Diy Dremel Burnishers

[pearlheartgtr]

I've been wanting a set of dremel burnishers but since my job cut my hours, funds have been a little too tight to splurge. Going through some of my stuff, I found a brand new hand burnisher I bought from Tandy a couple of years ago, still in the bag. I completely forgotten I had bought it!

I cut it down to reasonable sizes to fit the barrel sander posts with a bandsaw and then threw 'em under the drill press with a #34 bit. The bit was a hair undersized from 1/8" but it went in with a couple of taps from my mallet.

Mounted on the Dremel, they work great! I played with a piece of scrap and beeswax for a little bit. They did a good job without any bevelling or sanding, but I hit it with a piece of sandpaper really quick and, wow!

The posts are a little off center and the ends could use a ride on the belt sander to shore them up level, but hey, it was a $5 Tandy burnisher and I'm out nothing.

Edited November 1, 2013 by pearlheartgtr

[Wishful]

Great job!

[Slow Learner]

Where did you get the post that attaches to the burnisher? The typical dermal post would be too short, I think? I assume you drilled through the burnisher piece?

[humperdingle]

I made something similar the other day with varied sizes of wooden pulley wheels. Works very well.

Regarding the type of post, I used a spare straight grinding stone bit. Drill a slightly smaller hole than the bit and tap it home on a flat surface to ensure it ends up flush and sits well at speed.

[chiefjason]

If you can find cocobolo wood it has a natural oily texture and works fantastically. My FIL made me several. I need to make one, or get him to do it, that will fit into my belt slots. This will work though, especially after you get them oiled or waxed up from use.

As an FYI, I found that even the lowest speed on my dremel was too fast. My drill press runs the burnishers at a much better speed for my needs.

[pearlheartgtr]

If you can find cocobolo wood it has a natural oily texture and works fantastically. My FIL made me several. I need to make one, or get him to do it, that will fit into my belt slots. This will work though, especially after you get them oiled or waxed up from use.

I did spend a lot of time looking up cocobolo wood dowels but, like I had mentioned before, I don't have extra money to blow right now. Eventually, I will get some wood and make a new set for myself. But in the meantime, these will do the trick.

Where did you get the post that attaches to the burnisher? The typical dermal post would be too short, I think? I assume you drilled through the burnisher piece?

I did drill straight through the burnisher pieces. The sanding barrel posts fit perfectly for the smaller of the two and I can get the screw to thread into the post. The larger one is a little too tall for the screw to meet the post, but I'll probably find a longer screw for it. But as it sits, it doesn't turn on the post.