Paint Strippers and the Yucca House

[Joshua]

Hi! My name is Josh Springer, and I will be interning at NCPTT this summer. My supervisor is Andy Ferrell. I will be working on the testing of different types of paint strippers and how well they perform.

This past week, I have done alot of reading to get myself educated on paint strippers and to become familiar with the 6-10 paint strippers I will be testing with this summer.

I have also been studying the raising of the Yucca House at Melrose Plantation. The Yucca house was lifted about 14 inches so that a new foundation could be placed beneath it, and then the house will be lowered about 8 inches. Andy, Jessica, Sarah, and I all helped document this process this week.

Next fall I will be a senior Architecture major with a minor in Construction Management at Ball State University in Muncie, Indiana. I enjoy history and how buildings played major roles in history and that is why I have come to work at the center this summer.

This summer should be fun and will teach me alot in the fields of both history and preservation.

[Joshua]

The past week has furthered my study on paint strippers quite a bit.

Over the past week, we have narrowed down the paint stripppers that we will be using for the study to about 6 different kinds. The mass of each sample that will be used was determined. The colorimeter was also used on each sample. These tests are being run to determine the size and color of the samples prior to the use of the paint strippers.

This next week I will begin painting the samples and preparing them for the paint strippers.

[Joshua]

This past week we started the process of ordering the paint and the paint strippers from companies that provide these.

I have also been looking into doing PodCast with some historic preservation related groups across the country.
I also did a study on a project going on in Muncie, Indiana called ecoREHAB. This project dealt with mostly abandoned or condemned housing in the downtown area. This housing was then rehabilitated so that it was able to be lived in and so that it incorporated some aspects of green design.

This next week I plan on finalizing who and when I will be doing the PodCasts with. I also am waiting on the laser profilometer to move to the next step in the paint study.

[Joshua]

Starting on June 25th, I began running samples of the brick that I will use in my paint stripper testing through the Laser Profilometer or LP. The LP gives a detailed description of the surface of a sample that I am using in the project. I finished running all the samples through the LP on July 8th. This week, I will paint the multiple layers of paint on the brick samples and document them prior to testing the paint strippers on the samples. By next week, I should be ready to start with the testing of the paint strippers.

This week I am also in the process of planning a Podcast between NCPTT and two groups that deal with historic preservation daily. The first group that we will most likely be doing a Podcast with is Mt. Vernon. Mt. Vernon was the home of America’s first president, George Washington. This group will talk about how the house was restored, along with the grounds, etc. The second group will be the people of Unity Temple in Oak Park, IL. This building by Frank Lloyd Wright is getting ready to go under major renovation efforts and the Podcast will mainly be about this process.

[Kayla]

good luck on the podcast that is pretty fun. The testing of the paint strippers is soon to come. Cant wait to find out the results

[Joshua]

The last few weeks, alot has gotten completed within the paint study project. All the samples have been finished being painted. I had to measure the mass of each sample after each layer of paint, so this took a while. I then photographed each sample that was painted and did the colorimetry test on each one. The QUV was started on the samples this week. There are over 80 samples that must be run through the QUV, so this will take about 66 days to complete since the QUV only hold about 42 samples and it takes 33 days to complete the process.

The next step will be to measure the mass, photograph, and do the colorimetry test on each sample that ran through the QUV. This will give us an idea of what the surface of the brick sample is like after running through the QUV. After this is done, the paint strippers can be applied and used. Then the mass will be measured again, along with photographing the samples and doing the colorimetry test on the samples to see how the paint strippers changed (if at all) the surface of the brick samples. The last step will be the tape applied to some of the samples and then the mass, photographs, and colorimetry will be done after this as well.

Also, this past Friday I did a podcast with Dennis Pogue who works for the group that helps preserve and restore Mt. Vernon. This was George Washington, our first president's, homes. This will be editted in the next couple of weeks and placed on the NCPTT website. The podcast went very well and is very interesting to those interested in restoring, preservation, or history in general.

This last couple days, I will begin working on a poster that explains my project and what I have done this summer for Preservation in Our Community.

[Joshua]

Wednesday, I did a podcast with the Palm Beach Preservation Foundation. We discussed how their center restores and preserves their community. John Ripley, the leader of the foundation, was the man I spoke with. I also talked with him about what the Foundation teaches younger generations about preservation and restoration.

This summer has been quite the learning experience. The paint samples are in the QUV and will be in this instrument for about another 50 days. After this, the next intern will pick up the project and continue with applying the paint strippers. The study is over half way done, and progress is underway.