Tip for home made burnisher motors

[bikermutt07]

That looks like it would work great. Thanks.

[Red Cent]

3500 rpm works good although I have seen a wisp of smoke now and then. You will find it is the leather that determines a good burnish, not any reasonable rpm. If you have an 8-9 ounce piece of leather that has been beveled, you can get a slight brown and glass like look with water. A nice slick burnished edge with water provides the surface you can dye easily. I use a dauber to dye the edges and it glides smoothly and snag free creating a good even line. I never use anything till the first water burnish.

Someone spoke to the edge the beveler leaves. Don't sand the outer edge off. Burnish and dye. That cut edge will actually stop a reasonable amount of dye from flowing into the leather surface if you dye the edge with a contrasting color.

If you have access to a drill press/milling machine and a machinist vice and a couple of rattail files, you can make burnishing tools. Drill a hole lengthwise in a dowel rod. Insert a tight fitting bolt and nut. Tighten. Place in the drill press. Place a rather fine tooth rasp (at first) in the vice. Spin the dowel rod and adjust vice to remove the stuff that makes the dowel rod wobble. Then use a more fine tooth file. The some sandpaper would be nice.

[TinkerTailor]

9 hours ago, Red Cent said:

3500 rpm works good although I have seen a wisp of smoke now and then. You will find it is the leather that determines a good burnish, not any reasonable rpm. If you have an 8-9 ounce piece of leather that has been beveled, you can get a slight brown and glass like look with water. A nice slick burnished edge with water provides the surface you can dye easily. I use a dauber to dye the edges and it glides smoothly and snag free creating a good even line. I never use anything till the first water burnish.

Someone spoke to the edge the beveler leaves. Don't sand the outer edge off. Burnish and dye. That cut edge will actually stop a reasonable amount of dye from flowing into the leather surface if you dye the edge with a contrasting color.

If you have access to a drill press/milling machine and a machinist vice and a couple of rattail files, you can make burnishing tools. Drill a hole lengthwise in a dowel rod. Insert a tight fitting bolt and nut. Tighten. Place in the drill press. Place a rather fine tooth rasp (at first) in the vice. Spin the dowel rod and adjust vice to remove the stuff that makes the dowel rod wobble. Then use a more fine tooth file. The some sandpaper would be nice.

I make my bits the same way, only I use old dremel bits or drill bits and epoxy them into the dowel. I found one bump would bend the threaded shaft when i made them that way. The drill bits and dremel bits are hardened and don't bend. I found a dremel drill press stand at a flea market for 5 bucks, and i use the burnisher in it vertically with the table to guide the work. For small stuff, i use my flexi hand piece. I probably have 8 or so little burnishers going with different grooves and points. I have no problem pulling out a needle file or two and touching up the shape to suit the project at hand. I also have a blank ungrooved one always ready, just in case.

In my opinion, there is no perfect burnisher, only a perfect one for the project you are doing right now.

Btw, I have found that telling potential customer that i made some of the tools that I will use to make their item is really good for business.......They are not surprised I make leather stuff, but the look on their face when I tell them i made the tools is a totally different story. I have 10 or so stitching awls in front of me but by far the one I grab most is one I made out of an old triangular needle file jammed into a dowel, and filed with diamond files into a proper point. Looks like a prison shank.......

[bikermutt07]

Well, my pro edge burnisher showed up today. Since I haven't mounted my motor yet I only did preliminary tests.

Wow!! What a difference this is going to make for me.

My elbows and shoulders are already thanking me.

I don't think the speed will be an issue.

I tried just wetting the edge and giving it a few passes. Then I hit it with some saddle bar soap, and Bang, it looks better then any hand burnishing I've done.

Yaaayyyyyy!!!!!

[OLDNSLOW]

photos photos no photos it didn't happen need evidence of said work.

[bikermutt07]

I'll get photos Saturday or Sunday. My jobs pretty physical and in the evening I'm just beat. Hence, the reason it's not mounted yet.

But I'll get y'all some.

[dikman]

That speed control mentioned earlier may not work with your motor. That control is meant for brush-type motors (as used in most power tools, hence their reference to a router). Most AC motors are induction types and if you use that controller it will probably go poof!

[bikermutt07]

It seems to be working so far with out it.

[dikman]

That's good. My homemade burnisher (a bit like TT's) is attached to a grinder motor that runs at 3450 rpm and works fine.

[bikermutt07]

I tried a few pieces of scrap 7-8 ounce veg on it the other day. I just wet it, ran it twice through and then the saddle bar soap. Run it two or three times, and it was outstanding.

I am in my 40's and have always worked construction so most of my joints hurt pretty bad. 20+ years of pulling, tugging, wrenching, twisting, hammering, and prying can wear you out. My wife is convinced I have arthritis. I'm sure it's just pay back for working.

Anyway, burnishing has been very painful by hand. Any tooling I have played with has been just, well, excruciating is the word.

So, I'm really happy to have this burden lifted. Like I said before, these scrap pieces are way beyond what I have ever accomplished by hand. I can't wait to do a sheath or holster with it.