Looks like the real deal to me, just a little different than most logos you will see. If it is a fake how did they do it and why go to all the trouble for a tool that isn't worth all that much anyway?

The 4 spaces don't look consistent at all. The one almost has a U shape to it, an the other is more square. If It is original quality control was sleeping on the job.

Just for the record, I'm looking closely at a hook exactly like JimWrench's item #2-down in his top pic but shorter (Pat. #672446), and the "swastika/good-luck-symbol" is very clean, crisp and as original as anything else posted here, except for Papaw's questionable example. My vote/bet goes to FAKE.
  And pre-Old World invasion, North American "Indian" cultures used that design, quite possibly long before the Swiss. (My Nez Perce neighbors' ancestors were recently dated to 14,300 y/o in OR not long ago.) I've never asked what the design "means," though I do know it's meant to "impart(?)" something "positive."
  HeelSpur, fakes are common and fool even museums. Read George Frank's book, "Adventures in Wood Finishing" for examples of the lengths some people go to to do just that.

Nice scraper, I'd like it.

Quote from: bear_man on June 13, 2014, 02:31:37 AM
  And pre-Old World invasion, North American "Indian" cultures used that design, quite possibly long before the Swiss.

We talked about the history of this symbol before.  Been around for literally thousands of years, and no culture has a corner of the market.  It's as close to universal as you can get.   

Is it so valuable with that symbol that it is worth it to fake?

Papaw - I'm sure it is original. Like Rusty posted it would cost way too much to reproduce compared to what a Buffum bearing scraper is worth. I have several and never had to pay over $20.00 for any of them. Logo details could vary from one die maker to the next, wear, etc.

Humpf.  I'm warming up to the idea that I may've been mistaken in branding Papaw's scraper a fake.  Even so, I take comfort in the fact that I've never yet been "wrong."   *he barks a laugh @&w/ himself*

Do you want to part with it Papaw? I'll like it and I use scrapers in my job. Although semi-retired I go away and do power station shut downs, usually 3-5 weeks of 12 hour days 6 days a week. The pay is good and I only need to do a few each year.
I rebuild the fans, they all have white metal bearings and we scrape and bed these in. I have quite a collection of scrapers that get regular use.

Photo of me with a FD fan at the last shut, rebuilt and ready to put back in service. 




Batz

I never had it Batz, it was on Ebay.

Now there are several Buffum Scrapers on Ebay and though some of the symbols look crude, none ar really close to the one I saw before. Wish I had save the listing.

The stamped company name looks more like the stampings on later Buffum bearing scrapers that I have had without the logo. 

The recess on the underside of that scraper is not as deep as the ones you seen on Ebay that look like they have a cast logo.   It looks to me like that logo may have been produced by relief grinding rather than being part of the casting.

Thanks, wv, for putting me to shame — I didn't examine the grooves closely until you said that.  The recess/possible-relief-grinding DOES look pretty rough inside.  Anyone got other such scraper pics so's to compare those recesses? 

Quote from: wvtools on June 18, 2014, 07:50:05 AM
The stamped company name looks more like the stampings on later Buffum bearing scrapers that I have had without the logo. 

The recess on the underside of that scraper is not as deep as the ones you seen on Ebay that look like they have a cast logo.   It looks to me like that logo may have been produced by relief grinding rather than being part of the casting.

It does look strange. I've kind of been leaning to squished and rubbed. I think it is original and that it was cut into the die, which had been well used and re-ground a few times itself.  Its not especially beat up, but if it had been then well cleaned...?

Chilly