# What is this stylus-like tool? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [March 29, 2014, 5:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-stylus-like-tool/684841 "2014-03-29T17:09:52Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 16\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2014, 5:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-stylus-like-tool/684841/1 "2014-03-29T17:09:52Z")
So, I found a mysterious tool at my mom’s house, and none of the people who frequent the house know what it is or where it came from. It’s about the shape and size of a largish pen. One end of it has a spring-loaded metal tip with a rounded end, while the other has a tapered flat plastic spatula-like blade. One can twist the plastic portion in and out, which compresses the spring on the metal tip (there are numbers on the shaft to indicate how far in it’s compressed). There’s a metal band in between the two main segments, which bears the words “Chartpak” and “Made in the USA”: [Chartpak](http://www.chartpak.com/) appears to be an art supply company, but I can find no reference to styli on their website. Hopefully these pictures will work: [Full view](https://drive.google.com/file/d/0BxSy7-8wZcmIOWNMSzVZZWZLNzg/edit?usp=sharing) [Close-up on taper of blade](https://drive.google.com/file/d/0BxSy7-8wZcmIS3pMVzhwQzFMQ2s/edit?usp=sharing) Anyone have any idea what this is? ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2014, 5:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-stylus-like-tool/684841/2 "2014-03-29T17:23:38Z")
I’m having trouble seeing your images, it might be all the extra security on my machine. But it does sound like some kind of craft tool. ---
**Author:** ![lazybratsche](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/ba8739/32.png) [@lazybratsche](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lazybratsche)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2014, 5:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-stylus-like-tool/684841/3 "2014-03-29T17:29:53Z")
I’m pretty sure it’s this [adjustable burnisher](http://www.amazon.com/Chartpak-Adjustable-Burnisher-rolling-tip/dp/B004BNBTWU/ref=pd_sim_sbs_ac_1?ie=UTF8&refRID=1G32D2EMH7Z3CRWR1VR4). I have no idea what it’s used for. Description says something about “burnishing dry transfer type.” ---
**Author:** ![ZenBeam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/3ab097/32.png) [@ZenBeam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZenBeam)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2014, 5:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-stylus-like-tool/684841/4 "2014-03-29T17:31:54Z")
I’m unable to see the images directly, but if I click the down-arrow, I can download them to look at. ---
**Author:** ![Gibbs89](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gibbs89/32/3351_2.png) [@Gibbs89](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gibbs89)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2014, 5:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-stylus-like-tool/684841/5 "2014-03-29T17:34:17Z")
Looks like one of these: [Chartpak Adjustable Burnisher | MisterArt.com](http://www.misterart.com/architecture-drafting/drafting/tools-accessories/chartpak-adjustable-burnisher.html) ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2014, 5:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-stylus-like-tool/684841/6 "2014-03-29T17:47:00Z")
Yup, it’s definitely that burnisher thing. Which is only a partial help, since nothing I’m finding online about burnishers seems to correspond with this thing, so I still have no idea what it’s supposed to do. ---
**Author:** ![JWT\_Kottekoe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/3ec8ea/32.png) [@JWT\_Kottekoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JWT_Kottekoe)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2014, 6:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-stylus-like-tool/684841/7 "2014-03-29T18:02:26Z")
When you want to put lettering on some object, you can use so-called “dry transfer type.” This is a kind of decal which is attached to a semi-transparent carrier sheet and can be transferred to another object by applying pressure on the carrier sheet. This tool can be used to “burnish” the particular letter that you are transferring to the object. I’ve used dry transfer lettering to label the front panel on custom built electronic devices. I don’t remember having a special burnishing tool. If there was nothing better around, I used a ball point pen, preferably one that was out of ink. [Letraset - Dry Transfer Lettering](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Letraset) ---
**Author:** ![Hello\_Again](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/85e7bf/32.png) [@Hello\_Again](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hello_Again)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2014, 6:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-stylus-like-tool/684841/8 "2014-03-29T18:18:21Z")
Transfer letters were _de rigeur_ for book report covers when I was in elementary school (1980-1985). My parents had sheets of different fonts… you did have to check first that all the letters you needed weren’t used up! If you did it carefully it looked pretty good. But oh the pain of an incomplete transfer! The tool in action: [http://www.creativepro.com/files/story\_images/20100917SAWG\_fg23a.jpg](http://www.creativepro.com/files/story_images/20100917SAWG_fg23a.jpg) ---
**Author:** ![levdrakon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/49beb7/32.png) [@levdrakon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/levdrakon)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2014, 6:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-stylus-like-tool/684841/9 "2014-03-29T18:18:44Z")
Does this video help? [How to use a burnisher](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IgU1pzXCw0k). ---
**Author:** ![beowulff](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beowulff/32/542_2.png) [@beowulff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/beowulff)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2014, 7:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-stylus-like-tool/684841/10 "2014-03-29T19:11:13Z")
Rub-on letters? What are they? Now I feel old. _sigh_ ---
**Author:** ![johnpost](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f17d59/32.png) [@johnpost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/johnpost)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2014, 7:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-stylus-like-tool/684841/11 "2014-03-29T19:33:38Z")
that would be: not old enough. rub-on letters are a dry decal. they were used in the graphics arts industry in doing large type for print in photo offset. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2014, 7:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-stylus-like-tool/684841/12 "2014-03-29T19:48:25Z")
OK, yeah, rub-on letters, and a specialized tool just for use with them, are definitely the sort of thing my dad would have used, which lends support to the hypothesis that this is something someone must have found at his house (and brought it to my mom’s house) after he died. Would one use just the metal tip for that, or the plastic blade-end as well? ---
**Author:** ![johnpost](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f17d59/32.png) [@johnpost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/johnpost)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2014, 8:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-stylus-like-tool/684841/13 "2014-03-29T20:15:15Z")
the size of the type would the size of the tool. also what is being applied to what surface. a decal letter to paper the plastic might be fine. a hard roller might be used for other substances and uses. ---
**Author:** ![bob\_2](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bob_2/32/3341_2.png) [@bob\_2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bob_2)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2014, 8:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-stylus-like-tool/684841/14 "2014-03-29T20:26:54Z")
My wife uses something similar when she makes Birthday and Christmas cards. ---
**Author:** ![Amateur\_Barbarian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/59ef9b/32.png) [@Amateur\_Barbarian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Amateur_Barbarian)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2014, 8:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-stylus-like-tool/684841/15 "2014-03-29T20:27:40Z")
Google “Letraset,” who was the biggest maker of what we never called “dry transfer letters.” 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![panache45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/panache45/32/64_2.png) [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2014, 12:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-stylus-like-tool/684841/16 "2014-03-30T00:49:50Z")
Damn, I had no idea Letraset still existed. I used to use them back in the 60s.