By Dan Richman

drichman@whidbeynewsgroup.com

Oak Harbor’s past lives on in the home studio of Chris Mann, where the 30-year-old soda salesman in his off hours is busy with a 3-D printer and a lot of good memories.

Motivated by nostalgia and a fondness for the city where he was born and raised, Mann has recreated in hand-painted plastic several signs from current or long-gone Oak Harbor locales: the Blue Fox Drive-In Theatre, Kow Korner All-Beef Burgers, Masten Variety and McCullough’s Variety.

He’s also made a full-building model of Chris’ Bakery.

“It all started with this tattoo,” the married father of three said during a recent visit. He rolled up his left pants leg to reveal an image covering the entire lower extremity. “I was adding memories of my childhood, and Kow Korner was always a big happy one for us growing up.”

“I had it added to my tatoo and I figured, ‘I have a 3-D printer. Why not try making the sign?’ And it’s evolved from there.

“It’s been my new hobby.”

The signs all have a personal meaning for Mann. Both his parents worked at Kow Korner at various times, and the family ate there once a week.

“It was a staple in our family — good, cheap food,” he said.

“Masten’s — we’d go there all the time. When I was in elementary school, we’d walk down there and buy a bunch of candy.”

“The drive-in I still go to every chance I get. I’m thinking of going this weekend.”

A little-known fact: the full-size, original Masten sign was made by modifying the old full-size, original McCullough’s sign.

“The McCullough family contacted me and told me that,” he said.

Mann’s not in it to make money. So far, in fact, he’s only sold one sign, a copy of the Kow Korner sign fetched $36 on eBay. And the McCullough family is buying a copy of its namesake sign for $35. He gave the Chris’ Bakery to owner Patrick Christensen, who asked him to make it.

So “I’m not getting rich off any of this,” he said.

“It’s just for fun. People are excited about seeing them.”

He’s reluctant to sell signs to which someone else might have a legal claim. “I would make them except for things that are still open, unless people get permission from the owner of the sign,” he said.

Making the signs requires his UpPlus! 2 3-D printer, which retails for about $1,300.

The high-tech machine prints out objects in layers using a filament of ABS plastic.

Mann then hand-paints the signs. Before he produces them, though, he has to design them, working from old photos and approximating them the best he can in a 3-D computer-assisted design, or CAD, program.

Designing the Kow Korner sign took two hours.

Printing and painting the Masten’s sign took 5.5 hours.

Next on his list to make is the sign that graced the Pioneer Department Store, he said. It’s depicted in a 1970 post card he bought on eBay that shows the sign with the first Holland Happening parade passing by in front of it.

After that will be the sign for Smiley’s Pizza — “another happy place from my childhood.”

Beyond that, he’s asked people on his Facebook page to send him photos of other old Oak Harbor signs to recreate.

“Once I get better at designing, I’ll probably try some more intricate ones,” he said.

Mann just opened an Etsy store to sell other 3-D printed objects he creates — keychains of Whidbey Island, and just shapes, such as bats in flight.

Mann said he also does custom requests and has done some work for a car club that wanted its own keychains.

“Doing this just makes me happy,” he said.