Buffalo Transfer Pad

mdengraver · May 18, 2007

Has anyone ever used or seen a buffalo transfer pad. I'd be interested in knowing how they work.
I believe it is briefly mentioned in "The Jewelery Engravers Manual", and used to be used to transfer duplicate engravings from one piece of silverware to another. Are they still available, if not, what would substitute for it?

Ron Smith · May 18, 2007

mdengraver,..........I vaguely remember reference to them, but don't know how they worked, but here is an alternate for duplicating silverware patterns. The paper wax transfer, good for quite a number of transfers and not too hard to make.
1. Rub tacky wax into the silver ware design or enitial you want to reproduce. Lick a business card or similar paper to dampen it. Wait a few seconds. Hold securily in place on engraving and burnish. Trim with scissors so you can center it on next piece.
2. Wax silverware you want to transfer to, then dust with talc.
3. Place or center waxed transfer onto talc dusted piece and press gently. You get a nice representation and can use it over and over again and you don't have to buy anything......Ron S

P.S...You might have to regenerate the wax on the original after a number of copies. To do that simply touch your finger to the taky wax and pat it onto the paper transfer. It should work for a long time. Good luck!!

Degs · May 18, 2007

Hi mdengraver....For monograms on things like knives and forks etc. I've used plasticine..... press the engraved handle into the plasticine to make the impression then lightly push the handle to engrave into the impression, leaves a nice grease print. If the plasticine is fairly hard you'll get a few impressions, otherwise it's no hardship to repeat. I've used it on large flatware, but you do have to be carefull keeping everything squared up.

Degs

mdengraver · May 18, 2007

Thanks alot.

Robert W Waters · May 18, 2007

From what I've read, the active component of the Buffalo Pad was gelatin. Gelatin was also used as a transfer medium in lithographic printing. I've tried make a gelatin pad using powder gelatin - it didn't work (it dried out). I believe a tacky surface is what is desired.

"Rub powered whiting into the cuts of the engraving to be copied, and wipe off the surplus. Press the engraving down on the transfer pad, remove it, and you will have the form of the engraving where the whiting was deposited. Daub a film of tallow on the piece that is to be engraved, and press it down on the transfer pad, over the whiting design. This will imprint the design on the piece. Several impressions can be made from each whiting transfer.

Get some printers' roller gelatin from a local jobbing printer. Heat waters in a kettle to boiling point. Set a can containing the gelatin in a kettle and leave it there until it melts. Pour the melted gelatin into a tin box, forming a cake of about 3 by 6 in., 1/2 in. thick. The transfer pad is the cake of gelatin. When cool, it may be taken from the box and is ready for use."

Copied from page 83 of Engraving on precious metals by Brittain, Wolpert & Morton.

Tim Wells · May 18, 2007

I have a Buffalo Transfer Pad and nobody I asked even knew what it was, we're all too young to have seen or used one I guess. The oldest guy I asked to ID it was Mike Dubber and he didn't know either but he's still just a young feller. Like you, I finally saw it in that Jewelry engraving book but there's not much info on it.

I'm gonna take it with me to Blade and see if any of the engravers that show up to that show can figure out how it works because I never have fooled with it to be honest. Maybe we can start a contest on the forum like who can make the most obvious engraving mistake on a Purdey or tell the dumbest joke and that transfer pad can be the booby prize; or first prize for that matter hell, it may be a collectors item.... on some planet yet to be named.

monk · May 18, 2007

the buffalo transfer pads work ! i'm thinkin theyr'e still available at gesswein. like a lot of the old technology- hay it worx- don't knock it. the pads are dark and allow the impression to show very nicely against the dark background. mix a little white talc or white tempera powder in with yer wax- hay you can read it clean accross a room.

monk · May 18, 2007

i'll trade 2 pouches of beechnut and some browns' mule for the pad !

Abigail · May 19, 2007

How big is the buffalo, and where are you having to send him?

