A Better Burnisher How to Sharpen a Card Scraper

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There are so many ways to sharpen a card scraper. Today I am showing you two ways to sharpen a card scraper. first, we will burnish the card scraper in the vice much like Paulsellers shows and second, we will sharpen the card scraper freehand like I normally do. we will also be looking at different types of burnishers to see what method is best for sharpening a card scraper. the burnisher I now use is made with an unground carbide rod.
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[@Jimbo878]

I use a 13mm HSS twist drill bit, the flutes (in a back/reverse) direction to grab, and pull the steel into a burr, then the shank to fold the burr over.

[@JamesVanderVeen]

I really appreciate what you say at 9:40 and following. I appreciate the wisdom and humility in what you say.

[@gradeez]

Totally agree!

[@criswilson1140]

I picked up a handled matte carbide burnisher like yours a few years ago and it was a game changer for me. Bigger, better, easier burrs. I have another one with a handle on both sides so that you don't have turn the card around in the vice, you just angle to the other side.

[@WoodByWrightHowTo]

nice. I love it when people master a skill like that. It is a seriously happy time when things work as you expected!

[@bkinstler]

Nice burnisher - just ordered it. But a Stanley No. 80 sure is easier than a card scraper!

[@Adamant4160]

I have been using the shank of an old carbide end mill. It works great, but I was thinking about buying a dedicated polished burnisher because I thought the matt finish on the endmill wasn't ideal. Now I know better. Saved me an unnecessary purchase. Thankyou.

[@ryanallthewiser]

Whooooho number 68!!!! That is efficient speed !!

[@gradeez]

Great video. I just bought a card scrapper but silly enough to buy a burnisher!

[@myerswoodturning6640]

Great video and information.

[@NickLuker]

One tip I picked up from Josh Farnsworth is to use your nails to test the grab on the burr and refine the burr until it's equal across the edge; you did it with your bare finger, and I'm sure that's good enough when you are more experienced. I found that also helped me get more consistent results.

[@WoodByWrightHowTo]

I know a lot of people that like to do that. It is a good one!

[@red58impala]

Nice James. I might have to give it a try. I own a Veritas tri-burnisher, a Clifton, and some other brand and I struggle to turn a burr. This might be just the ticket!

[@WoodByWrightHowTo]

hope it helps feel free to send me an email and I would gladly try to help out.

[@HibikiKano]

Actually, I use a ceramic pipe used to blow oxygen into molten steel. Super hard, and just a tiny bit grippy. Also quite light for its size. Don't know how well it compares but it serves me 😊

[@tdkrei]

Thanks for that, card scrappers drive me NUTS, and that's a short putt. Tried just about everything I've seen with little but some success. I look into your suggestion.

[@WoodByWrightHowTo]

Good luck man. feel free to email me and we can talk it through.

[@pjzz2000]

I bought a cheap and small burnisher, but I guess it's softer than the better quality scapers I bought. There are cuts and ridges across the burnisher, and of course no hook. I have a ceramic sharpening stone, but also a ceramic knife sharpening "steel". I tried this for the burnishing and it seems to work great; the very fine abrasive ceramic surface draws out the hook nicely.

[@WoodByWrightHowTo]

Perfect. Those will treat you well.

[@MichaelKieweg]

I use a file to square the scraper up and then a burnisher from Crown. And just a few days ago, I bought the Veritas burnishing tool at dictum but haven"t tried it yet.

[@WoodByWrightHowTo]

I use to use a file. I know a lot of people that like to do ti that way.

[@hassanal-mosawi6049]

Thanks for sharing that

[@WoodByWrightHowTo]

My pleasure. Thanks for first!

[@athmostafa2462]

Nice , thanks 😊 .

[@desertmountain3663]

when using a file to burnish, i use the handle tang area

[@sgctactics]

I lost it on the last line, I'm setting mousetraps right now! XD Have you ever thought of running the smooth carbide rods over your diamond plates? I work in a metal shop and have access to more carbide inserts than I'll ever find a use for, and I've reshaped the bevels of several on my DMTs to work for wood with less time than I expected. So I can image that a quick minute of swiping on a fine or maybe even coarse plate would be more than enough to render any piece of smooth carbide more effective as a burnisher. Now I'm thinking about all the broken concrete drills, old router/milling bits, retired chopsaw blades, and turning inserts that I have laying around, haha...

[@WoodByWrightHowTo]

Now that is an interesting idea. I've never thought of that one I would assume it would work well. Might have to give it a try sometime. Thanks for the idea.

[@Realism91]

I have some broken solid carbide 1/16 router bits for inlay that I'm about to repurpose the same way. I'll probably make a little holder but with more holding surface so I can go fast without slipping my hand against the scraper by accident.

[@dpmeyer4867]

Thanks

[@OzDiGennaro]

I have a different brand of a similar burnisher. Same material, same form factor. From Amazon. And it is way way better than using a knife sharpener - which DOES NOT WORK. Great video. I'm not getting your curls yet. I'll keep at it.

