I agree. Burnishing tools are meant for use with contacts that are intended to be maintained, such as CO switch relays. Dial pads weren't really meant to need a lot of maintenance activity, thus there isn't a whole lot of contact material there to work with. Since maintenance records were kept back in the leased equipment days (well, supposedly), after the first contact cleaning, the dial was usually replaced if it failed again.

Factory refurbishing usually took care of this anyway since a dial could work for a good five years in the field before any wear started to occur.

Ed Vaughn, MBSWWYPBX