Cheers!
Abigail

mdengraver · May 19, 2007

An old master engraver named John Sumner gave me a piece of Gelatin a long time ago when I asked him about the buffal transfer pad. Now I'll be able use it. The advantage of the buffalo transfer pad I believe was it allowed one to line up there duplicate engravings exactly time and time again on the next piece of silverware.

monk · May 19, 2007

buffalo

Abigail said:
How big is the buffalo, and where are you having to send him?
Cheers!
Abigail

lemme tellya sumptin, miss abby: a buffalo aint nothin to tip over. they weigh about 1 ounce and get as mean as can be. you better stick to tippin cows !

monk · May 19, 2007

you do not want to go around tipping one of these things ! they're not like cows, they're meaner than a junkyard dog. they also sleep with one eye open ! i'm tellin ya, don't do it !

mdengraver · Oct 27, 2010

Buffalo Transfer Pad (See Attachment)

Patented June 5, 1923. Back before engraving machines and laser cutters hand envgravers used this tool to transfer a design to multiple items that had to match. Silverware, club insignias, badges, etc.
Many edge configurations to position items and a reversible tacky pad to transfer the image.

Willem Parel · Oct 27, 2010

When I read this all as a beginner I think "what would it be nice to see tutorials of some of these methods"..... :tiphat:

Willem

mdengraver · Oct 27, 2010

From Previous Post on this Thread

"Rub powered whiting into the cuts of the engraving to be copied, and wipe off the surplus. Press the engraving down on the transfer pad, remove it, and you will have the form of the engraving where the whiting was deposited. Daub a film of tallow on the piece that is to be engraved, and press it down on the transfer pad, over the whiting design. This will imprint the design on the piece. Several impressions can be made from each whiting transfer."

KCSteve · Oct 27, 2010

Some time back these things came up and I thought then, as I do now, that somebody (GRS?) should bring a version of them back. The metal part is trivial for them to make - in fact with GRS' new ability to do their own plastics they could make 'em that way.

The pads could be updated by using the tacky soft plastic originally used for the 'wall walkers' and now used for any number of 'sticky' gelatinous things. One made with that should last darn near forever, as long as you occasionally wash it in cold water.

I know I'd probably pay $9.95 for a modern version.

Marrinan · Oct 27, 2010

Abigail, Back in the day in Dakota a large hairy woman with a bad attitude was referred to a buffalo woman, If she was a bit on the hip side and had black lights and posters and maybe a lava lamp she had a Buffalo Pad. The ones I dated seemed to reside in what was referred to as a Buffalo Wallow These girls were referred to as buffalo wallow women Hope that clears up the confusion for you-Fred

SharpGraver · Oct 27, 2010

I believe Chris Malouf is dating a few of those Buttallo girls up there in West Virginiee. LMAO:big grin:

gail.m · Oct 28, 2010

Buffalo gals aside, didn't the old mimeograph copiers use a gel pad of some kind? The ink used to smell kinda funny too......... I'm really showing my age here, but what the hay:big grin:

gail

Tim Wells · Oct 28, 2010

mdengraver said:
Has anyone ever used or seen a buffalo transfer pad. I'd be interested in knowing how they work.
I believe it is briefly mentioned in "The Jewelery Engravers Manual", and used to be used to transfer duplicate engravings from one piece of silverware to another. Are they still available, if not, what would substitute for it?

We had some sort of contest on here a long time ago but I can't remember the topic. Anyway a bunch of us donated stuff for prizes and I donated that Buffalo Transfer Pad and if memory serves me I believe John Barroclough won that. Maybe you could talk him out of it and try it out; it was new and still had the wax paper over the gel pad.

Sorry John if I spelled your name wrong.

Buffalo Transfer Pad

~ Elite 1000 Member ~

~ Elite 1000 Member ~

Elite Cafe Member

~ Elite 1000 Member ~

Member

~ Elite 1000 Member ~

Moderator

Moderator

Administrator

~ Elite 1000 Member ~

Moderator

Moderator

~ Elite 1000 Member ~

Attachments

~ Elite 1000 Member ~

~ Elite 1000 Member ~

~ Elite 1000 Member ~

~ Elite 1000 Member ~

Elite Cafe Member

Elite Cafe Member

~ Elite 1000 Member ~

Sponsors