[@FredMcIntyre]

Thanks for the info James! 😃👍🏻👊🏻

[@johnoerter2883]

Thank you! I ordered a rod …

[@theenderface7379]

I use a Narex burnisher almost all of the time. When I misplace it or my four year old decides it's a sword for the day, I use an old screw driver from the 1920's that's actually harder than my burnisher but the shank has been dinged up over the decades in my family so I prefer the burnisher. I stick to the smooth burnishers because they press out the hook, not draw it out. I've used textured burnishers in the past and I personally get a finer finish with a smooth one.

[@ellisjoel6109]

sorry to be offtopic but does someone know of a method to log back into an Instagram account..? I somehow forgot the password. I would love any assistance you can offer me!

[@creedbodhi6206]

@Ellis Joel instablaster ;)

[@ellisjoel6109]

@Creed Bodhi I really appreciate your reply. I got to the site through google and I'm waiting for the hacking stuff now. Looks like it's gonna take quite some time so I will get back to you later when my account password hopefully is recovered.

[@ellisjoel6109]

@Creed Bodhi it worked and I finally got access to my account again. I'm so happy:D Thank you so much you saved my ass :D

[@creedbodhi6206]

@Ellis Joel Glad I could help :D

[@trolltaker]

I have that exact same Hoffman/Germany knife steel, Jim! I recently paid a premium for a Czech Edge scraper hone because I found that my Bahco card steel was just too hard for other options. It works, but not as well as that Hoffman steel, as I found out when I tried it after watching your video! (your timing on this was impeccable, BTW. I had been wondering why I couldn't scrape shavings off the poplar I had been using)

[@WoodByWrightHowTo]

Glad I could help. Poplar and pine are incredibly difficult to scrape give me a good hard maple any day.

[@bradsopic1586]

I have been using a nail set to burnish with decent enough results but it's not great every time I will have to look into one of those. It looks like it would work much better

[@WoodByWrightHowTo]

How fun. That would work I'll have to add that to the list of things to mention to people when they're looking for a cheap one. Thanks

[@bradsopic1586]

I got that idea from a Paul Sellers article

[@moonwolf7135]

I have a dfm card scraper but I can't get mi e to bend like you do, can you give me a suggestion on what I could do. I thought about doing what April Wilkerson or Anne of All Trades did they made a holder with a bend in and a bolt to adjust the bend.

[@WoodByWrightHowTo]

that depends on the stiffness of card you chose. some are too thick to bend. and some bend really easily. some people like to use a strait card rather then a bent one. but there are some people with out the grip straigh and making a holder is the answer.

[@moonwolf7135]

@@WoodByWrightHowTo no sure what one I got I bought it off of Amazon and I don't remember if it said what type it was

[@steh8217]

I have bought a burnisher online in the past and it was just awful.. i resorted to the sage-edge of a file in the end. But i think im gonna get james' brunisher kit 👍

[@jhowe5571]

You burnished me with that! Ouch!!! :-)

[@reprosser]

Does the rough surface smooth out over time - how quickly?

[@WoodByWrightHowTo]

I am guessing with years of use maybe. but due to the extreme difference in hardness It would take a wile. I have been using mine for 4+ months now.

[@hellomate639]

I found that using a nice high carbon burnishing rod as a honing rod in the sharpening process for my kitchen knives made them hair popping sharp. Another question.... Have you thought of testing a ceramic honing rod, as are used for high carbon steel Japanese knives?

[@WoodByWrightHowTo]

I have tried Ceramic, but they chip easily and I have not found one I like for direct pressure in the edge of a card. they work better on a knife as it is not on the edge but the bevel of the knife.

[@hellomate639]

@@WoodByWrightHowTo Ha, thanks for saving me an experiment!

[@23weasel23]

What’s the name of that kind of wood rasp, with the crescent ridges? I keep looking for it but don’t know what it’s called

[@WoodByWrightHowTo]

That is a crescent file or a curved tooth file. I got mine through taytools.com

[@23weasel23]

@@WoodByWrightHowTo thanks so much. 3 years of internet searching over!

[@michaels.8663]

I clicked on your video and you click for me! So I'm happy!

[@ninitehchsnavi5238]

Couldnt you rough up a smooth carbide rod with some coarse sandpaper?

[@WoodByWrightHowTo]

Yes. a few have done that, and it does help quite a bit. it is not quite the same texture, but it is far better then smooth.

[@reforzar]

👍🏻👍🏻

[@TheRealLikeButton]

Is the burnisher the one sold by DFM Toolworks?

[@WoodByWrightHowTo]

No. His are slightly different.

[@TheRealLikeButton]

Ok. I just received my DFM scrapers and burnisher yesterday. Card is fantastic, but after burnishing with the same method you showed, I am not having the same results.as I first did. And I can feel the hook on both sides. I do not have a diamond plate to I couldn't square the edge prior to burnishing. Any tips. Iv have never used a scraper or a burnisher before today and I wish I had discovered these sooner.

[@ianstewart7605]

@@TheRealLikeButton Many people use a file to square off the edge, others use an oil stone or whatever you sharpen your edges on. If using a file, draw file it (pull straight along the edge with the file square across the edge).

[@davidvance7339]

Please explain purpose of a card scrapper. Why not just use a sander? Thank you for any feedback so I can understand its purpose.

