burnishing

[studdyhalllooser]

call me stupid but i dont know what burnishing means. im new to this stuff. i take it its like sanding with leather or cloth? i have a home made lathe....how do i burnish????
thanks,
Jay

[Pied Piper]

Well i guess it all depends on what you are doing. Burnishing to me means the tip. Typically when I burnish a tip I wet the tip, usually with spit, and then I take a dollar bill or the cover of a paper match book, squeeze the sides of the tip and slowly rotate. Just enough to hear a nice little squiek. Then when you look at the tip the sides (if mushroomed) are more in line with the ferrule and have that nice glossy edge. I love burnishing the tips on mooris, because then you get that nice brown color. For some reason, i have noticed that it affects the way I play. Definitately the mental aspect, because if i don't burnish the tip then I am focusing way to much on the tip.

[studdyhalllooser]

pied piper,
thanks that does clarify a few things. i was under the impression that burnishing meant using leather or what not (your case money) and going fast, not slow. nice quote by the way...in this instant i was stupid, and now a bit more wise.
thanks again,
Jay

[Rich R.]

<blockquote><font class="small">Quote studdyhalllooser:</font><hr> pied piper,
thanks that does clarify a few things. i was under the impression that burnishing meant using leather or what not (your case money) and going fast, not slow. nice quote by the way...in this instant i was stupid, and now a bit more wise.
thanks again,
Jay <hr /></blockquote>
Jay, you can also burnish your cue shaft and you can use leather to do that. It is best done in a lathe, but you can do it by hand also.
If you have been using sandpaper on your shaft, you can use a piece of leather to burnish it. This knocks down any wood fibers raised in the sanding process and helps to smooth and seal the shaft.
I will defer to the cue repair guys, to tell you the exact method to use.

[studdyhalllooser]

thanks rich,
im trying to get an old cue of mine feeling good again...mainly the shaft. i have a home made lathe i could use or i could do it by hand.
thanks,
Jay

[stickman]

As for burnishing the shaft, I recommend burnishing by hand. Burnish with leather, up and down the length of the shaft, or with the grain of the wood. I would be easy on the sandpaper, over time, your shaft will become smaller. A Mr. Clean Magic Eraser will do a good job cleaning your shaft, and not effect your shaft size. As with burnishing, I clean with the grain. Anytime you clean your shaft with the eraser, you need to burnish again. Water causes the grain the raise up, and requires you to burnish again.