Don,   A big thank you for some intriguing factual research.  This is a
technique I have to try out.  My kind of finish.

My problem is the lack of sources for polissoirs hereabouts.  My reading
suggests that reed can be substituted for corn straw - I know where I can obtain
some of those.  Corn straw I assume to be American for maize, and there used to
be a field grown near here, but no longer.  If I see some I’ll need to talk to
the farmer about harvest time. I may be able to get some wheat straw.  Back in
my youth we would visit an uncle’s farm about harvest time so we could get in
the way of the work.  Good times.

Is the polissoir really as simple as photo’s make it appear though?   Take a
decent handful of straight stalks, and ‘simply’ bind them together?


Richard Wilson
yorkshireman Galoot in Northumbria





> On 3 Feb 2024, at 01:18, Don Schwartz  wrote:
> 
> Time to finish off this test report. ;-)
> 
> Once the first coat had dried, I burnished the two sections of the test piece
(paper-burnished and polissoir-burnished) and found both sections to be silky
smooth. The section burnished with the polissoir retained its superior sheen. I
applied a 2nd coat of the T&T. Once dry, I burnished both sections with brown
paper. The result was as expected: more sheen to the section which had been
twice burnished with the polissoir (before & after the 1st coat of finish).
> 
> To my mind, either approach is worth the little effort required. Burnishing
with polissoir or brown paper bag  improved the surface quality of the padauk,
which had been sanded with 400x after raising grain. Both burnishers revealed
deficiencies in my surface prep, which had gone undetected before. It will
become a permanent addition to my finishing routines.
> 
> fwiw
> Don
> 
> 
> On 2024-01-29 10:07 a.m., Don Schwartz via groups.io <http://groups.io/>
wrote:
>> I use shavings to burnish unfinished turned work while still on the lathe,
and it works well. Speed is a huge advantage there.
>> 
>> My testing to this point shows that burnishing with either brown paper bag or
polissoir enhances both the surface feel and appearance of the padauk. After
damping to raise grain, drying and then sanding to 400 grit and vigorously
brushing sanding dust from open grain, I burnished one section with polissor (no
wax) and one with brown paper. The polissoir produced more sheen than the brown
paper, possibly because it is easier to apply pressure with the polissoir, and
because the corn straw is harder than the paper, and so better able to compress
the tiny surface irregularities left after sanding. The hardness of the padauk
apparently prevents the polissoir from abrading any softer material at the
surface, which I wasn't hoping to achieve. The sample surfaces both appear to
have taken a first coat of T&T well. The wood looks bare, but with a lovely,
subtle sheen. I will burnish my samples again before applying a second coat of
the T&T.
>> 
>> fwiw
>> Don
>> 
>> On 2024-01-29 9:09 a.m., james rich wrote:
>>> Burnishing with your plane shavings after finish planing might work for you
. I learned the technique from the great Krenov (indirectly) from a class I
attended years ago . Simple , good exercise, and works great . Oh , almost
forgot , FREE !
>>> 
>>> 
>>> On Sat, Jan 27, 2024 at 9:43 AM Frank Filippone  wrote:
>>> 
>>>     AFAIK, the technique of burnishing with a polissoirwas not one
>>>     used on Mid Century furniture.
>>> 
>>>     Having said that, I have done some work using the polissoir on
>>>     wood, and find that the effect ( early wood texturally sepaarted
>>>     from the late wood) is
>>>     more effective on soft wood species... cedar, pine or even oak
>>>     versus ebony or purpleheart. for example.  Padauk is a hard wood,
>>>     and I suspect the
>>>     results of burnishing it will be not enough to get a significant
>>>     textural finish difference.
>>> 
>>>     Now if all you want is a really SMOOTH finish, use more sandpaper
>>>     ( go to 320, wet the wood, start again at 220 and go to 600) or
>>>     plane it super well.
>>>     Try the burnishing using a stiff rag.  That should give that kind
>>>     of finish...
>>> 
>>>     BTW, Padauk is one of those woods that changes color when it
>>>     oxidizes.  If you sand it, it WILL change color.  On an old piece,
>>>     one that is oxidized
>>>     over time, you may make a LOT of work for yourself in needing to
>>>     re-sand the entire bookshelf.
>>> 
>>>     Frank Filippone
>>>     BMWRed735i@G...
>>> 
>>>     On 1/25/2024 2:42 PM, Don Schwartz wrote:
>>>     >
>>>     > Has anyone used a polissoir ( corn-straw burnisher, Jeff) on a
>>>     Tried & True Original finish? I made a couple of wall-mount shelf
>>>     supports, to
>>>     > replace the ones UPS broke, so my daughter & GIT can finally
>>>     install a teak-look shelving system that belonged to my
>>>     recently-departed Aunt. It's
>>>     > not critical, but I'm wanting to emulate a mid-century
>>>     barely-finished look on padauk. I'm tempted to burnish before
>>>     applying the T&T as the grain's
>>>     > quite irregular, but I don't want to interfere with absorption.
>>>     All suggestions welcome.
>>>     >
>>>     > Don, in nearly-balmy Calgary
>>>     >
>>> 
>>> 
>>> 
>>> 
>> 
> 
> -- 
> 
> "You only have to do a few things right in your life so long as you don’t do
too many things wrong." - Warren Buffet
> 
> “To argue with a man who has renounced the use and authority of reason, and
whose philosophy consists in holding humanity in contempt, is like administering
medicine to the dead, or endeavoring to convert an atheist by scripture.” ―
Thomas Paine, The American Crisis
> 
> 
> 
> 



-- 
Yorkshireman Galoot
in the most northerly county, farther north even than Yorkshire
IT #300