Broom corn burnisher, or polissoirs, experiences.

[Bryan Deel]

Just received a package from the Broom Brothers and am pretty impressed with the surface it left on an oak burl. I'm thinking of using it on some maple, cherry and walnut live edge material and wondering if anyone has any advise on the process. I have burnished tabletops with wax before, and it works great until heat + moisture is introduced. Is the broom corn method any different as far as protection? I would love to here about some experiences with these things.

Is this how pie safes and other home appliances used to be finished?
Cheers

[Mel Fulks]

Never used a burnisher like that but I have used the "horse tail" plants,which actually contain silica. Moxon mentioned them in his 17th century writing but called horse tail "Dutch reeds"I'm guessing other plants were used ,too.

[Stanley Covington]

They have a similar burnisher used here in Japan, except instead of broom corn, it is made from plant roots wrapped up into a tight bundle.
The one above is horsehair, and the one below is roots. It is called an "uzukuri" in Japanese. Used dry without wax. depending on the stiffness of the bristles, the pressure applied, and the number of strokes, it removes or compresses the softer summer grain and leaves the harder winter grain in softwoods proud, making the grain really pop out. This can be finished or left as-is.




There are also electrical machines that do the same thing but faster, and bit rougher, as in the case of floors. No slivers, despite the appearance.


A very nice finish with a wonderful tactile quality I am fond of. It screams "WOOD!!!"

Stan

[Frank Drew]

Stan,

That technique and finish are new to me but I like the results a lot -- thanks for posting the pictures.

[Andrae Covington]

Stan,

That technique and finish are new to me but I like the results a lot -- thanks for posting the pictures.

New to me too, very interesting. I wonder how difficult it is to keep clean though... More appropriate for a culture or a household that always takes their shoes off so they don't track in mud.

[Bryan Deel]

Wow Stan, very cool. I would like to see the horse hair finish. I cringe when using the broomcorn, feeling like it should be scratching, but it works really well. I just finished a walnut base, and will work on the maple top tomorrow and post some pictures. Looking at the horsehair burnisher make me wonder if it would be better at bring out figure…

[Stanley Covington]

Wow Stan, very cool. I would like to see the horse hair finish. I cringe when using the broomcorn, feeling like it should be scratching, but it works really well. I just finished a walnut base, and will work on the maple top tomorrow and post some pictures. Looking at the horsehair burnisher make me wonder if it would be better at bring out figure…

The horsehair uzukuri are very gentle, and therefore not very effective for making the grain stand out. Better for polishing after the hard work is done with a stiffer uzukuri.

Stan

[Warren Mickley]

Both Diderot and Roubo recommend using rush (jonc) for a polissoir. Rush is somewhat softer and more flexible than broom corn.

[Mike Brady]

These can be used effectively while finishing turnings while still on the lathe. I have a broom corn burnisher, but honestly I have not found much practical use for it, but then again, I don't make period furniture.

[Cody Kemble]

It may be hard to clean, but I just can't get over that floor.

[Judson Green]

Does this make the surface harder?

Would you recommended for a kitchen table?

[Stanley Covington]

It may be hard to clean, but I just can't get over that floor.

Not especially hard to clean with a vacuum, no more difficult than the rough-sawn pine, and certainly easier to maintain than the antiqued adze-finished country French style the designers like so much.

Let me stress, however, that an uzukuri used by hand works fine for texturing furniture, but for big spaces like floors, or for harder woods, power tools are the only way to go. Also it works best for woods with a distinct difference in hardness between winter and summer wood. It works great for sugi (cedar), as shown in the floor pics, or for kiri (paulownia) as in the drawer front, or most any pine. Not so well for bubinga or maple.

Another common technique used in Japan is to char the surface of the wood with a very wide-spread blowtorch, and then polish it with an uzukuri creating both a dark, very durable, non-chemical color, and even deeper grain definition.　Similar process are used in the US, but not usually for fine furniture. Here's a pic of a fairly low-contrast example.

Here"s another one that has been toasted, cleaned up with an uzukuri, and then pickled.

Here's a link to a page with the burning in process. Don't do this in the living room kids! http://www.tansu.com/%E5%92%8C%E5%85...4%BC%E5%B8%AB/

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AMaXLvD39Ag

Stan

[Stanley Covington]

Judson:

I don't think it makes the surface harder per se, since wood does not work-harden like metals. On the other hand, the softer summer grain is eroded leaving harder winter grain standing proud, so the very top surface would, on average, be more or less as hard as the winter grain.

It works fine for table tops if you want a textured surface. But remember, it is not just looks, and the surface is no longer smooth afterwards. How much the wood surface becomes textured is up to you. Slivers are not a problem however. And don't forget, it doesn't work for all woods, so make sure you test it on a piece of scrap, or perhaps a hidden place on the underside of the table, first.

Stan

[Judson Green]

Thanks Stanley.

I don't think it for me, for application, but maybe in the future.

[Cody Kemble]

I remember watching a video of the charring some time ago. They used a wide iron that had been heated in coals. There was a description and talking during the video, but not in English. The finished product was incredible.