A Fisher nameplate carries the information a buyer needs to establish what a valve actually is: the body size and class, the material, the trim designation, the tag number and often the original service. On actuators and positioners the plate carries the model string, the spring range and the travel. None of that can be reconstructed from a photograph of the whole valve taken from two metres away.
The method is simple. Clean the plate with a rag and, if it is painted over, a plastic scraper rather than a wire brush, because a brush removes the stamping as well as the paint. Use daylight or a bright work light at a low angle so the stamped characters cast a shadow. Fill the frame with the plate, hold the camera steady or brace it on the valve, and take one straight-on shot and one at an angle. If the plate is corroded, take a rubbing with a pencil and paper as a backup.
Brand disclosure. Fisher is a trademark of its respective owner. Louisiana Valve Buyer is an independent purchaser of surplus equipment and is not affiliated with, authorised by, sponsored by or endorsed by Fisher or its owner. We do not provide manufacturer service, repair authorisation, calibration, pressure certification or product compatibility statements.
Inspection points
What decides the price
Fill the frame
The plate should occupy most of the image. A wide shot plus a plate close-up per valve is the right combination.
Rake the light
Low-angle light makes stamped characters readable. Straight-on flash usually washes them out.
One plate per row
In a crib with forty valves, photograph the plate of every distinct model, not every unit, and note the quantities.
What to send
Making the review quick
A wide photograph of the whole unit, a close photograph of the valve nameplate, and the model number if you have it. If there are several identical units, one set of photographs and a quantity is enough.
If the equipment is already separated, keep the parts together and label them as a set. A matched pair is worth more than two orphans.
Questions sellers ask
My phone camera will not focus that close
Step back slightly and use the zoom, or rest the phone on the valve body to steady it. Most modern phones focus fine at 15 to 20 centimetres.
The plate is painted over. Should I strip it?
Use a plastic scraper and a solvent cloth, not a wire brush or a grinder. Damaging the stamping destroys the information you are trying to capture.