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The Virginia Executive Mansion restoration continues as Fred Ecker of TideWater Preservation removes the fireplace mantels. The Federalist mantels have been stripped at least once before and paint chip testing revealed that the previous method was with a torch as there was charring to both the wood and the composite. The composite material used to create the mantels' ornamentation consisted of sawdust, hide glue and sometimes plaster.
The mantel was originally attached with big cut nails and a wooden block. Since the first restoration though they are now attached to the fireplace using 20th century machine bolts with anchors in the masonry.
Under the auspices of the more conservation minded Gilmore administration, TideWater Preservation will take the mantelpieces back to their workshop and restore them using far less invasive techniques than were used in the past. The below pictures show the detail work of the mantels.
Executive Mansion - 
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