# Old Buffalo Stove ID - New Member



## HVStoveOwner (Jan 26, 2017)

Hello all!

My parents picked up this cool stove a few years back, but we never could find anything on it until now.

the paint is chipping off in a few places, but it is all original, no repair welds or cracks, original handles, bolts, and feet. Pretty cool piece for sure.

I found this section of a post, that member username Todd67 of this forum had posted:

"The only thing I have ever read about the Buffalo wood burning stove was the 4th chapter in the Fisher Stove Story (a 6 chapter book about Bob Fisher). Ray Bruce was a Fisher Stove licensee in California, meaning that he had a license to build Fisher Stoves for Bob Fisher. Ray wanted Bob to accept a new adaptation of the Fisher Stove with a double door oven on top, which Ray was calling the Buffalo Stove"

So there is certainly a history on these specific stoves, but I've yet to see my stove anywhere else.

Could anyone here help me out in finding out more info? Such as manufacturing date, potential value, state of origin, etc.?

Any and all help would be great!


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## Jan Pijpelink (Jan 26, 2017)

Go to the Fisher section and send a pm to member colay, https://www.hearth.com/talk/members/coaly.3411/.  He is the Fisher specialist and might know more about this stove.


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## HVStoveOwner (Jan 26, 2017)

Jan Pijpelink said:


> Go to the Fisher section and send a pm to member colay, https://www.hearth.com/talk/members/coaly.3411/.  He is the Fisher specialist and might know more about this stove.



Thanks for the tip!

I sent him a pm, fingers crossed!


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## coaly (Jan 26, 2017)

Here's some pics of a single door brand new (unfired) one;






I saved those above in my Fisher Clone file Dec. 9 2013. I didn't title the picture anything but unfired Buffalo 1 and 2, so I'm not sure where I found them.

Same style used, a very clean example of one;




	

		
			
		

		
	
 This one was on Craigslist CA.  saved pics; Feb. 26 2012.

I'll dig up any notes or info on the family or company I may have. Could take a bit. Goggle "Buffalo Stove" trademarks and patents. You'll find ads in Popular Mechanics, Mother Earth News, etc.......... Since it was local to California (?), newspaper archives sometimes have lots of ads showing models names, prices, and other features as well as where they were made or sold. As I was researching Fisher, many others came up so I made notes in case I needed to go back to them for information or dates pertaining to Fisher. These are very similar to the Baxter Stove. Bob's dad wanted him to sell his along side his own, that was not received too well. But I found the patents and drawings for the Baxter Stove but never came across pictures of one yet. That's the kind of thing that keeps me searching for stoves with ovens on the West Coast and why I have these couple archived. I have more, but these are the best pics.

If you hit yours with a wire wheel and paint with Stove Bright Satin Black, I think you'll have a closer paint to original.

We cook in a wood oven, and unlike conventional gas or electric, you'll find they hold the moisture better while baking and cooking much better than a vented oven with air circulation. If roasting chicken or even cooking meats in a roasting pan, you'll find the moisture on the doors when open drip on the floor, so we put towels on the floor under doors. It's difficult to burn things in them as well since the moisture from the food stays in the oven preventing burning and making it difficult to brown casseroles on top. Keep the doors closed when starting until up to temp, then when more heat is required leave them open slightly for max. heating capacity.


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## coaly (Jan 26, 2017)

The ad in the Reno Gazette Journal Nov. 2 1979 shows all models. (pg. 52) https://www.newspapers.com/newspage/151046870/

As per the same newspaper Nov. 10 1978 Ray F. Bruce had his business in Reno Nevada. (pg. 8)
https://www.newspapers.com/newspage/150586198/

Reading the archived newspaper from that area should piece the company history together. Be patient, it takes time and many times you'll find a trove of information in an obscure spot such as classified ads, bankruptcies, obituaries........


