Montpelier Restoration Update – 8/27/2008

Grand Opening Count Down: 21 days

Painting

The painters have finished priming the South Passage and have moved onto the doors and cellar.

Jack Fisher is applying the linseed-oil top coat to the trim in the South Passage and has finished painting the Drawing Room.

Dr. Susan Buck has also hand-ground samples of the shutter paint based on her analysis of the paint from the surviving elements of Montpelier’s Madison-era shutters. The samples will be used to determine what color will be applied to the newly reconstructed shutters. Similarly, she ground test samples of paint based on an historic paint recipe for the fence that be reconstructed in the coming weeks.

Doors

Gene Lyman continues to install locks in the original and reconstructed doors.

Keith Forry continues to repair original Madison-era doors. Keith has also installed the eastern doors in M-109 (South Passage). Physical evidence has shown that these doors were held closed by a wooden bar secured by two wrought iron braces. The braces were designed based on outlines found on the original door frame and period precedent.

Windows

Mark Gooch continues to install the reconstructed window sashes. He has cast new lead weights in copper pipe for the reconstructed windows. Madison’s original window weights were cast iron, but by using lead Mark is able to produce a smaller, but heavier, weight. The sash cord that Mark is using (a six-strand hemp cord) exactly reproduces a sample of the original cord found supporting the single-hung side-lights that flank the mansion’s main entrance.

Millwork

Blaise Gaston continues to make interior doors for the Mansion

M-108 (Drawing Room)

A majority of the reproductions of the Madison-era paintings were hung in the Drawing Room this week. These paintings were reproduced based on research by Dr. Lance Humphries, the staff at Montpelier and consulting curator Susan Borchardt. Traditional early-19^th century hardware (brass rings hung from iron nails) is being used to hang the paintings and each painting is being hung from what is believed to be to the same nail holes used by Madison to hang the originals. In the above picture Grant Quertermous, Lance Humphrey and Bill Bichell unload the conjectural reproduction of the 7’ x 11’ Supper at Emmaus that is known to have been in the Drawing Room. Other works, such as the presidential portraits, are copies of works known to have been owned by Madison.

Exterior

Mac Ward is installing the treads, risers and spandrels for the east stairs leading to the south wing.

The new gravel walks have all been installed. The walks are composed of a base of crushed stone topped with river washed gravel. To form a permanent surface the gravel is saturated twice with “Klingstone”, a polyurethane consolidant that binds the gravels together into one monolithic mass. The next step for the landscape restoration will be to lay sod in preparation for the grand opening.

Kevin Neito continues to work on a short, brick retaining wall that will adjoin the northeastern corner of the North Wing.

Bill Bichell has started to build the Colonnade’s southern steps.

Montpelier Restoration Update – 8/20/2008

Painting

The painters have almost finished priming M-108 (Drawing Room) and they have started to prep and prime M-109 (South Passage).They are also painting doors, windows and the stair enclosures in the cellar passages.

Jack Fisher is painting the trim in the Drawing Room with linseed-oil based paints.

Doors

Gene Lyman continues to install locks in the cellar passage doorways.

Keith Forry continues to repair original Madison-era doors.

Windows

Mark Gooch is installing the new sashes in the mansion (M-100 (North Wing Room), M-104 (Mr. Madison’s Room), M-105 (Dining Room), M-200 (Small Bedroom) and M-201 (Large Bedroom). He has already installed the reproduction brass pulleys and is pouring new lead sash weights for the windows’ weight pockets.

Millwork

Blaise Gaston continues to make interior doors for the Mansion and has also made three pine interior thresholds.

Reproduction screws also continue to be turned by Paul Pyzyana at Blaise’s shop and the above video shows how modern screws are being modified to look like the surviving Madison-era screws.

