Narex Round Tapered Burnisher

Stanley’s #185 Scraper burnisher was a classic tool with unique features. It featured a shaft that was tapered from the handle to the tip and included a second 30° taper at the tip. After burnishing and turning the hook on your scraper, the woodworker would draw the point of the burnisher along the burr to lift it slightly from the face of the scraper. It produced a more consistent, effective cutting angle – letting you hold the scraper nearly upright. It also insured that the cutting burr would be at the correct angle for the blade in a #80 scraper. No other burnisher could perform this final step in preparation.

The Stanley version has been out of production for some time , but woodworking teacher Phil Lowe loved it so much, that he started making his own version. We offered Phil’s excellent burnisher for several years. When he passed away, we lost a great friend and his burnisher.

Now, we’ve partnered with Narex tools in the Czech Republic to make a new version of the venerable 185 burnisher. The Rc 64 tool steel rod is 150mm (~6″) long and tapers from 9.5mm (~3/8″ at the handle to 5.3mm (~3/32″) at the spot where the 30° point starts. The 110mm (~4-3/8″) long beech handle is secured with a brass ferrule. It has a clear satin finish. Overall length is 260mm (~10-1/4″).

In the video above, Phil Lowe give’s a complete explanation of scraper preparation and use. If you want, you can skip ahead to 11:55 for the description of the tapered burnisher, but the whole video is great.

Additional Information

For more information on sharpening card scrapers, see our handout Life After Sandpaper .