Posted by Chris Owen on December 23, 2004
Danny BusselleIn my home town of Nevada,Mo, there exists the W.F. Norman Corp., founded in 1892 - wfnorman.com. They are one of the last manufacturers of stamped sheet metal ceilings, roof tiles, architectural ornaments, weathervanes, etc. These are available in various metals, including copper. Most of the exterior stuff is sheet zinc. I think that the terrific catalogs used today are the same ones used in 1908. The original equipment is still used. The Architectural Ornament catalog is 85 pages with 1300 items. One of the items is a 6' eagle. There are big Colonial-style weathervanes with things like cows, feathers, and fish. I think some of the stuff is made "in the round". You can buy a 36" copper sphere. They even have letters. The design styles are Greek, Colonial, Victorian, Empire, Gothic, Oriental, and Art Deco. They do custom work and gold leaf. I've seen some hand-painted pieces which looked great.
Go to wfnorman.com and click on ornaments. You will find an e-mail link to order the ornaments catalog. I think it's free. Ask for a price list, also. The ceiling catalog used to cost $3. You won't regret it. There are tons of applications for signmakers.
Chris Owen
Quite a wonderful Find. I wish I had enough DINERO to buy a candy store celing then repoduce it and make my investment back. well Merry Christmas
Denver Chapter of the Letterheads