Masonry Magazine July 1981 Page. 5
The Fireback: A Beautiful Old Idea for Today's Masonry Fireplace
The unlikely combination of a former public school teacher turned chimney sweep, a graphic designer, and a counselor with a graduate degree but no retail experience have blended their talents into a burgeoning business venture that is bringing some solid American heritage into the space age.
Their business is firebacks. And what is a fireback? It's a decorative cast-iron plate that is simply leaned against or affixed to the back wall of a masonry fireplace. Developed before firebrick, its most important function was to shield the back wall of a fireplace from decay.
A fireback will noticeably increase the radiant heat output of a fireplace, thereby enhancing its efficiency. This increase will vary with the fireplace design and accessories. In come cases, explains chimney sweep Terry Polis, who now serves as president of the firm he helped to found, Pennsylvania Firebacks, Inc. of Philadelphia, a fireback can alleviate a smoking fireplace by increasing airflow toward the rear of the hearth. Whatever the setting, the fireback adds a dimension of elegance for the energy-minded consumer.
Polis got the idea for his unusual business after setting up the Towne Sweep, a chimney sweeping and repair company serving the Philadelphia area. "It was all the metal plates I kept bumping into at the bases of old fireplaces that first year that set my mind thinking about Business No. 2," he says.
He eventually sought out J. Del Conner, a graphic designer who had created the promotional material for the Towne Sweep. Conner began drawing up designs while Polis drummed up business for the firebacks.
Two of the Pennsylvania Firebacks designed by artist J. Del Conner-the Great Oak, prominently dated following a tradition in early fireback design, and the Franklin Sun, named in tribute to patriot Benjamin Franklin. The sun face is surrounded by floral festooning with the motto, "Alter Idem" ("another like me").
Polis says he got such a favorable feedback ("forty orders just by word of mouth") that he borrowed some seed money and launched Pennsylvania Firebacks in August.
Fireback Installation
Sizes in the Pennsylvania Firebacks collection vary from 19½ to 21½" high and 18" to 21½" wide, weighing between 34 and 45 lbs. The plates are easily installed utilizing the hardware and instructions that are included. Diagrammed below are the two most common installation procedures for firebacks.
Free standing: To prevent the fireback from falling forward, ceramic or other suitable spacers can be installed between the back wall and bottom of the fireback.
Two other Conner creations are the traditional American eagle with the inscription, "Be Liberty Thine," and the North Star, an astronomically correct concept representing those beautiful and distant fires in the night sky. The moon's serene gaze illustrates the pathfinder qualities in these constellations.
Mounted installation: Using a ¾" masonry bit, drill holes between the brick or stone, insert lead anchors, position the fireback, and screw in the hooks.