Sanding, Scraping, or Burnishing... What's Are the Differences?

[Rasch Chronicles]

Evening everyone!

My understanding for many years was that going past 220 grit effectively burnishes the wood thereby preventing the proper absorbtion of any finish. After reading that folks purposely burnish their stocks, I am confused as to whether I am laboring under an old wive's tale. Scraping is considered to leave the smoothest finish on the wood, but it leaves by neccesity, a clean cut surface, leaving ever pore wide open.. Burnishing, on the other hand crushes the surface layer smooth. Sandpaper in effect abrades the surface, averageing out the highs and lows. The finest of the dust must fill the pores, but at least the wood can still absorb the finish.

So, does anyone actually know what happens to wood when we prepare it in the aforementioned ways?

Inquiring minds want to know!

Best Regards,
Albert A Rasch
The Rasch Outdoor Chronicles
Lions in the Yard!
ΜOΛΩΝ ΛΑΒΕ!

[54Bucks]

 Good sandpaper(those not made with sand nor clogged) will cut wood fibres. As does a scraper. Burnishing is quite different depending on what the preceeding step was and what is used to burnish with. If scraped well...burnishing probably still has a tendency to smash microscopic fibers down. I don't think any liquid type penetrating stain,including aqua fortis,is hampered by any method as wood fibres(not just pores) absorb. Including those pore with dry sanding dust. I do think scraping takes more skill to do, as does keeping them sharp enough to function well.

[Dr. Tim-Boone]

I have come to like scraping ( sometime sanding some areas) then I stain. Next I seal with shellac and sand back to bare wood and then burnish with a crumpled brown paper bag and a smooth antler point. Then apply finish.  The scraping reduces whiskers. the shellac seals and will hold down missed whiskers especially after burnishing. Burnishing gives a really smooth surface for applying finish......That's just the way my myth works...how about yours??

[Jim Kibler]

Paper finer than 220 grit can certainly cut wood just fine.  Burnishing is usually restricted to after staining at the earliest, in order to not close off pores for stain absorbtion.  The primary reason for deciding between sanding and scraping is efficeincy of work and the desired final effect.  Sanding and scraping create different final surface finishes.  Not necessarily because of pores being closed or not, but simply because of the nature of each process.  Scraping can create fine flat ridges and can follow curl to some degree depending on techniques used.  Sanding results in a much more uniform surface, but perhaps less interesting in some regards.  As to your final qustion of what happens to the wood with different surface prep techniques, I don't really give it much consideration since all that matters in the end are results.