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Featured Tool: Burnishers

By on August 4, 2014
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by Judy Ellis, Wire-Sculpture.com

Tool of the Week for August 4, 2014

This week’s Featured Tool is the Burnisher

Burnishers are a must for every jewelry artist who work in diamond and stone settings.

They are good for smoothing metals, bezel setting around stones, preparing surfaces for solder, removing excess solder and removing scratches from metals.Tungsten-carbide rotary burnishers remove porosity, firescale, pinholes and scratches.

If you are familiar with how to use a burnisher, then this hopefully will be a great refresher. If not, then take a few moments and read about few different kind of burnishers as well as a few accessories that go hand in hand with them.

Types of Jewelry Burnishers:

Jewelry burnishers come in several types which vary in blade size and shape. Jewelry burnishers may be straight or curved and also come in slim varieties. Blade length also differs depending on intended use. As jewelry comes in various sizes and shapes, so do jewelry burnishers; this is to offer a certain amount of specialization which is required to make superior jewelry.

 1.5 inch Curved Burnisher

Highly polished tool steel 1-1/2″ curved burnisher with hardwood handle and metal ferrule for long life.

This burnisher is oval shaped for smoothing metals or bezel setting around stones.
1.5 inch Straight Burnisher

Highly polished tool steel 1-1/2″ straight burnishers with hardwood handles and metal ferrules for long life.

Each burnisher is oval shaped for smoothing metals or bezel setting around stones.
Agate Burnisher – Knife

Natural agate stone burnishers are the perfect tool for metal clay work, applying gold and silver foil or Keum-boo applications.

Also works to burnish unfired metal clay. Can be used like a steel burnisher for smoothing metals and closing bezels, but unlike steel burnishers, they will not damage stones. 8-1/2″ long

Jewelry Burnishers and Wire Jewelry

Jewelry burnishers are also used when making wire jewelry. In this case, a jewelry burnisher is used to de-burr the ends of jewelry wire after it is cut. This is often used to finish the piece and make it look more professional.

The Bottom Line

Jewelry burnishers are used for detail work. Their purpose it to finish a piece. Using a jewelry burnisher can make an average piece look more professional.

Pick up a burnisher today and complete your jewelry toolbox!

Happy Wrapping!

 

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