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Category:History -> Fisher Stoves
Bob Fisher is credited for conceiving and producing some of the first “airtight” welded steel plate stoves. He was raised in Oregon where he tried his hand at many jobs, including logging, farming and welding. It was his welding skills that finally set the stage for his invention.
After buying an A-Frame in the mountains, Bob discovered that heating with wood in the existing fireplace was extremely wasteful. So he came up with some ideas, and in Bob’s own words:
“I just drew it up and built it – I knew in my mind exactly how it would work, and sure enough, when I got through welding those pieces of iron together, it did work!
“We sealed up the old fireplace except for a 6 inch opening in the chimney for a flue-then I put that first stove in place. It heated the entire A-frame, and we had 100%, flame control. The stove was just a little slower to react than a gas or oil furnace, but we could turn the wood flame up or down anytime we wanted . . . and we could cook right on top of it! “
Soon all his friends and neighbors were demanding Fisher Stoves. Bob turned to subcontracting in order to meet demand and then to franchises, which helped create over 1/2 million of the original stove models.
The stoves were built from heavy steel plate 1/4” and 5/16” thick. They used doors made of cast iron which often had the model names imprinted on them. The stoves were named “Papa Bear”, “Mama Bear”, Grandpa Bear” and“Baby Bear”.
As stove technology improved, the Fisher stoves fell out of favor and the company greatly slowed production by the mid-80’s. A few isolated franchises remained, but no designs were ever produced which met the EPA standards in the US.
As of this writing, Fisher stoves are still available in New Zealand. The newer stoves look relatively similar to the original models except for the addition of a glass door and brass trim.
We have more info on Fisher Stoves at Book – The Fisher Stove Story
Typical Fisher Stove
Here is a older owners manual for most Fisher Models: File:fischermanual.pdf
Original sales brochure for Fisher Stoves – File:fisheradfront.jpg (front of ad)
Original sales brochure for Fisher Stoves – File:fisheradrear.jpg (rear of ad)
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