Arno Burnisher

[Phil Mueller]

For those of you, like me, that may be a bit frustrated getting a working burr on a card scraper, you may want to check out this burnisher. It was touted by CS, and I decided to put it on my Christmas list. It did arrive under the tree, and I just had an opportunity to give it a try. Put it to the test on three different card scrapers, and it produced the best and most consistent burr I’ve ever been able to achieve.

Maybe it’s just mind over matter, or the cheap woodworking store burnisher I had been using, the Arno just made it a no brainer.

I’m not associated at all with Arno, just wanted to share my experience with it.

[Tom M King]

I had never thought about using carbide before. I checked ebay, and there are all sorts of carbide rods available. I think I'll make a more traditional one.

[Derek Cohen]

I've been using a thin (diameter) polished carbide rod for several years. Given to me by Tony Z. It's the best thing since sliced bread.

http://www.inthewoodshop.com/WoodworkTechniques/FoolproofSharpeningOfCard(Cabinet)Scraper_html_704 204de.jpg

Sharpening method: http://www.inthewoodshop.com/WoodworkTechniques/FoolproofSharpeningOfCard%28Cabinet%29Scraper.html

Regards from Perth

Derek

[Tony Zaffuto]

I've been using a thin (diameter) polished carbide rod for several years. Given to me by Tony Z. It's the best thing since sliced bread.

http://www.inthewoodshop.com/WoodworkTechniques/FoolproofSharpeningOfCard(Cabinet)Scraper_html_704 204de.jpg

Sharpening method: http://www.inthewoodshop.com/WoodworkTechniques/FoolproofSharpeningOfCard%28Cabinet%29Scraper.html

Regards from Perth

Derek

Glad you're still using it Derek! I've experimented through the years and the best always comes back to the thin, mirror polished carbide. I believe one of the reasons thin works, is because to put a fine burr on a scraper, you must not press too hard. Yes, you can get a burr by applying a lot of pressure, but the burr is rougher than desired. This grade of carbide is highly polished (mirror), with a resulting natural lubricity.

One of these days, I'll have to gather some more rods to distribute!

[Phil Mueller]

Ok, gents, you’ve peaked my interest. What is thin? 1/8”? And what grade carbide to you use?
Thanks!

[Derek Cohen]

Glad you're still using it Derek! I've experimented through the years and the best always comes back to the thin, mirror polished carbide. I believe one of the reasons thin works, is because to put a fine burr on a scraper, you must not press too hard. Yes, you can get a burr by applying a lot of pressure, but the burr is rougher than desired. This grade of carbide is highly polished (mirror), with a resulting natural lubricity.

One of these days, I'll have to gather some more rods to distribute!

Tony, I believe you are correct.

About a year or two ago, my woodworking club put on a series of handtool demonstrations. This occasion I was not presenting. I knew one of the demos was on sharpening card scrapers, and I thought I would take along a prepared card (flattened and ready for burnishing) and your burnisher. The demonstrator did a woeful job: He explained that he had created a special tool to hold the burnisher so as to maximise downforce of his screwdriver shaft to create a large burr. He emphasised that it needed to have a large burr and that this required a lot of downforce, and around 20 strokes of the screwdriver. I stood with my mouth hanging open as he vainly attempted to make shavings ... and then proudly pointed at the resulting dust. The surface was scratched and ragged, as you might expect.

The club know me well, and they are pretty laid back, and so when I said I would like a go, they were happy to do this. The demonstrator was a really nice guy, with a good sense of humour. He grabbed my card to test that it was dull, and only handed it back when he has proved it made no more than dust as is.

I literally stroked the card twice in each directly to draw the steel, and then again gently two strokes at 5 degrees and two gentle strokes at 10 degrees, and handed the card to him. I wish I could have had a photo of his face when he peeled off shaving after shaving. Such fun. :)

Such a great burnisher.

Regards from Perth

Derek

[Tony Zaffuto]

Derek: Years ago, when I first learned how to burnish, I read that the pressure should be the same as buttering a slice of bread. Works for me!

Phil: To me, thin is around 1/4".

[Tom M King]

Glad I didn't order one last night. I almost ordered a 3/8" one.

[Tony Zaffuto]

Technique is important as is preparation of the scraper. Like sharpening, too many times we (hobbyists) tend to overthink and complicate things. Look to how a Charles Hayward or Robert Wearing would prepare a scraper card. How Warren Mickley-as a professional, how do you prepare one, Warren?

[Mel Fulks]

The solid carbide 1/4 " laminate trim router bits make good burnishers. They are short so I make a notch in a piece of wood and glue in the carbide with a gummy glue.

