Ben Hoover Posted October 7, 2019 Share Posted October 7, 2019 Very nice GoFish. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Les L Posted October 7, 2019 Share Posted October 7, 2019 Alexandr, your work is amazing! I can’t wait for each of your posts to show my wife, but the only thing I can tell her when she asks when I am going to make that for her is it isn’t going to happen because I don’t have the skills that you do. Go fish, the blower is looking good. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jim Coke Posted October 7, 2019 Share Posted October 7, 2019 Greetings Go Fish, Nice find and clean up. You must know someone to score a fine blower like that. LOL .. How does it work on your forge? Forge on and make beautiful things Jim Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GolFisHunt Posted October 8, 2019 Share Posted October 8, 2019 "Go Fish"?! You guys cut me to the quick. Yes, Jim, I know a guy. I caught him in an especially gracious mood last week. Hoping to hook it up tomorrow. But not until the grass is cut, I'm told. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pnut Posted October 8, 2019 Share Posted October 8, 2019 (edited) if you lived here grass would not be a problem after the summer we've had. It finally did rain though so it looks like I will be able to light the forge Friday. Pnut Edited October 8, 2019 by pnut Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jlpservicesinc Posted October 8, 2019 Share Posted October 8, 2019 13 hours ago, GolFisHunt said: Partially dismantled, cleaned, and installed a new handle on this Buffalo 200. Nice blower. The Buffalo silent 200's are my favorite blowers. they came in different sizes and different designs based on when they where made. the last generation had steel gear cases with steel fan cases. The earliest ones had fancy casting letters with a Buffalo on the side and Script letters for the name. I don't have one of these really early ones but i do have the gen after that with script. They also came in standard, 12", 14" and 16" By the way there is no real difference between the standard, 12 nor 14 other than fan blade size. the gears and cases are exactly the same other than for some bearing layout changes. Also the early ones had metric bearings 12mm id. Funny right 1901 and metric bearings. The 16" uses a totally different housing and gear arrangentment. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pnut Posted October 8, 2019 Share Posted October 8, 2019 I've been looking for a deal on a Buffalo or Champion blower and I know I shouldn't be, but I'm shocked at how much people are asking for them. I haven't seen one anywhere near me for less than three hundred and fifty dollars. The ones in good working order are in the 400-500 dollar range. I did see a four inch post vise for 65$ but was beat to it. The housing at the bottom looks great. I say housing because I don't see a fan or axle. I like the fancy script too. Pnut Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jlpservicesinc Posted October 8, 2019 Share Posted October 8, 2019 These particular examples were being taken apart for cleaning. Today a hand crank blower in decent shape is going for a 200-400.00. If you figure out what they would cost to make today it's a bargain. Sadly the pricing on everything has risen and I can only see it going up. The boon in blacksmithing and bladesmithing has escalated the pricing structure and it has also made people on the lower side of income have to make due with other types of blowers. I end up buying seized ones for a better pricing point. I then take them apart and clean them and as long as there are no broken teeth are pretty easy to put bearings back into and then going for awhile again. the later model Buffalos cheapened up and they went from dual ball bearings to only 1 ball bearing. A crappy turn of events but from a MFG stand point made more profits for them. Buffalo offered a 10 year warranty on wear out originally, then went to 5 years. and the last ones I think only had a 90days warranty. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GolFisHunt Posted October 8, 2019 Share Posted October 8, 2019 Good information, Jennifer, thanks. Dave Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pnut Posted October 8, 2019 Share Posted October 8, 2019 6 minutes ago, jlpservicesinc said: Today a hand crank blower in decent shape is going for a 200-400.00. I agree that you couldn't make one today of the same quality for that price. The problem around here is too many people watching picker and antique shows. If it's old they think it should cost a mint. I would pay four hundred dollars for a blower in very good shape and complete with a stand. I only see incomplete units that are overpriced by about one or two hundred dollars. I'm in no hurry though, I'm just complaining a little to vent some frustration. Pnut Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jlpservicesinc Posted October 8, 2019 Share Posted October 8, 2019 My pleasure. I really love the history on the 3 major players and spent untold hours scouring the old adverts and sales fliers. Eventually all the patents expired and champion and buffalo started producing nearly the same product lines for everything else but the top blowers. I've often thought they might have even contracted with one another to produce blowers . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
