THE BURNISHER
Made of hard metal, Sapphire, or synthetic Diamond, the Burnisher is a handled tool designed to cold work the surface of a component. Like a file, the Burnisher has a shape adapted to the profile of the component to be treated. However, the surface of the Burnisher has no bite. Cold working (or mechanical Burnishing) consists of superficially crushing the surface of the material. Through this operation, the roughness of the material is reduced, in the same way as Polishing, but without abrasion, which gives a Polished appearance and reduces the friction coefficient of the treated surface. Due to the crushing it undergoes, the material becomes denser and therefore harder on the surface, which also gives it better resistance to oxidation and corrosion.
Cold working, and therefore burnishers, are sometimes used in the artisanal decoration (beveling / angling) of components. However, the most common and well-known use of this technique concerns the cold working of the surface of the pivots of a movement’s wheels. In this specific case, it is referred to as “pivot burnishing” (roulage des pivots). Nowadays, burnishers are used exclusively for artisanal purposes.
Burnisher for rolling pivots
Burnisher for polishing the end of pivots
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