- Wade put some baby powder directly on the putty and worked it in until the putty was much more manageable.
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- Wade formed the putty into a ball and elongated it into a snakelike piece. He placed the putty where the glass met the wood frame.
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- Wade used his putty knife to work the putty firmly into place.
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- After he had worked the putty along the bottom edge of the frame, he used his knife to cut and scrape off the excess putty along the same angle as the wood frame. The baby powder also helped to allow the putty to release more easily from the blade.
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Woodwork maintenance:
- Much of the woodwork in the Biltmore is a hundred years old and caring for it over the past century has meant applying coat after coat of linseed oil.
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- Removing the built up oil is a job that falls to preservation expert Pat Ray. When Ron met up with Pat, she was working on a beautiful oak door to remove the linseed oil and dirt.
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- For decades it was common practice to apply linseed oil with the thought that it protected the wood. But because linseed oil never completely dries, it actually attracts dust and dirt like a magnet. The trick was to remove the accumulated dirt and oil without damaging the finish underneath. For this Pat used wood alcohol or methanol.
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- It is important to know what kind of wood you are working with. You should not use methanol on a soft wood, but lmost all the wood in the Biltmore was oak, and methanol was very good for oak. After the wood was thoroughly cleaned, Pat protected the surface with a coat of beeswax. Unlike the linseed oil, beeswax dries almost immediately and does not attract dust and dirt.
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- When visiting the Biltmore, it is difficult to grasp the sheer size of the place. The home has 34 bedrooms and 43 bathrooms…
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- …and even a bowling alley.
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- It took 135 tons of slate tile to cover the roof.
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- The woodwork in the Biltmore estate is testament to the skill and craftsmanship of the builders. There were so many workers that a small town was built to house them.
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- When it was finally completed in 1895, the Biltmore estate was not only America's largest private residence, but it was also one of the most modern with hot water on demand, a central heating system, and electricity.
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- The folks Ron met at the Biltmore, cared for the estate as though it were their own. The techniques they used can be useful to many of us in caring for our own homes…even if we don't have 250 rooms.
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