Recommended Items
Best Burnishers for Leather Crafting
Experienced insights, guidance, and recommendations on what can help best in your leather crafting.
Recommended Items
Experienced insights, guidance, and recommendations on what can help best in your leather crafting.
As a leatherworker, I know how important it is to have clean and finished edges on leather goods. That’s why I always use a leather burnisher. But with so many options out there, it can be hard to know which one to choose. That’s why I decided to put some of the top recommendations to the test and see which one comes out on top.
My personal favorite burnishing setup involves a hardwood burnishing bit from Pro Edge, mounted in a drill press or desk-mounted rotary tool (click here to see it on Pro Edge). The hardwood of the burnishing bit is perfect for working on leather edges, and the desk-mounted machine allows for stable operations and two hands free to work the leather around the moving bit. However, I also know that hand-held burnishers can work well, although they require a lot of arm motion to generate heat through friction over the leather edge. And for long periods of time, or larger leather pieces, a motorized burnisher can be a game-changer. So, let’s dive in and explore which type of burnisher is best for different situations.
As a leatherworker, I’ve found that burnishing tools are essential for creating a professional-looking finished product. Here are some instances when I use leather burnishing tools:
To smooth out the edges of cut leather pieces: When leather is cut, the edges can be rough and uneven. Burnishing tools help to smooth out these edges, making them stronger and more durable.
To create a polished finish: Burnishing tools can create a smooth, polished finish on the surface of the leather. This is especially useful for leather goods that will be on display, such as belts or wallets.
To seal the edges: Burnishing tools can also be used to seal the edges of leather pieces. This is particularly important for items that will be exposed to moisture, such as bags or shoes.
When choosing a burnishing tool, it’s important to consider the material. Different materials have different heat properties, which can affect the burnishing process. For example, a wooden burnisher may generate less heat than a metal one. It’s also important to consider the size and shape of the tool, as this can affect how easily it can be used on different types of leather.
Overall, I find that burnishing tools are an essential part of my leatherworking toolkit. They help me to create a finished product that is both durable and aesthetically pleasing.
I personally find hand burnishing to be a great way to achieve a smooth and polished edge on leather. A basic hand burnisher like the generic brand can work well with some good old-fashioned effort (click here to see it on Amazon). For a harder wood, the Cocobolo wood Kyoshin Elle version is a nice option (click here to see it on Rocky Mountain Leather Supply).
Hand burnishing essentially comes down to a smooth wood and friction to burnish the edge. It’s a simple and affordable way to achieve a professional-looking finish on your leather projects.
Personally, I prefer machine burnishing. A generic burnishing bit can work okay, but you need to be careful of the build quality (click here to view this on Amazon). If the center metal post is slightly offset, the burnisher will wobble and not be very effective to use. I got a set like this and the center post was off a little on both bits, so it wasn’t great.
For just a little more, you can get a hand-crafted, high-quality burnisher from Pro Edge (click here to see them on Pro Edge). This is the route I’d recommend if you’re looking for a reliable and efficient machine burnisher.
If you find yourself needing a quality burnisher with various and specific groove sizes over time, the Armitage Leather wood burnisher is one of the best. The specific sizes make it easier to get consistent edges across different thicknesses of leather (click here to find it on JustWood).
Overall, both hand and machine burnishing are effective ways to achieve a polished edge on your leather projects. It ultimately comes down to personal preference and budget.
If you’re looking for a strong burnisher, brass is a great option. However, it’s important to be cautious when using metal burnishers on leather edges, as they can retain a lot of heat and cause unwanted marks. On the other hand, if you’re using a burnishing machine or rotary tool, the weight of the brass burnisher shouldn’t be much of an issue (click here to check it out on Amazon). Remember to handle with care!
I recently discovered the benefits of using a glass burnisher in my leatherworking projects. The smooth surface of the glass makes it easy to create a polished edge on leather. Plus, the glass doesn’t retain heat like other materials, so I don’t have to worry about burning the leather.
If you’re interested in trying out a glass burnisher, I recommend the basic all-glass option (click here to see it on Amazon). It’s affordable and gets the job done. However, if you prefer a more comfortable grip, Barry King’s glass burnisher/slicker has a beautiful wooden handle (click here to view it on his site).
I recently discovered the beauty of using exotic woods for burnishing. Cocobolo is my personal favorite due to its strength, durability, and dark natural color. Other woods like paduk, vitae, ebony, pine, oak, maple, and rosewood also work great.
If you’re looking for a high-quality hand burnisher, I highly recommend the Kyoshin Elle (click here to see it on Rocky Mountain Leather Supply). It’s made of cocobolo and has sized grooves and a curved point for precision burnishing.
I recently learned about box slickers, which are rectangular, solid blocks of wood used in leatherworking. They work similarly to other slickers and burnishers, creating friction on the leather to smooth and polish it. Crafters may prefer the shape and size of box slickers based on their personal preferences and the project they are working on.
One brand that caught my eye is Doldokki, which makes a beautiful box slicker with a shape that provides more grip surface for holding it in the hand, where the product images show off its artistic appearance (click here to see it on Fine Leatherworking). Including a box slicker in my leatherworking toolkit is something I’m definitely considering.
As someone who enjoys burnishing, I know how tiring it can be to manually burnish leather pieces. That’s why I highly recommend using a power burnisher machine. It’s a motorized tool with different burnishing attachments that can make the burnishing process much easier and faster.
There are different types of power burnisher machines that you can choose from depending on your needs and preferences. For instance, dedicated tabletop burnishing machines have attachments on each side of a motor to hold various burnishing tools such as wood burnishers, sandpaper, plastic burnishing tips, or an array of burnishing finishers. The COBRA MP Burnisher is an excellent example of a tabletop burnishing machine (click here to see it on Leather Machine Co).
Another option is to use rotary tools such as Dremels as powered burnishers. They are easy to maneuver around the leather and can work very well. However, it’s important to use a variable speed model like the Dremel 3000 to ensure that you’re not spinning too fast or too slow for the edge that you’re burnishing (click here to view it on Amazon).
Burnisher attachments for power drills are also widely available and can turn any home drill into a burnisher. However, it’s important to remember that the power of the drill can easily burn the leather edge, so it’s crucial to burnish slowly and safely.
Personally, I prefer using a wooden burnishing bit in a fixed machine such as a dedicated burnisher, drill press, or Dremel mounted to a fixed surface. The Leather Polishing and Burnishing Machine is an excellent example of a fixed machine that can provide a sturdy and steady burnishing tool for optimal edge burnishing (click here to see it on Amazon). With two hands, I can move the leather around the burnisher and apply different pressure as needed.
In conclusion, a power burnisher machine can make burnishing leather pieces much easier and faster. Start small and inexpensive with a single Pro Edge burnishing bit used in a drill or tool you already have, and then learn what you like. Happy burnishing!
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