M-108 (Drawing Room)

Bill Bichell has installed the compo egg and dart molding on the overdoor pediment. The above video shows Bill cutting and installing the molding. He is using hide glue and stainless steel pins to secure the molding to the overdoor pediment. An identical egg-and-dart pattern is found in the cornice of the Drawing Room and the same type of molding is also found on similar overdoor pediment at Monticello (which was also built by Dinsmore and Neilson, the carpenters who expanded Montpelier in circa 1812).

Bill has also filled the duPont-era hinge mortises on the doorway between the Drawing Room and the Entry (M-107) and repaired a small chip to one of the flutes near the top of the north pilaster.

Cellar Passages

Kevin Neito has white washed the brick jambs of the exterior doorways.

Exterior

Mac Ward is treating the stringers, treads and risers of the South Wing exterior stair with zintox and then painting them with bilge paint and an alkyd primer. This is the standard treatment for reconstructed exterior wooden elements installed during the restoration.

The crushed stone bases for the new paths in the east yard continue to be compacted.

The gravel that will form the surface of the paths have also been delivered and they have started to spread them on the west yard paths. The gravels have been selected to replicate the gravels that were found by the archaeologists. Once the gravel has thoroughly dried, liquid polyurethane will be poured on top and allowed to soak in through to the base. Once the polyurethane has cured, it will form a hard, stable surface that will be close in appearance to what Madison would have seen.

Kevin Neito has started to work on a short, brick retaining wall that will adjoin the northeastern corner of the North Wing. This wall will help to define the North Work Yard and is shown on a watercolor painted in 1818.

Kevin Neito has also started to build the footers for the North Wing’s eastern stairs.

Montpelier Restoration Update – 8/13/2008

Painting

The painters continue to prepare and prime the trim in M-108 (Drawing Room) and M-107 (Entry). They are also priming the reconstructed window sashes and the sliding sashes found in the sidelights between the Drawing Room and the Entry.

Erika Sanchez Goodwillie, working with Adelphi Paper Hangings, has finished grinding the traditional linseed oil paints to be used in the mansion. To hand grind the paints, Ericka adds a small amount of linseed oil to the dry pigments. Next the oil is folded into the pigments with a pallet knife. When the oil is thoroughly mixed with the pigments she uses a large muller (a flat bottom, often conical, piece of glass or stone) to physically grind the pigments so that they are thoroughly suspended in the oil. Once this heavily-pigmented mixture has been ground to the right consistency, Erika then mixes it with a large amount linseed oil and chalk (powdered calcium carbonate) to form the actual paint. When Erika needed to grind a large amount of pigment for the paints, she used an antique hand-cranked paint mill.  All of the paint that Jack Fisher has applied in the house has been produced using these traditional, and labor intensive, methods.

 

Jack Fisher has applied the hand-ground Prussian blue linseed oil paint to shelves, window, baseboard and door casing in this small closet. Prussian blue was a popular pigment in the 18^th century and its bright, vivid color often comes as a surprise to contemporary viewers. Amazingly, paint analysis performed by Dr. Susan Buck has shown that the closet was painted Prussian blue in circa 1764 and remained unpainted until circa 1844 when Montpelier was sold out of the Madison family. The eighty-year life-span for the original paint testifies to the durability of historic linseed oil paints. Jack has also painted the North Stairs balusters and skirt board.

Doors

Gene Lyman continues to install mortise locks. He is currently working on the doors to the cellar passages and the north and south wings’ exterior doorways.

Keith Forry is repairing an original Madison door. The two top panels for this door had been replaced with glass panes and Keith is installing new heart pine panels.

 

M-108 (Drawing Room)

All of the composition (compo) rosettes have been installed in the chair rail and Bill Bichell is installing the compo egg and dart molding on the overdoor pediment. Gold Leaf Studio, who also made the rosettes, made the egg and dart molding and the design is copied from the surviving Madison-era compo egg-and-dart molding found in the cornice of the Drawing Room. To create the molding, a wooden model was first carved by Virginia’s own master architectural wood carver, Frederick Wilber. Gold Leaf Studio then made a mold from the wooden model and used it to produce the new moldings. The compo egg-and-dart is being secured with hide glue and stainless-steel brads and Bill has been using a miter saw to make the cuts.