[Michael Todrin]

I just made one this week from some 6mm carbide rod and a turned black walnut scrap. It works great. 402490

[John K Jordan]

...it produced the best and most consistent burr I’ve ever been able to achieve.

Maybe it’s just mind over matter, or the cheap woodworking store burnisher I had been using, the Arno just made it a no brainer.


Just read the description. Are you using the cylindrical side or the triangular side? What's the diameter of the cylinder? I'm especially curious about the triangular side of the burnisher and what it does differently.

I use card scrapers a lot, most of them curved instead of straight. I've always used a polished round carbide rod but a few years ago I made one with a much smaller rod and shorter rod and I like it better than the larger, at least on the curved scrapers. I don't put the scrapers in a vise as usually recommended - due to the shapes and sizes I hold them in one hand and the burnisher in the other. A small diameter rod can apply more pressure in one spot than the large diameter with the same force.

These are what I use, the one I made showing the short carbide rods, and both burnishers together.

402508 402509

Some of the curved scrapers and those I tend to use the most:

402510 402511

(The 1/8" thick StewMac scrapers don't require burnishing.)

My application is on woodturnings, scraping instead of coarse sanding. The surface is, of course, far better.

402512

Have you used the burnisher on small curved scrapers and if so, which side did you use and how did it work?

JKJ

[Phil Mueller]

John, I’ve only experimented with the cylindrical side on straight edge scrapers. The cylindar measures about 3/16” diameter. I haven’t tried the triangular side yet or used either side on curved scrapers. Hope to play with it some more this weekend. Below are steps 3 and 4 in the instructions which may give you some additional info...(Steps 1 and 2 are just the normal proceedure to prepare the scraper).

I’ll report back in when I get a chance to work with it some more.

402513

[John K Jordan]

Thanks for that information.

I work similarly except I hold the curved scrapers in my hand so I can turn them while drawing the edge, especially the smaller ones. I don't burnish at the three angles they suggest but I'll try that next time.

There is a good article in FWW about sharpening curved scrapers. Dec 2018, #271, page 20, "Sharpen and use a curved scraper." Peter Galbert points out that the edge must perfectly perpendicular to the side (if you want to use both sides!) or it will cut poorly. He makes a little jig to hold a file and/or diamond hone perpendicular. I made one in two sizes (lignum vitae):

402525 402526 402527

Galbert points out that after several burnishings, the steel can become work hardened making it difficult to ticket the edge properly. At that point I go back to the CBN wheel and the file.

If anyone is interested in making curved scrapers, I found it difficult to keep the steel cool if grinding them to shape on the bench grinder. A belt sander is better - I use a 1" 80-grit belt to shape, but a very coarse bench grinder might work better than the fine wheels I use. After shaping I use a 600 grit CBN wheel to refine the edge quickly so I don't have to file so much. Preparing and ticketing the curved scrapers is a bit more work than the flat.

402528

Thanks for posting about this burnisher. I've seen it advertised but never thought about getting one. I've ordered one to evaluate. It is a little pricey (best price I found is about $40) compared to my little carbide rod burnisher (about $2 and the time to make the handle) but if it works better it will be worth it. After using the curved scrapers on woodturnings I'll take up basket weaving before I'll give them up. :)

JKJ


John, I’ve only experimented with the cylindrical side on straight edge scrapers. The cylindar measures about 3/16” diameter. I haven’t tried the triangular side yet or used either side on curved scrapers. Hope to play with it some more this weekend. Below are steps 3 and 4 in the instructions which may give you some additional info...(Steps 1 and 2 are just the normal proceedure to prepare the scraper).

I’ll report back in when I get a chance to work with it some more.

402513

[Richard Jones]

The comment in the instructions about the "tick, tick, tick" and how the ticketer got its name is a new one to me. What I've read in the past was that it resembled the sound made by a ticket counting machine. Perhaps there are other inconsistencies?

One project today is to polish up a carbide router bit and see if it performs any better than an old Two Cherries burnisher. It makes sense that polished would perform better than "rough".

[Tony Zaffuto]

I'm not familiar with the Two Cherries burnisher, however years ago I bought a burnisher made by one of the British makers, and the rod was bright & shiny, however that was due to chrome plating! After a few uses, it began to peel. Carbide is by far the best, but I've also had good results with polishing HSS dowels.

[Richard Jones]

Not chrome plated, and sparks like HSS. I certainly agree that harder seems like it would be better, assuming good scraper material.

