" -All four of the main rooms in this house were heavily ornamented. Both the wood work and of course the plaster work and as we said earlier all the straight plaster was torn down but a previous owner left the cornice moldings in place."

" -We are very fortunate. It is a very high style federal and it is probably made up of about six or seven different pieces and we have got all of it this room except for a portion that, I guess, fell off."

" -Right. We have some water damage behind it and it just became delaminated."

" -Yeah. While we are in the process of restoring it and we are going to show how to mend it but first let us look at some of the components here."

" -This a piece that fell off the wall and it shows you a profile and the make up."

" -Uh huh."

" -And you can see the most of the cornice is actually built up brown coat and the actual finished plaster is really about an eight of an inch thick."

" -Right."

" -And the way you achieve all these lines is with a template such as this which would be the original one obviously would have been probably wood and metal but this is just sheet metal that has been cut to fit from the sample and it gets pulled through the wet plaster to create that effect. All we are doing today is putting the brown coat on."

" -That is exactly right."

" -Yeah."

" -But these are the pieces that would make up the applied elements after this section is run then the [unk] sleeves were mounted."

" -Okay. The wall would have been coming from here and you would have an [unk] sleeve every couple of inches or so."

" -Right and then the triglyphs would have been mounted like that on a ledger called triglyphs."

" -This is all Greek."

" -That is right and then the smaller [unk] sleeves were mounted up above."

" -Exactly and then along the lower portion."

" -Is made up of several cast elements that match like this."

" -Can these actually have like a cornucopia with fruit and I see what probably are [unk]."

" -She is a [unk]. Yeah."

" -Let us go up there and get a closer look at the rough work."

" -We are off to scratching the plaster now. This is 1810 we are looking at over here."

" -That is right."

" -This is the original plaster work."

" -Yeah and you can see a missing one here and of course the pieces that we were just talking about fit right into place. The [unk] pieces but it is fascinating to get this close up and to see some of the color that is still there."

" -You see a lot of light blue in here which was the color obviously at one time."

" -Uhum."

" -And we have a picture mold here."

" -Yes."

" -That captured some early paint, some greens and blues."

" -What has happened to all this? It does not have the crispness that I would expect."

" -Unfortunately, the previous owner that tore off the plaster work applied chemical strippers to remove the paint."

" -That is a big mistake."

" -Right. We never apply chemicals to plaster because it is porous and once the chemicals get in, it is hard to get out and it can also deteriorate the [unk] and totally destroy it."

" -Right."

" -But is fascinating to be right up here next to this work. Look at the thickness up here of the brown coat. Look at the few remaining hand split [unk] and look down here at this detail, how they framed this."

" -Yeah. That is a more [unk] and instead of hanging with round [unk], they have actually driven a wedge."

" -Yeah. The header goes right through the jacks and then they had a wedge to tighten it up. You can probably take this house apart without having to use a crowbar or anything."

" -You could."

" -Here is an interesting thing we do. This is a plaster washer and this whole section was loose so we have come in and drill holes and then fastened it with a plaster washer and screws and that is a mechanical reattachment back to the stud."

" -And you want to preserve as much of the original plaster even if it is bits and pieces like this."

" -That is right. You do not want lose it."

" -This is a diamond mesh, right?"

" -Yeah."

" -Yeah and it has just been nailed up over a 15-pound felt and I can see you had to have a couple of 2 x 4's to help create the profile of the cove up here."

" -Yeah exactly."

" -Right. Now what is it you are using? What is the [unk]?"

" -This is gypsum plaster, Gypsolite. It has vermiculite added to it. It is thick and light weight gypsum plaster. "

" -Sure."

" -And we have to apply several coats because it will shrink and crack. We will apply it too heavily."

" -Okay. So right now you are putting on the first coat and is there?"

" -Yeah, the first coat."

" -Now this is a hock down in the south."

" -Yeah."

" -It is hod up in New England and you basically just have to develop a technique but I have a great technique for spilling it on my shoes that I have to show you sometime."

" -I have done that before."

" -Yeah indeed but it is fun. It is one of my favorite trades. Now how do you deal with the build up that you got to do up here?"

" -Well, yeah, as you can see we curved it to fit the curvature of the ceiling itself and we will just apply 2 more layers, one more layer and then the white coat layer then the finishing coat."

" -Go for it Ralph Let us watch your technique for a sec."

" -You cover the wire completely and then you come back and add more."

" -So the mix is made stiff enough, enough that you can ah."

" -Yeah, it is just powder form which you say I order."

" -Yeah but you do not ask so much, you got to mix it."

" -Oh no it is definitely [unk]."

" -Exactly."

" -And also carried away of itself."