Spoon Burnishing

I've been wanting to publish a video on spoon burnishing for quite awhile and, according to the results of my recent KZbin poll, you've been wanting me to film it as well! Everyone is quick to ask "what's the best oil to finish my spoons with?", as if its the single largest variable in your spoon's overall finish. This just isn't the case, as you'll see proof of in the last segment of this video. Be sure to watch until the end, where I'll be demonstrating this important step in spoon finishing. Hopefully, I'm able to shed some light on a topic that isn't given the attention I feel it should be. Please like, Comment, Subscribe, and Share on your social media pages. This lets me know you want to see more in the future!
To PURCHASE A BURNISHING TOOL or other items from my Etsy shop 👇👇
www.etsy.com/s...
To PURCHASE SPOONS I’ve carved 👇👇
www.facebook.c...
My Facebook Page👇👇
/ srhhearn
My Instagram Page👇👇
/ srhearn0908
To PURCHASE MY SPOON TEMPLATES from The Spoon Crank👇👇
thespooncrank....
thespooncrank....
And for those of you who are interested in the 4 posters shown on the wall of my carving space, you can find them here👇👇
barnthespoon.c...

[@unitytira4954]

Just want to say thank you so much for sharing this simple and beautiful technique of making the spoon elegant. Blessings.

[@HuronSpoonCo]

You’re very welcome!

[@cooperwelsh3471]

Just found your channel. I am new in spoon carving. Gives me so much stress relief. Cheers from the Netherlands and thanks for sharing

[@HuronSpoonCo]

Welcome to the community and thank you for the comment!

[@cooperwelsh3471]

Just tried a flat rounded stone from my driveway works perfect and I wil polish a piece of deer antler. Keep on doing the good work and enjoy your day

[@oldwagon-pens]

Thank you for sharing the burnishing technique. I could see where that makes a difference.

[@HuronSpoonCo]

You’re very welcome!

[@egbluesuede1220]

just received my HSC burnisher in the mail and already burnished one of my older spoons. It immediately improved the texture and sheen, and made the grain pop. This is a game changer for me! Thanks for sharing and thanks for the quick delivery. I also bought one of your spoons to reference when carving my next spoon. I just wanted to see what a talented carver can do, and aspire to something like that with more practice. Also, wanted to thank you for such great instructional content as well as sharing your time answering questions.

[@HuronSpoonCo]

Well thank you so much for the kind comment! I’m super happy the burnisher is working out for you and extremely honored to receive such compliments. Best of luck in all you do and thank you for the spoon love🥰

[@swedisharcher9405]

Really like your tool wall👌

[@HuronSpoonCo]

Thank you!! It’s a work on progress and I’m considering making it larger so I have more of my tools at my fingertips

[@JohnColgan.]

I have mixed skills and mixed styles. Japanese planes are super sharp and planing will leave a polished surface on the wood that closes and burnished the new cut fibres so well, that they shine. Sanding actually degrades the surface. Just started Carving & whittling, 1st lesson on testing sharp knife and knife sharpening was not can it slice paper, my penknife can do that. But can it leave polished, shiney surface is a completely different level of sharpness

[@randycole2454]

Wonderful video!! Very informative. Thanks for taking the time to put these great videos out.

[@HuronSpoonCo]

You’re so welcome!☺️

[@KochenmitKarl]

Very informative and helpful. Thank you.

[@HuronSpoonCo]

You're very welcome! Glad it was helpful!

[@quinntheeskimooutdoors6234]

Thanks for showing us and take care.

[@HuronSpoonCo]

You’re welcome! Thanks for the comment and well wishes!

[@dlh1939]

Nice video, thanks for posting this.

[@HuronSpoonCo]

Thanks for watching!

[@bobrees4363]

This makes sense to me. Sandpaper is a relatively recent invention, especially the throwaway nature of it. Woodworkers of 2-300 (and more) years ago used scrapers and boning (burnishing by another name) to get a smooth finish.