[@WoodByWrightHowTo]

It is faster and cleaner then sand paper and does not fill the pours with dust. the down side is it takes more skill to use and sharpen. sand paper is cheap and any monkey can use it.

[@davidvance7339]

@@WoodByWrightHowTo Thank you for the information. I will give this a try.

[@robertdavis171]

Ending the scraper necessary?

[@alans1816]

It took me a while to figure out what your website meant by a "blue aluminum color .5" tall". I assume this is a joke, but it would be a lot clearer spelled "collar" rather than "color".

[@WoodByWrightHowTo]

Whoops. That was a spelling mistake. Unfortunately I can't see them I'll have to go back and address that one Thanks for catching it.

[@kennethnielsen3864]

12th.

[@sal1964]

I use a dowel pin but the knife steel is a better idea

[@ssweat]

could you pull the card, rather than pushing it? seems like it would take less energy to drag it

[@WoodByWrightHowTo]

sure. It takes the same amount of energy to push or pull any tool, though some people have refined those muscles better for one operation over the other.

[@ssweat]

@@WoodByWrightHowTo thank you

[@robthompson8285]

Rob Cosman is adamant about using a highly polished burnishing steel to use on your card scarper. Does this matter?

[@WoodByWrightHowTo]

I'm much prefer the unfinished carbide. It grabs the steel far better. I've even used knife steals from the kitchen. Those have texture on them and work just fine.

[@robthompson8285]

@@WoodByWrightHowTo Good deal, Ill try it out. Thanks, James

[@TimTimTomTom]

Cosman is about as knowledgeable as they come. I'm sure it's easier with a textured burnisher, but if you look at that burr under magnification, it's going to be far more inconsistent than one made by a smooth burnisher. I guess it depends what kind of work you're doing, at the end of the day.

[@Montezuma03]

Do you have tremors in your hands?

[@WoodByWrightHowTo]

I have always been shaky there is a reason I am not a surgeon. LOL

[@Montezuma03]

@@WoodByWrightHowTo Haha, sometimes I wonder if it's just a little shake, or if you're applying lots of force

[@chuckgrumble5440]

@@WoodByWrightHowTo but you are a tree surgeon

[@W4ldgeist]

And he was like "The Germans are... different". :D

[@darkounet3478]

I'm really surprised to see that all your burnishers are round... in my experience, these actually don't work that well because you need to push somewhat hard... I feel you need a way smaller radius, like a edge with a small radius. I personnaly use a ground three sided sawfile (its common practice in europe) that was beyond its usefull life. Once polished it is a killer. Honnestly, i would not call the side you burnished with the knife burnisher "sharp", it seems like quite a poor edge to me

[@WoodByWrightHowTo]

I tried pointed burnishers before but I never much cared for them as If you're not careful they roll on you and then you're running on a flat surface. Or they'll end up dinging the surface with a point. But in the end it's a personal preference.

[@darkounet3478]

@@WoodByWrightHowTo very interresting... maybe i'm not pushing hard enough when i use round burnishers. With pointy burnishers i don't need to push very hard. To give an idea, i push so lightly (since the radius around the edge is a fraction of the radius of the round rod) that it's not wanting to rotate. I'll try to push harder with a round one then. You can't get into corners with round ones though.

[@WoodByWrightHowTo]

I don't push very hard at all with mine it's a little more than the weight of the burner shirt itself. It really depends on how hard it is. If it's soft steel or even mildly hard like a knife rod then you need to really force them in. But if it's good extra hard steel or in this case a carbide rod you don't need much of any force at all

[@darkounet3478]

Btw james i have been scraping a lot theses days, i've been rethinking about this video. I discovered that scrappers can get much sharper than that (actually you can get a single thin shaving by stroke in oak and poplar). So what i considered sharp (lots of small fluffy curls and a bit of dust) when i'll first commented is now somehow a dull scrapper. Sadly I have no real clue on what changed in my sharpening routine to achieve this (i think i press a little harder, maybe with the triangular burnisher the pressure is more concentrated, idk) and i dont think it is longer to sharpen 🙃

[@Andre_the_Lion]

I'm glad the textured/matte rods work better for you, and I'm grateful for the tip, so I may try this. However, I dislike the confusion around sharpening and knife honing rods, so I want to point out that a burnisher should be smooth. By using something more textured, you are blurring the line between cutting and burnishing. This might improve your results sharpening your card scraper faster and easier, but you should not be using a grooved "hone" for freehand knife edge maintenance, and many other uses for burnishers would suffer from this change. In burnishing for smooth metal wear surfaces, you want a burnisher that is very hard, very smooth, and probably oiled to produce a hardened, polished wear surface. Glad this works for card scrapers, but be wary applying these ideas to other kinds of blade maintenance or burnishing.

[@essextwo]

I bought that gimmicky, stupid “SpeedySharp” tool that’s essentially a carbide saw tooth with a handle. I got it on sale, but if you have a grinder and an old saw blade, one could make one in a few minutes. I LOVE the knife steel idea, I can make the new one my kitchen goto, and put the old one in my shop. Stellar vid. 👊🪵