Burnisher

[VicParticipant @vic]

This looks interesting.

https://youtu.be/mB_C8VdZ0r0?si=wxWPhufI4ejlPtJN

[BazyleParticipant @bazyle]

Nice lathe, tailstock probably weights as much as my whole lathe.

[JourneymanParticipant @journeyman]

Good video, to the point and no unnecessary waffle. Can’t say I have ever seen a tool like that before but it definitely improves the surface finish. I wonder if it gives any added hardness or other property change to the surface. Do you need to make any allowance for using it  or doesn’t it change the diameter of the piece?

John

[VicParticipant @vic]

I did see another slightly easier build. The ball bearing just slips in the end – the tool had no retaining cap. I don’t have the materials to hand or I might make one.

[Peter Cook 6Participant @petercook6]

It’s a nice home brew version of some of the production burnishing tools  like these Burnishing Tools – Cogsdill.

I’m not sure my little lathe would like the side forces implied very much, although a version with two balls based on a  scissor knurling tool might be interesting.

How much hardening you get seems to be quite limited. The description of work hardening in the the burnishing external roller burnishing machine section of that site claims that ‘With certain materials, increases in surface hardness of up to 3 points on the Rockwell “C” scale are attainable. ‘ Which isn’t a lot. What is achieved is a mirror finish in one pass.

[Author]

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