[@HuronSpoonCo]

Yes! Finally, someone gets it!

[@ashleyhoward8926]

I agree, but actually they also used the skin of dogfish. It is pretty rough & Tough & up to the job.

[@hussienalhayek555]

You are a creative person, I hope to become like you

[@HuronSpoonCo]

Thank you very much!

[@susanp.collins7834]

No. You want to become like YOU.

[@finleycarves]

Thanks for another great video! Well done!

[@HuronSpoonCo]

Thank you so much 🙂

[@jlaguilar369]

Just started carving and this is the first time I see this process. Pretty cool I’ll have to try it out.

[@HuronSpoonCo]

Let us know what you think!

[@jlaguilar369]

@@HuronSpoonCo I tried it on a simple Tbsp I carved and what a difference . I used an antler I had from an old hunt and it worked great. Will be using this method for now on. Although I still do a little sanding because my knife skills are a little rough.

[@HuronSpoonCo]

I sanded my first few spoons as well. My second year of carving, I made an oath to never sand a spoon again and I can honestly say it was the biggest contributing factor to improving your knife finish.

[@johndagostino2451]

Horon spoon co . I use vegetable cooking oil then I put my spoons in oven to darken them and pop grain out it also hardens spoons you had to keep eye out you don’t get too dark finish or burn them I use a smooth pebble to burnish a spoon but yeah your so bang on the bucks greetings from the uk 🇬🇧 👍🐾🦊🇮🇹

[@HuronSpoonCo]

The problem with vegetable oil is that it has a shelf life so it is prone to going rancid just like anything else that expires. It also doesn’t polymerize, meaning it stays liquid within the wood and doesn’t offer any protection whatsoever.

[@johndagostino2451]

Huron spoon interesting I never had any issues using it I applied it very spareingly the oven baked spoon takes care of rest besides I’m not financially well off so I improvise is why I chose whittling as I has plenty of my favourite pocket knives the Barlow and couple saks greetings from the uk 🇬🇧 👍🐾🦊🇮🇹

[@susanp.collins7834]

John, what heat and for how long? Thanks!

[@petersmedley459]

@@johndagostino2451I also love using polished stones and antler for burnishing wood carvings (the antler tip can be shaped, then polished, to get into all different bits of Celtic knotwork). I also use Walnut oil and cold pressed pure Linseed oil to finish as I’d heard that vegetable oil/olive oil would go rancid. Then I recently read a blog from Paul Sellers where he said that he used Olive oil on his spoons. My eras (eyes?) pricked up. He addressed the point of the oil apparently going rancid and said that he was still using spoons from thirty plus years ago that he had finished with Olive oil and had never had a problem from it. Perhaps it’s the quality of the oil used? I shall experiment!

[@GandalfFTWXx]

Subbed today. Thanks alot for your Videos. They are super helpful and contain clear instructions. You are strictly talking usefull information. Thanks again for putting out this Content free of Charge❤️. Keep up the good work👍

[@HuronSpoonCo]

Thanks for the sub! So happy a few folks are able to take something from my content😊

[@nauticalnewf]

Great video, very informative!😃

[@HuronSpoonCo]

I’m glad you found it helpful! Thanks for watching and for the comment🙂

[@paulfollo8172]

Great video! Very useful info! Thanks for sharing. 👍

[@HuronSpoonCo]

You bet! Thanks for watching!

[@MrPaulbibby77]

Loved this vid !! I must get one of those mineral / glass burnishing tools

[@HuronSpoonCo]

Thanks for the comment, Paul. I'm not sure if it would be worth the shipping for you (likely around $18.00 to ship on top of $20.00 for the cost of the burnisher itself) but if you'd like one, I can certainly send one your way if you'd like to message me your shipping details through FB or IG.