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## HVStoveOwner (Jan 27, 2017)

coaly said:


> The ad in the Reno Gazette Journal Nov. 2 1979 shows all models. (pg. 52) https://www.newspapers.com/newspage/151046870/
> 
> As per the same newspaper Nov. 10 1978 Ray F. Bruce had his business in Reno Nevada. (pg. 8)
> https://www.newspapers.com/newspage/150586198/
> ...



coaly,

I'm absolutely blown away, thank you so very much for such a detailed response!

I've yet to see other pictures of any other Buffalo Stove, so that was really cool.

Have you seen any others like mine, or is mine what you are referring to the Baxter Stove?

It seems as though I'll have to create an account with that website service to view the newspaper ads more clearly, but it certainly has a lot of what I was after.

I'll take your advice and keep looking for those articles, especially for those drawings you mentioned!

My parents will probably ask it's current value, but I think it's a really cool piece. Maybe they'll end up keeping it when I give them the information you shared!

Thanks again!


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## coaly (Jan 27, 2017)

I think yours is the first double door I've seen. The reason for double doors is viewing the fire with screen in place making it a fireplace.
Here's the Baxter Stove drawing;
http://www.google.com/patents/USD251733


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## edwardsk2010 (Nov 18, 2019)

Sorry to bring back an old thread but did op find any info on this stove? I have the same exact one in a house we just moved into


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## coaly (Nov 19, 2019)

What kind of information are you looking for?
Installation, operation, history?

Is yours the single or double door?


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## edwardsk2010 (Nov 20, 2019)

coaly said:


> What kind of information are you looking for?
> Installation, operation, history?
> 
> Is yours the single or double door?


Mine is the 4 door , 2 on top 2 on bottom just like the op posted , I can't find any information on it, ie model number, year it was made, and ofcourse the price/worth.


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## coaly (Nov 20, 2019)

Before approx. 1980 when UL became the standard testing lab, there were no tags or serial numbers. I know these stoves were made just before then. That is also where the model, date and where it was made would be after Listing tags were used. That makes it an unlisted appliance, which means it can't legally be installed in a "new installation" since most states have adopted the ICC family of codes. (International Code Council) The code in particular is the mechanical code which now requires all appliances to be UL Listed. That doesn't mean it is not a safe of tested appliance. There was no testing standard across the US until UL became the standard used countrywide.

Stove manufacturers back then used names, very few model numbers.

Very few had manuals. Fisher being the largest manufacturer didn't even have a manual until customers asked and the PA fabricator printed their own, which became approved and used by all fabricators. So the smaller companies (this one a Fisher licensee) rarely had any. With the standardization of testing, the manual then becomes a part of the Listing, so they became a requirement with the later UL Listed stoves.

Value of stoves are what buyer and seller agree upon. There is no book value on classic stoves, antiques are over 100 years old when values increase. A stove with no UL listing should sell much cheaper, but many are sold, and installed without asking or checking into local codes. Once installed it is very difficult to tell if it was an "existing installation" which is grandfathered or not. It can be used where it had been all these years, just against code to install in another location.

Everyone complained about the oven being too hot on the bottom, and we bake in a wood oven designed with racks. I know what happens when a cookie sheet is set on the stove top for just a second to make room on the counter. Instant burn on the bottoms! The bottom of that oven would be just like a stove top. So I would make a rack for air circulation between oven bottom or line with fire brick for more even heat control.

Does the oven have a small hole leading into exhaust   / chimney vent? That is something that all antique and modern cookstoves have. (and it should be drilled for one. 1/8 inch can get clogged, 3/16 is fine.) It releases pressure and allows steam to escape so you don't get burned opening doors. That is why you can smell the food cooking outside using a cookstove. They bake and cook inside much better than a conventional gas or electric range due to being sealed without airflow to dry food out. You simply can't burn things as easily or brown the top of casseroles in the presence of steam from the food. 

As I mentioned above, keep the oven doors closed until fully up to temperature. You can then crack them open for more heat output, but be careful since it cools the exhaust too much and the object is to keep the flue temp above 250*f. all the way to the top. You will make a creosote factory leaving oven doors open trying to extract too much heat from them.


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