Burnishing rod

The difference is in the angle of usage.

Steels are used at an angle approaching that of the side of an acute angled edge that it is pushing against. It is used to simply align the edge.

A burnishing rod is typically used at an angle approximately perpendicular (90 degrees) to the material it is pushing against. It is used to deform/smoosh material from a square corner to form a hooked edge. The link below shows one in use:
http://www.taunton.com/finewoodworking/media/w00007_06.jpg
 
I would like to go one further than that. I have been a student in the Machine Tool trade for the last 3 years. I have looked at a lot of my textbooks and I have searched far and long for a consise definition of the term "BURNISHING". Now the good brother brings up an excellent point because I was told by a butcher a long time ago that a knife steel was used to align the edge of a blade and to burnish it as well.

It is amazing to me that you hear this term being used almost daily here on the Forum and in the Machine Tool Lab where I go a lot but I have not found a consise definition of the term. If I don't get any satifaction here I will go to the library I guess. But I know someone here has it;)
 
JD, Good point. Thanks for making me question my own assumptions.

So courtesy of Merriam-Webster's online dictionary:
-----------------
burnish
burnish[1,transitive verb]burnish[2,noun]

Main Entry: 1bur·nish
Pronunciation: 'b&r-nish
Function: transitive verb
Etymology: Middle English burnischen, from Middle French bruniss-, stem of brunir, literally, to make brown, from brun
1 a : to make shiny or lustrous especially by rubbing b : POLISH 3
2 : to rub (a material) with a tool for compacting or smoothing or for turning an edge
- bur·nish·er noun
- bur·nish·ing adjective or noun
-----------------

According to this definition, it sounds like your old butcher buddy was right: align and compact/smooth the edge.

Thanks for teaching me a new one today. :)
 
At the risk of tossing in something really dumb, I seem to recall a burnishing rod and some esoteric compound (Ibota?) being used on Japanese blades. Or is this something else all together?
 
Maury,

you are correct! The ibota is a waxy excretion of a cicada-like insect. I'm not sure if it is bug poo or bug dandruff, but the bottom line is it is a lubricant :) It is used with burnishing rods to burnish the flat sides (ji) and back (mune) of traditional Japanese swords and such.

Burnishing is quite a long and hard process from what I have read by polishers such as Keith Larman. Burnishign compacts the surface, closing it up, loeaving a very smooth and shiny surface. This is quite a different process than polishing with abrasives.

So Japanese Swords are not mirror polished!

Rubbign any hard thing on a soft thign the right way can burnish it. I imagine a steel does align and burnish as well. Thoush I'm not too sure of just how much Burnishing is done. I recall some photographs by John Juranich of Razor's Edge sharpening fame indicating the very very edge of a steeled blade is burnished. I have no idea just how much, if at all, this would affect things though.
 
Hey Rok!

I think you are right on both counts. Looking through various things, it seems a burnisher can both align an edge, or put a bit of a hook in it, depending.

Hand America calls its steels 'burnishers' used to align the edge and JapanWoodworker also has burnishers to put a bit of a J in the edges of scrapers.

Looks like they can do both, depending, I guess, on the shape of the burnisher and the desired effect.

Rob
 
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