[@troybranaman316]

Wow that made such a difference !! I do some leather working so I understand why you burnish. It makes so much sence . Great informative video as always Shawn. Take care and stay safe my friend !!!

[@HuronSpoonCo]

You are so welcome!

[@001photo]

Do you prefer to oil before or after burnishing? Also, if you bake your spoons do you think it's better to burnish before or after? Thanks for sharing information and taking the time to make the video!

[@HuronSpoonCo]

Thanks for watching and for the comment! Great questions! I always oil after burnishing and I always burnish after I bake.

[@001photo]

@@HuronSpoonCo thanks for your reply!

[@HuronSpoonCo]

Of course!😊

[@jimclement5637]

@@HuronSpoonCo Another great video, I appreciate what you do. I wonder if you oil first would the burnishing force the oil deeper into the wood?

[@HuronSpoonCo]

@@jimclement5637 I’ve tried oiling first before and it just makes it more difficult to see where you’ve burnished and where you haven’t yet

[@maurolimaok]

Nice channel!

[@HuronSpoonCo]

Thank you!

[@bluesideup007]

Love you instructions and philosophy of spoon carving for enjoyment and improving you skill. All of my spoons are pretty rustic and more suitable for trolls (the kind under bridges). Would it make sense to first oil the spoons, then burnish? Burnishing will close the pores and prevent the oils from soaking in.

[@HuronSpoonCo]

Thank you! It’s a common misconception that a finishing oil needs to “soak in”. It’s kind of backwards thinking actually because the deeper the oil penetrates, the more difficult it is to polymerize (assuming we’re talking about a polymerizing oil- which is the only kind suitable for spoons, in my opinion). Polymerizing oils should be applied in very thin coats. Thin coats can be cured quickly and then more coats applied, if desired. I’ve seen folks actually soaking their spoons in oil overnight because they believe it provides protection. Penetration doesn’t equal protection though- polymerization does.

[@bluesideup007]

@@HuronSpoonCo Thank you for the reply, that's very interesting. In other applications (furniture building, exterior home wood repair, axe head end grain, etc) I use hardware store "boiled" linseed oil (with probably toxic driers) and a variable thinning with a bit of turpentine and can watch it "soak in", and later more will soak in, decreasing with each application over time. On a few occasions on old weathered wood windowsills, many years later, I cut the wood apart and could see 2-3mm of penetration which firmed up the wood (and also allowed a top coat of oil based paint to adhere). I assumed, perhaps incorrectly, that something like that would occur with spoons too, especially since carving curves, like the bowl, exposes end-grain. For spoons, I use food grade linseed (flax seed) oil for initial application, then a period of partial drying (days to weeks), For a finish, several coats of General Finishes Salad Bowl Finish (now called Bowl Finish). Tried and True Original with linseed and beeswax is purported to be very good as well, but I have not tried it. I may have to re-think my methods.

[@crazycajun85]

Do you have a video on the oilng process. Like applying the oil, and how to let it cure and such. And how long it normally takes before the spoon is ready to be used.

[@HuronSpoonCo]

I actually don’t. That’s something that depends on a lot of factors. Also, my curing process is likely different than 99% of carvers since I use a kiln I built earlier this year to speed things up.

[@wbrussell19]

Eye opening video for me. Thanks. I am where you were when you first started. I sand. I am assuming with your method you do not bother raising the grain with water?

[@HuronSpoonCo]

That’s correct, no raising the grain. It quicker, easier, and much more enjoyable.

[@robg521]

I’m sanding mine, then oiling and then burnishing, but that’s cause I haven’t got your skill yet 😂

[@HuronSpoonCo]

Just a heads up- sanding will almost always leave a fuzzy finish. Burnishing will certainly compress the fibers and give a silkier feel, but once the spoon is moist again the fibers will undoubtedly raise up again.

