1688 R. Holme iii. 292 A Shooemakers polishing stick..is that wherewith they polish and slicken their Leather.
1875 T. Seaton 29 I generally use a polishing-stick, a contrivance of my own.
1995 (Nexis) 8 July 47 A polishing stick is a wooden stick, one end charged with emery or rouge, that engineers use for finishing small surfaces.