Burnish

Burnish

Burnishing is a form of pottery decoration in which the surface of the pot is polished, using a hard smooth surface such as a wooden or bone spatula, smooth stones, or even glass bulbs, while it still is in a leathery 'green' state, i.e. before firing. After firing, the surface is extremely shiny. Often the whole outer surface of the pot is thus decorated, but in certain ceramic traditions there is 'pattern burnishing' where the outside and, in the case of open bowls, the inside, are decorated with burnished patterns in which some areas are left matte.

This technique can be applied to concrete masonry units as well, creating a rich, stately appearance that one often can find inside [http://www.premierblock.com/uprofile7.html educational facilities,] financial institutions and even sporting venues such as Lambeau Field in Green Bay, Wisconsin, United States. This finish works for exterior use as well, the smooth face lending itself to a stunning mix of textures when combined with rougher, splitface block.

Burnishing can also be applied to wood. Hard woods are best to use with this. Rub them along one another, the more important one should be rubbed down its grain, but crossways will still work, and shortly a glossy sheen will come up and the wood will become slick. Burnishing does not protect the wood like a varnish does, but you do not have to wait for a burnished piece of wood to dry as you would if you had varnished it.

If one wood has a dye in it, or is colored in some way, it may rub off onto the other wood, so choose carefully and perform a test rub first.


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  • Burnish — Bur nish, v. i. To shine forth; to brighten; to become smooth and glossy, as from swelling or filling out; hence, to grow large. [1913 Webster] A slender poet must have time to grow, And spread and burnish as his brothers do. Dryden. [1913… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • Burnish — Bur nish, v. t. [imp. & p. p. {Burnished}; p. pr. & vb. n. {Burnishing}.] [OE. burnischen, burnissen, burnen, OF. burnir, brunir, to make brown, polish, F. brunir, fr. F. brun brown, fr. OHG. br?n; cf. MHG. briunen to make brown, polish. See… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • Burnish — Bur nish, n. The effect of burnishing; gloss; brightness; luster. Crashaw. [1913 Webster] …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • burnish — early 14c., from O.Fr. burniss prp. stem of burnir, metathesis of brunir to make brown/bright, polish, from brun brown, polished, from a Germanic source (Cf. O.H.G. brun, O.N. brunn bright, polished, brown; see BROWN (Cf. brown)) …   Etymology dictionary

  • burnish — [v] polish, brighten buff, furbish, glance, glaze, gloss, luster, patina, put on a finish, rub, sheen, shine, smooth, wax; concepts 202,215 Ant. dull, tarnish …   New thesaurus

  • burnish — ► VERB ▪ polish by rubbing. ► NOUN ▪ the shine on a polished surface. DERIVATIVES burnisher noun. ORIGIN Old French brunir make brown , from brun brown …   English terms dictionary

  • burnish — [bʉr′nish] vt., vi. [ME burnishen < OFr burniss , extended stem of brunir, to make brown < brun: see BRUNET] to make or become shiny by rubbing; polish n. a gloss or polish SYN. POLISH burnisher n …   English World dictionary

  • burnish — [[t]bɜ͟ː(r)nɪʃ[/t]] burnishes, burnishing, burnished VERB To burnish the image of someone or something means to improve their image. [JOURNALISM] [V n] The European Parliament badly needs a president who can burnish its image. Syn: improve …   English dictionary

  • burnish — UK [ˈbɜː(r)nɪʃ] / US [ˈbɜrnɪʃ] verb [transitive] Word forms burnish : present tense I/you/we/they burnish he/she/it burnishes present participle burnishing past tense burnished past participle burnished 1) to rub metal until it shines 2) to… …   English dictionary

  • burnish — burnishable, adj. burnishment, n. /berr nish/, v.t. 1. to polish (a surface) by friction. 2. to make smooth and bright. 3. Engraving. to flatten and enlarge the dots of (a halftone) by rubbing with a tool. n. 4. gloss; brightness; luster: the… …   Universalium

  • burnish — verb To make smooth or shiny by rubbing; to polish; to shine. In pottery, a stone is sometimes used to burnish a pot before firing, giving it a smooth, shiny look …   Wiktionary

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