodeo, after all…