I have burned through a lot of burnishers, from the ones I’ve made myself out of carbide rod to very expensive variants. My favorite is the French-made Arno burnisher.
Everything about the tool is right. The handle is lightweight aluminum, perfectly shaped and has a guard so my fingers won’t slip off the handle and onto the scraper. The tool has two carbide rods for burnishing scrapers. One has a round profile, which is what I typically use to turn a burr on scrapers. The other one has a triangular profile, which allows me to add some serious pressure to a scraper that is particularly hard (and I see more hard scrapers these days).
Both bits of carbide are very fine grained and smooth. With a drop of oil, the carbide glides over the steel as it turns a burr.
Oh, and it comes with a leather sheath, which really does protect the tool from abuse in your drawer or tool chest.
— Christopher Schwarz
Read Day 1 of the gift guide here: Clauss Scissors.
Day two on a Boot Tray for Sharpening.
Day three on humidity monitors.
Day four on a MWTCA membership is here.
If you’d like to read gift guides from past years, check this link.
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