 

 

M-209 (Upper South Passage)

Farrar Woltz, from Acanthe Design, returned this week to grain the railing on the south stair. The graining for this rail is identical to the graining found on the north stair (which was, in turn, based on a sample of Madison-era graining found during the restoration).

 

Exterior

Mac Ward has installed the heart pine stringers for the South Wing deck stairs and has started to cut and fit the heart pine treads.

The restoration landscaper Thomas Tyler and landscape architect John James have moved the east lawn in the rear of the Mansion. The grade for the east lawn is being established and new paths are being cut.

Kevin Neito is patching the bricks found between the triple-sash windows. He is using lime mixed with a range of pigments to ensure that his patches blend in with the surrounding brickwork.

Montpelier Restoration Update – 8/6/2008

Painting

 

The painters continue to prepare and prime the trim in M-108 (Drawing Room). They have also started to prime the reconstructed window sashes.

 

Doors

 

Gene Lyman and Keith Forry have installed the doors between M-104 (Mr. Madison’s Room) and M-105 (Dining Room), M-101 (North Wing, East Closet) and M-102 (North Wing Passage), and M-102 and M-105 (Dining Room). Gene has also started to install the mortise locks for the doors. The mortise is first cut with a router attached to an automated mortising jig. The mortise is then deepened to match the depth of our reproduction locks with a forstner drill bit. Finally, a shallow, rectangular mortise is cut with a chisel to receive the lock’s mounting flange.

 

Keith Forry also continues to repair the doors and he is currently working on the front door to the Mansion. This door was originally installed in circa 1812 and was painted light blue by the last owner of Montpelier.

 

Millwork

 

Blaise Gaston continues to make interior doors and reproduction iron screws. The reconstructed shutters are also currently being milled at Gaston and Wyatt’s mill shop in Charlottesville, Virginia. A computerized router that mills the individual pieces of the shutter directly from an AutoCAD drawing is being used produce individual pieces of the shutter. The above video was shot at Gaston and Wyatt and the new shutters are copies of the original Madison shutters. The original shutters were removed and placed into a barn on the Montpelier estate by the duPonts in circa 1901.

M-008 (South Wing Cellar Passage)

Bill Bichell has installed the new doors on cellar passage’s east and west doorways. These doors were not found in the Madison house (the cellar passages were originally left open to the elements) and the new doors are being installed to help regulate the cellar’s environment.

 

M-100 (North Wing Room)

 

Mason Kevin Neito has re-laid the brick hearth in fireplace.

 

M-108 (Drawing Room)

 

Mason Kevin Neito is patching the small cracks in the plaster around the windows and doors.

 

Exterior

 

Mac Ward is installing the decking for the South Wing’s east deck. He has also partially cut out a bed joint in the masonry just above the decking in order to install the flashing.

The original Madison road in front of the Mansion has been finished and the gravel base has been installed. The picture above shows a view of the road that would have been seen by visitors or slaves returning to the house from Madison’s stable (which was located near the recently completed visitor center). This is the first time in over 150 years that we have been able to see this view and this road will serve as the main visitor path to the Mansion.

Kevin Neito is repairing the damaged bricks on the east elevation of the North Wing. He is using pigmented lime putty to infill any bricks that have lost major amounts of material. These bricks have proven to be very fragile and so the repairs will also serve to protect the surviving brick behind them.

Les Lamois and Thomas Tyler are raising the grade around and under the Colonnade. By raising the grade they are ensuring that water will not be able to pool against the foundation and drain into the cellar.

The archaeologists have been looking for a kitchen that was built by Madison in circa 1797. Today they found evidence for what they believe is the kitchen’s southeastern corner and so it looks like much of the building’s footprint has survived intact under the later duPont kitchen. Check out the Montpelier archaeology blog in the coming weeks to learn more about this exciting discovery (http://www.montpelier.org/latest_dirt/).