[Phil Mueller]

John, I have little experience with curved scrapers and would appreciate any feedback on the Arno. Is there also a need for a burr on an inside curve...or is that essentially a true “scraper”? I have to say my shavings are still not perfect, but far better than before. Like any tool, it just takes a committment to spend a few hours and try, repeat, try, repeat. I’m getting there! I also quickly tried the cylindar side vs the triangular side on one straight scraper last night. Might be technique, etc., but the triangular side might have done a slightly better burr. But I’m still working with so many variables with my technique, that it isn’t a good indication. I’ll be very interested in what you think.

Tony, I think that was a major problem with my previous burnisher...I think it is plated. The surface isn’t any where near smooth after a few uses and was getting me nowhere.

[Derek Cohen]

Add to the cabinet scraper armoury a scraper made from thick O1 steel. I made the following out of the end of a 3/16" thick O1 plane blade. It must be flat (as above).

Take it to the grinder (I use a 180 grit CBN wheel for this) and create a hollow around the edge.


http://www.inthewoodshop.com/WoodworkTechniques/FoolproofSharpeningOfCard(Cabinet)Scraper_html_m7d be30df.jpg (http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a262/Derek50/Scraping/Sharpening-blade-scrapera_zpslgrvfjha.jpg)


http://www.inthewoodshop.com/WoodworkTechniques/FoolproofSharpeningOfCard(Cabinet)Scraper_html_740 a8fcc.jpg


And you are done. This is a fantastic tool for removing a large amount of waste. Think of it as a jack plane. And yet it can be good enough to leave a finished surface.


https://i.postimg.cc/QNHP4yzM/1-zpspr2v0uh1.jpg


Regards from Perth

Derek

[John K Jordan]

Add to the cabinet scraper armoury a scraper made from thick O1 steel. I made the following out of the end of a 3/16" thick O1 plane blade. It must be flat (as above).

Take it to the grinder (I use a 180 grit CBN wheel for this) and create a hollow around the edge.


Derek

For those who can't make their own, buy them from Stewart McDonald:
https://www.stewmac.com/Luthier_Tools/Types_of_Tools/Scrapers/StewMac_Ultimate_Scraper.html

They aren't cheap but they are well made. I like the dished sides which make them easier to hold. 1/8" thick.

402606 402605

I bought O1 steel and plan to make some different shapes with the plasma cutter. Maybe this summer...

JKJ

[mike holden]

Congratulations Derek! you have recreated a patternmakers scraper. Primary use that I had for them was to remove parting lines on fiberglass splashes. Make the model in mahogany ply, apply dimensional thickness wax to the surface to account for metal thickness (models and prints are drawn/built to inside of metal), then make a fiberglass copy of the outside of metal. Due to having to use clay to fill in the seams between sheets of wax, there were parting lines on the fiberglass. A scraper with a hollow ground edge laid flat on the surface would remove the parting lines quite nicely.
BTW mahogany ply had 1/8 thick plies with the grain all running the same way, made for a very dimensionally stable block of wood.

[John K Jordan]

Phil,

I got the Arno Burnisher last week and gave it a quick test today. It's well made and the handle is comfortable. There was some gunk on the carbide (looked something like dried oil or lacquer) but it cleaned off OK. The leather case is nice.

I tried my other smaller round carbide rod burnisher and both the cylindrical and triangular sides of the Arno. I applied them to three similar edges of a freshly honed curved hand cabinet-type hand scraper. I tried to use the same force for all three. I tested each edge on a piece of madrone right off the bandsaw.

As expected, the triangular side (having a small radius) took much less force to raise a cutting burr. The burr was more aggressive than the two cylindrical carbide burnishers. I didn't look at the burr yet with the microscope but it felt rougher. If so, it wouldn't be a problem since I follow the curved scrapers with fine sanding.

My smaller carbide rod burnisher turned a burr that felt smoother and was almost as aggressive as the triangular one. The round side of the Arno raised the smallest burr with the same force, as expected since the diameter is larger. It felt considerably smoother than the burr from the triangular side.

I liked the use and scraping edge from the triangular-burnished edge but wonder if it will hold up as well if it is not as smooth as it seemed. It may work differently if angled a little (rotated around the handle axis). When I get time I'll do more careful testing and compare the edges under the microscope.

JKJ

[Phil Mueller]

Thanks, John, appreciate the feedback. I was thinking about you as I was taking some nice shavings on a piece of burl, wondering if you had received it. I’ll be interested in any further observations and comparisons to your smaller round burnisher. I’ve been eyeing one, but kind of waiting to hear your thoughts.