maple smith Posted October 8, 2019 Share Posted October 8, 2019 I guess I got a great deal in that case. About 4 yrs ago, I bought a coal forge (about 3' square, in great shape, with a good hand crank blower all for $350). I thought at the time that it was an OK price, did not think it a great price. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jlpservicesinc Posted October 8, 2019 Share Posted October 8, 2019 11 hours ago, pnut said: I'm just complaining a little to vent some frustration. Educate the seller. A broken tab, or seized or handle missing , all these things lowers the price. A non working blower is technically broken. The 16" blowers are made like crap compared to the 2 year earlier made 14 " I waited 1.5 years of the guy selling it on ebay till he finally lowered the price enough to buy it. Then I had a friend ship it to me. They made the 16" only for a few years as a special order. But it's a piece of doodoo compared to the 14" Deals are out there tta applies here as well and of course willing to drive a bit. At some point I will do a write up on the buffalos. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JHCC Posted October 8, 2019 Share Posted October 8, 2019 4 minutes ago, jlpservicesinc said: Today a hand crank blower in decent shape is going for a 200-400.00. If you figure out what they would cost to make today it's a bargain. As I noted in my post about my new Iron City vise, it sold in 1891 for $12; that's $340 in 2019 dollars. One of the more expensive vises I saw at Quad-State was a heavy 7" for $500. That same 1891 price list has a heavy 7" vise for $36, which would be about $1,020 today. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted October 8, 2019 Share Posted October 8, 2019 I ran into a bunch of "if it's old it must be made from solid gold" fleamarket dealers when I lived in central Ohio. If they annoyed me I would check over the gravel at our feet and find a piece with a fossil in it and tell them that it was a MILLION years older and so must be worth MUCH more than that old tool; but I would trade it to them even. Trying to make the point that old does not necessarily make something rare or worth a lot... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pnut Posted October 8, 2019 Share Posted October 8, 2019 35 minutes ago, ThomasPowers said: I ran into a bunch of "if it's old it must be made from solid gold" fleamarket dealers when I lived in central Ohio. I'm right outside of Cincinnati and the same thinking pervades here. Old=gold Pnut Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted October 8, 2019 Share Posted October 8, 2019 I liked the old black diamond files from when they had the 1.2% C in them. So whenever I saw a decent one that was at or under my buy point I'd pick it up to juice up a billet. Some dealers noticed this and tried to up their price only to find out that I'd buy them out at my "buy point"; but wouldn't pay a penny over it and didn't worry about it either as I had 20 to 30 pounds of them back at the shop. Same thing nowadays with ballpeen hammers; if they are cheap I pick them up and throw them in a bucket, (students like them for hawk making), more than my buy point, no urge to buy and I won't waste time trying to haggle---I've got a bucket full already. (I love it when they tell me I can't buy a hammer for my price; I already have a bucket of them! Last visit to the Las Cruces fleamarket a dealer told me that and catty corner across the aisle I bought one.) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GolFisHunt Posted October 8, 2019 Share Posted October 8, 2019 I thought I would try my hand at a split cross. It takes a WHILE to split 1/2" with a hack saw. I also textured an old ball peen hammer for the "wood" texture. It didn't turn out too bad. As there was Frost this morning, I played in the shop before mowing the lawn. Lots of rain here lately. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JHCC Posted October 8, 2019 Share Posted October 8, 2019 A sharp blade and a smooth stroke for its full length will definitely make sawing more effective. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GolFisHunt Posted October 8, 2019 Share Posted October 8, 2019 Check on both points. A lower tooth count would have helped the speed, but I was looking for smoother versus faster. I'll use an 18 tpi next time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Laynne Posted October 8, 2019 Share Posted October 8, 2019 13 hours ago, pnut said: I've been looking for a deal on a Buffalo or Champion blower and I know I shouldn't be, but I'm shocked at how much people are asking for them. If you are out my way (Kansas) contact me. I have a working buffalo Climax that is just collecting dust. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pnut Posted October 8, 2019 Share Posted October 8, 2019 That's mighty nice Layne, but I can't imagine I'll be taking any road trips lately. Pnut Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jlpservicesinc Posted October 8, 2019 Share Posted October 8, 2019 Where there is a will there is a way. Friends in each others states? someone going to the next state closer. Etc, etc. the 16" the guy would not ship. I contacted a friend and begged him to ship it for me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted October 8, 2019 Share Posted October 8, 2019 "Blacksmiths' Mail" I was once part of a string that got some shop lights from Ohio to AZ. (I picked them up at Quad-State and hauled them to NM and turned them over to another smith going towards Phoenix...) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Glenn II Posted October 8, 2019 Share Posted October 8, 2019 Nice cross GFH. You can play around with how much the two cuts "overlap." It will change the dimension of the hole in the middle. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.