Years ago I had a conversation with my own son regarding reproducing Fisher knobs to replace missing and/or broken originals. He raised difficulty given the printing technology of the time as well as the cost of a machine up to the task. After examining all the details of the knob including the brass elements, we both quickly abandoned the thought and surrendered to the harvesters.
Along came ncwalz and his son who overcame what I had previously concluded were impossible road blocks. If you've been following his thread you can see the progression from raw idea through to final product. And what a product it is! Norman sent me a set for an honest, critical evaluation. Here goes:
COLOR: You will not be able to tell the difference! I daresay that once the knobs are installed, no one on earth will be able to say that the color is wrong. It's simply that exact. Period! Given my perfectionist tendencies, however, there is a difference in polish. Norman's knobs have a flatter tone while the originals have a more reflective hue. Of course, that's by no means a serious criticism. Far from it. Application of a a little wax or other compound will surely erase that difference.
FIT: Norman reproduced the spring leaf that Fisher used in the original knob. That was a detail that I had thought to abandon when considering my own reproduction. Instead I thought that printing a solid innard save for a slot to accept the D shaft would be the way to go. Norman thought differently and remained faithful to Fisher's original structure and, like the original, it works. There may be a little adjusting of the leaf depending on how snug is acceptable to the end user but like the aforementioned tone, it is a tinkering detail, not a deal breaker.
BRASS: I asked Norman for knobs without caps as I have a good number of both originals and substitute Marshall caps. I did mount both on his knobs and what can I say? Perfect fit. As he detailed in his reproduction thread, the receiving surface of his knobs is true to the original and able to accept whatever cap the end user decides to use. Likewise, the brass ring is unbelievably similar to the original. There is some evidence of tooling as well as some residue on the ring but, again, a little polishing will erase whatever criticism one may have in that regard.
Should Norman & Co. decide to go into production, it will be a HUGE benefit to the Fisher community. I cannot imagine a worthier effort being possible. A full throated endorsement from me, FWIW!
I've attached a few pictures of an original and the sample set Norman so kindly sent. Again, many thanks and BRAVO!!!
Along came ncwalz and his son who overcame what I had previously concluded were impossible road blocks. If you've been following his thread you can see the progression from raw idea through to final product. And what a product it is! Norman sent me a set for an honest, critical evaluation. Here goes:
COLOR: You will not be able to tell the difference! I daresay that once the knobs are installed, no one on earth will be able to say that the color is wrong. It's simply that exact. Period! Given my perfectionist tendencies, however, there is a difference in polish. Norman's knobs have a flatter tone while the originals have a more reflective hue. Of course, that's by no means a serious criticism. Far from it. Application of a a little wax or other compound will surely erase that difference.
FIT: Norman reproduced the spring leaf that Fisher used in the original knob. That was a detail that I had thought to abandon when considering my own reproduction. Instead I thought that printing a solid innard save for a slot to accept the D shaft would be the way to go. Norman thought differently and remained faithful to Fisher's original structure and, like the original, it works. There may be a little adjusting of the leaf depending on how snug is acceptable to the end user but like the aforementioned tone, it is a tinkering detail, not a deal breaker.
BRASS: I asked Norman for knobs without caps as I have a good number of both originals and substitute Marshall caps. I did mount both on his knobs and what can I say? Perfect fit. As he detailed in his reproduction thread, the receiving surface of his knobs is true to the original and able to accept whatever cap the end user decides to use. Likewise, the brass ring is unbelievably similar to the original. There is some evidence of tooling as well as some residue on the ring but, again, a little polishing will erase whatever criticism one may have in that regard.
Should Norman & Co. decide to go into production, it will be a HUGE benefit to the Fisher community. I cannot imagine a worthier effort being possible. A full throated endorsement from me, FWIW!
I've attached a few pictures of an original and the sample set Norman so kindly sent. Again, many thanks and BRAVO!!!