[@robg521]

@@HuronSpoonCo Thanks Up until now I’ve been struggling with my skill level with the knife for the final finishing, and have been using the sanding as a method to get the final shape, Recently I’ve managed to do a few with only the knife to almost the exact final shape, but then sanded them to remove the flat spots and carving marks. Practice makes perfect as they say. 😁

[@HuronSpoonCo]

@robg521 absolutely!

[@stephenenglish8041]

Hi, I really enjoy your spoon carving videos so instructive, especially this one on burnishing, is there anyway of purchasing one of your agate burnishers as I am in England and can't get one from your Etsy shop. Any help would be much appreciated.

[@HuronSpoonCo]

Absolutely! If you’d like to send me your shipping information through my Facebook or Instagram, I’d be happy to get you a shipping quote 😊

[@susanp.collins7834]

You DON'T want to know how I made my first spoon! I did everything except chew chunks out with my teeth! (Hmmm - I have just had a BRILLIANT idea...)

[@HuronSpoonCo]

😂😂😂

[@johannesdevries6617]

thank you!

[@HuronSpoonCo]

You're welcome! Thanks so much for watching!

[@djsteviet8014]

This was news to me after several years of sanding the crap out of my spoons. Do you oil the spoons after burnishing or leave them?

[@HuronSpoonCo]

I oil lightly after I burnish using a food safe polymerizing oil and then let it cure fully before use

[@MrMarkusmc18]

Great video Sean! Love all the detail you go into. The piece of antler you have, how did you get it so polished and rounded? I have a few pieces around the house, that the dog has lost all interest in, that I was hoping to repurpose.

[@HuronSpoonCo]

Thanks very much! As for the antler, I’ve had mixed results trying to get the end perfect on different pieces of antler. I hand sanded the one you see in the video up to 6000 grit and stripped the heck out of it on bare leather as well. The problem I find is that some pieces of antler are able to be completely smoothed while with others, the marrow doesn’t smooth out well and will leave scratches in your spoon. If you can find a piece absent of marrow, you’ll surely be good to go!

[@MrMarkusmc18]

@@HuronSpoonCo will take a look and see if we have any kicking about without marrow then!

[@cooperwelsh3471]

Just tried to order a spoon burnishing tool 😢but not possible to ship to the Netherlands

[@HuronSpoonCo]

I can ship to the Netherlands but the postage will be expensive. You’d just have to send your full shipping details through Etsy messaging

[@cooperwelsh3471]

Thanks for your answer I will try to find something similar in the Netherlands

[@mastaL91]

Luckily for me, I love picking up cool rocks from when I visit lake superior. I heard about burnishing after I started getting into carving and I had to look around for them. Again, luckily for me, I have a couple good candidates including one that is like an elongated curving guitar pick so it should work well for handles. All that to say, checkout lakes and beaches for smooth rocks! Or keep an eye out for shed deer antlers.

[@Pejatube]

why did he said that wood treated with polimerised oil turn into "food safe plastic" when there is no plastic involved? 7:00

[@HuronSpoonCo]

It’s obviously not plastic in a literal sense. Actual plastic is made from crude oil- which is why I made the reference that a polymerizing oil turns into something that feels like plastic.

[@saraservant]

Burnish, then oil, right?

[@HuronSpoonCo]

Correct!

[@d4r1d]

Hello sir, I have a raw wood canary guitar neck. It comes with a factory 250 grit sanding, and most in the guitar/warmoth community sand this up to about 2000 grit (starting with 600), and then the neck is super shiny, burnished, smoother, and faster to play. Seeing how you burnish, I am inclined to think your method would provide similar or better results. Would you recommend using a smooth stone or doing what all of my compadres in the guitar community have done? Is there any risks with one over the other? I don’t need to reshape the neck at all, just close the cells and make it as smooth as possible. This was a great video, thank you!

[@HuronSpoonCo]

Thanks for your comment! I would think using the side of my burnishers on a guitar neck would work amazingly!

