I poured two rubber molds today. The first mold is for an antique French Fireback, I reconstructed some details on it. This fireback will be added to the antique reproduction product line. The second mold is a custom coat of arms that will be attached to my plain Large Rectangular Fireback. This Coat of Arms will be used for ten castings for one of the largest homes in the state of Maine, over 33,000 sq feet. Plastic will be poured into the negative rubber molds, that will then be cleaned up, and details sharpened for casting in iron.
Starting in the mid 1990’s, I have had some of my copyrighted Pennsylvania Firebacks molded directly from the originals, and cast in China. These Chinese copies are sold retail in the USA, for less than it cost to manufacture the originals in the USA.
Some of these rip-off firebacks, come packaged in expensive white cardboard boxes, printed with full color photographs. Pennsylvania Firebacks are shipped in brown cardboard boxes, with graphics printed in one color.
The Chinese copies are inferior castings and weigh less, due to their backs being hollowed out. Due to the shrinkage factor in molding and casting, the copies are a little smaller than my originals. This size difference is a clear way to identify an illegal copy. Upon discovery of the illegal castings, Signature plates were added to Pennsylvania Firebacks in the mid 1990’s.
I recently discovered a new batch of copies of my Pennsylvania Firebacks, imported by the Dagan Company of St. Louis, MO. I found these Dagan copies on one of my distributer’s websites. They have positioned them next to the more expensive Pennsylvania Firebacks, made in the USA. However, these latest batch of rip-offs are not directly molded copies. They are poorly re-sculpted interpretations of my Autumn, Winter, and Spring Firebacks.
I’ve not yet produced the Summer Fireback. Many sketches have been made, but I’ve yet to decide on a final design and sculpt it. The company making the firebacks Dagan is selling, didn’t wait for me to make a Summer Fireback. They took the art from the Bass Fireback, reinterpreted it, and placed it on a frame to match the other three seasons, naming it Summer.
Again knock-off firebacks are smaller, thinner, and weigh a fraction of the original Pennsylvania Firebacks. As you may notice, the sculpting on the latest knock-offs is not very good.
As Oscar Wilde said (so many forget the second half of the quote) when he wrote: “Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery that mediocrity can pay to greatness.” Somehow I’m not flattered.
A customer provided these images of their American Eagle Fireback. To achieve the brightest finish possible, the fireback was sandblasted to remove the water base back paint applied at the foundry, to protect the iron from rust in storage and shipping. This Fireback then had stove polish applied. Once dry, the casting was buffed with with a wire brush and old rag to give it a bright finish to reflect more light and heat, while again protecting the iron.
Note: many car collision and paint shops offer an inexpensive sandblasting service, and powder coating a Fireback for use as a kitchen backsplash.
Behold, an aged fireback made new! A customer provided these images of their Franklin Sun fireback – purchased in 1981 – having endured decades of use, and its revival thanks to a fresh coat of stove polish. Its luster is renewed, protection restored, and its ability to reflect light and heat is as if it was cast yesterday.
In September, Del is the featured artist at the Hamburg Art & Craft Gallery. Thousands are expected to attend on September 3rd, for the Annual “Taste of Hamburg-er Festival.” It’s a great event for families, lots of hamburgers, vendors, music, and dancing. A silent auction at the Gallery on State Street, offers bidding on two firebacks and other art, donated by local artists. Stop by the gallery 9-3-22, and say hi to Del from 1 to 5 p.m.
We have just shipped an “Urn of Lilies Fireback and a Fleur-De-Lis Fireback” to Pittsburg, PA. The firebacks will be used in Tom Hanks’ upcoming movie with the working title, “A Man Named Otto.” This upcoming movie is a remake of the popular Swedish movie, “A Man Named Ove.”
FIREBACKS 