Fantastic Leather Edge Burnisher

[Spinner]

I'm curious what this guy uses for the burnisher? I don't think it's wood, because he shows using a screwdriver pressing grooves into it before doing any burnishing.

I wonder if it's tightly packed canvas? He mentions canvas a couple of times in the videos.

This is the video where he uses the screwdriver:

Bobby

The thing to mention/note, one of the reasons for the price difference between wood and the wood felt wheels is that with the wool/felt, (with properly prepared edges) once you use it you're done. They are also more involved to make. With a wood burnisher, it speeds up the process by giving you a finished edge which is then quickly buffed to a shine by hand.

[Jovial]

Not a problem. You mention an industrial lathe, are you a woodturner or just have one for odd jobs? If you turn and are looking for a turning related site that is similar in style to LW.net, check out WoodturnersResource.com it's a site I started 10 years ago as an educational website and it just grew. I've passed it on to more capable & current folks, but they are a good bunch. I still turn, but on a much smaller scale. Back in the day, my 'baby' was a Powermatic 3520A and did some crazy stuff with it.

Nah, just for giggles as its part of my father's workshop. I pulled an odd job doing computer work for his boss and he had two big ones that weren't being used so I got paid for the job + a lathe. It was a pain to move though my father and I had to take the top off to move it because the thing weighs 300+ lbs. Ill be out in my workshop getting some photos together for a guide in the photography section that I am working on, I'll go check what kind it is then.

[whinewine]

Not a problem. You mention an industrial lathe, are you a woodturner or just have one for odd jobs? If you turn and are looking for a turning related site that is similar in style to LW.net, check out WoodturnersResource.com it's a site I started 10 years ago as an educational website and it just grew. I've passed it on to more capable & current folks, but they are a good bunch. I still turn, but on a much smaller scale. Back in the day, my 'baby' was a Powermatic 3520A and did some crazy stuff with it.

I REALLY like, especially #s 2,3 & 4!

[roo4u]

on the ebay listing it says if you need a replacement burnisher you contact them and they look you up and if you bought the whole thing you can get a replacement but otherwise not selling by themselves....leastways thats the way it seems to me.

[Bobby hdflame]

on the ebay listing it says if you need a replacement burnisher you contact them and they look you up and if you bought the whole thing you can get a replacement but otherwise not selling by themselves....leastways thats the way it seems to me.

I think that had something to do with getting a partial refund if you had bought something from him separately and was gonna purchase it in a kit too?? In one of the videos, he mentioned that he would sell the tool itself separately. Since he doesn't list it on eBay, I imagine you could contact him for pricing.

Bobby

[RandyScott]

The October 2010 issue of Rawhide Gazette announced the transfer of ownership of the burnisher to another person. She maintains an EBay store front and the replacement burnisher is listed as a separately available component. here is the link to the ebay site: http://stores.ebay.com/scentofleather

[Spinner]

The October 2010 issue of Rawhide Gazette announced the transfer of ownership of the burnisher to another person. She maintains an EBay store front and the replacement burnisher is listed as a separately available component. here is the link to the ebay site: http://stores.ebay.com/scentofleather

Yep, individual heads are now available: http://cgi.ebay.com/Fantastic-Leather-Burnisher-HEAD-ONLY-NEW-Even-Better-/220707670271?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item336333c8ff

(not my store, just found the link)

[Randy Cornelius]

I bought one of these when he first came out with them thinking it would speed up a large order of belts. I ended up selling it for 1/2 of what I gave for it, just did not work for me. I could make a nicer finished edge by hand with water and saddle soap faster than it could make one that I did not like. The wax supplied would darken the edge on natural leather and sometimes would burn and make it real dark.

[Bobby hdflame]

I bought one of these when he first came out with them thinking it would speed up a large order of belts. I ended up selling it for 1/2 of what I gave for it, just did not work for me. I could make a nicer finished edge by hand with water and saddle soap faster than it could make one that I did not like. The wax supplied would darken the edge on natural leather and sometimes would burn and make it real dark.

Randy,

What do you use along with the saddle soap?

I got one of those little plastic discs and use that with the Tragacanth. So far I've just used it by hand, but the plastic disc has a hole in the middle, I guess for a shaft. I thought about putting something like a 1/4 20 bolt in it and using it with a drill.

What speed should I use? Slow, med, or fast?

[Johnny B]

You can build one of these for less than $20.00. All you need to do is go to Lowes and purchase a mandrel that attaches to an electric motor. Next you purchase a 1/2" paddle bit and a 1 1/2" wooden dowel rod. Measure the threads on the mandrel and cut a piece of dowel rod the width of the threads minus the width of the nut and washer on the mandrel. Drill a 1.2" hole thru the cut piece of dowel rod and attach it to the mandrel. Now attach the mandrel to the motor that you have scrounged from a junk yard or an old washing machines you found on the side of the road. You need to devise a way to attach the motor to a work bench. Add a power cord and maybe a switch and you have a power burnisher. To get the grooves simply use either various round files or you can even use different sized bolts to cut the grooves into the dowel rod. A little imagination goes a long way.

Now I use the same principle but I have a burnisher that I put into my drill press that works basically the same way.