[@d4r1d]

@@HuronSpoonCo I think so too, but it’s always tough being the first to try something, especially on one’s own instrument haha. And I’m admittedly in between two sets of expert opinions; guitar techs who have always done it one way and woodworkers. I don’t think that trying either way prevents me from roughing it up with a lower grit sandpaper and trying the other, correct? Say I try one of your burnishers first, if for some reason it isn’t what I need, I can always go back and use paper, right?

[@HuronSpoonCo]

You could, yes. I would suggest trying one of my burnishers on a piece of wood with similar Janka hardness and see if it’s a result you like.

[@d4r1d]

@@HuronSpoonCo Thank you so much. I’m ordering a burnisher now. I guess I have one final question. Since you don’t sand at all anymore, is there an equivalent “grit” to your finishing cuts? I ask, because this is already sanded to 250, but I am assuming that your finishing cuts are smoother than that. So maybe I sand up to 1000 grit, then use the burnishing tool.

[@HuronSpoonCo]

The burnisher will make pretty much any wood surface smoother/shinier. The thing about sanding is that instead of cutting the wood fibers, you’re abrading them. A knife finish along with burnishing will always give you a better finish than sanding and burnishing. I would suggest trying the 1000 grit before burnishing and if you aren’t quite satisfied with the results, move up to 1500 and then burnish.

[@larryrichards7572]

Just to verify or clarify, you do not use any oil, beeswax, etc. for your knives or spoons? Just burnish and done?

[@HuronSpoonCo]

I do use a finish, yes. Mahoney’s is my finish of choice once I’ve burnished and I sometimes use my kiln to cure it quickly. The purpose of this video was to show that burnishing can improve your finishing process by leaps and bounds and is so effective that it even makes the finish on unfinished spoons look much better

[@CaptainPhantom93]

I dont see the burnishing tools on your Etsy page. Are they still available?

[@HuronSpoonCo]

I’m no longer able to get them from the same supplier and the price of buying them elsewhere has gone way up so I’ve had to discontinue selling them.

[@CaptainPhantom93]

@HuronSpoonCo that makes perfect sense. I really appreciate you you letting me know. Thank you for the video as well it helped me a lot!

[@HuronSpoonCo]

You’re very welcome! I’m sorry I couldn’t be more help.

[@HuronSpoonCo]

@jeriahsmith2711 I’m expecting a VERY small batch of burnishers in the next week or less. I’ve setup a preorder system on my social media pages. Basically, all it takes is a message there as well as prepayment and that secures a slot for one of the burnishers I have on the way.

[@CaptainPhantom93]

@@HuronSpoonCo thank you so much for the heads up!

[@drgreenthumb8137]

Awesome job man. Do you sell any products.

[@HuronSpoonCo]

I do, actually. My burnishers, along with other carving related items and carvings, can be found in my Etsy shop at: www.etsy.com/shop/HuronSpoonCo

[@simonbarnard1861]

Do you burnish before or after oiling?

[@HuronSpoonCo]

Always before oiling

[@martinhawrylkiewicz2025]

Start the vid at 17min...

[@susanp.collins7834]

Nonsense!

[@ps1538]

I sand AND burnish. Am I doing too much? 😂😂

[@HuronSpoonCo]

I would say yes, personally.

[@ps1538]

@@HuronSpoonCo I see, I kind of like the result tho, but on my next spoon I'm gonna try burnish only see how it goes, might have to ditch sanding and save some time lol

[@HuronSpoonCo]

Once you refine your knife skills enough, you learn that sanding isn’t necessary. That being said, if it’s how you enjoy doing things and you like the result, they’re nothing wrong with continuing.

[@susanp.collins7834]

Look, instead of burnishing, can you not use abrasive polish.

[@HuronSpoonCo]

Abrading wood just creates torn fibers, which is not conducive to a good finish. Plus, if there is a method that’s inexpensive, quick, and easy- why wouldn’t I use it?