HEARTH And HOME

Press, Volume LXVIII, Issue 20730, 15 December 1932, Page 4

HEARTH And HOME

'•Builder" invites contribution! from readers on auy matters of j interest which they might like to j propose. Correspondence on vari- ' ous subjects pertaining to building | will also be accepted. NOTES. ANSWERS TO ENQUIRIES. j Av. enquirer asks: "How can I revive Tarnished wood which has become dull ?" —The following method is recommended:—Take some used tea leaves, place tliem in a basin, and cover with hot water. Leave for about a quarter of an hour and then apply to the vnr- j nished wood. Dry off with a clean* cloth and the varnish will look as if it had been freshly applied. The Annie E. Herbert Memorial Sun Porcii. opened yesterday at tiie Jubilee Home. Vcolston, was built by Mr L. 13. Davenport, it is 24ft by 12ft, the old verandah having been oonverted into a corridor to give access to it. The building is of Drick and stone, with an iron roof. It salt-cellars become spotted on the metal parts through the salt coming into contact with them, smear them with olive oil and leave for a day or two, then wipe off the oil, and cltan iu the ordinary way. In summer, when fires are not reeded, do not blacklead grates. Apply a little furniture cream or boot polish and shine with an ordinary boot-pad. This makes tho grates rust-proof, and they require only a little dusting to bo

kept clean. Coal fires with ugly tiled surrounds may be transformed with a little sheet brass or copper. The brass is cut to the right ahape and "sprung" into the sides, "and another piece is made to cover tho floor tiles. li you use a bucket for your ashes try to get a piece of tin cut to lit the bottom of the bucket and slip inside. You can renew the tin from time to time, and it will save your bucket itself from being burnt by the ashes. During spring-clearting time floors need .special attention. A tiled hall or paved verandah that is kept clean ordinarily with soap and water is all the better for an annual scrub with hot water containing soda and a disinfectant. The use of a long-handled scrubbing brush protects the hands from contact with the liquid.

There is a very easy way of obscuring windows, instead of going to the expense of glazed paper. Use some ordinary Epsom salts and dissolve in warm beer. While this is still warm paint the .glass with it. The beer evaporates as the mixture dries, and the result will be a frosted effect. A rougher effect can be made by dabbing the glass with putty, but the fortaer proves very effective.

Finger-plates and dcor handles in some old houses are often mado of a rather ugly white or patterned china. They can be transformed to match a new scheme of decoration by giving the china two coats of a good undercoating paint, carefully brushed out, and then coating with enamel of the desired colour.

Tea-stains on blankets caji be removed in the following way: Immerse the stained part in a bowl which contains a solution of one tablespoonful of glycerine, half this quantity of ammonia solution, and nine tablespoonfuls of warm water. Leave for twelvfe hours, then place the stained part on $ clean folded cloth, and rub the stain hard with another clean cloth. Rinse afterwards with warm water.

An English firm has developed an electrically-operated screwdriver, its primary purpose being to reduce time and expense in the production of magnetos, etc. It was so successful in this —the firm can now drive 500 screws or nuts per hour per worker—that it has just been decided to offer it to r.on-competitive manufacturers. Tho driver is intended for use, in all industries where screws of a similar nature have to be screwed and tightened into metal or wood.

The newest kind of crockery drying rack is made from galvanised wire. It is made in three tiers—after the fashion of a tea trolley—with two sets of diagonal wires to hold about, thirty plnt<t;. The top tier is in the form of a tray, where jugs, cupp, and similar ciockery can be stood. A loose draining tray is fitted at the bottom of the rack. The complete rack can either be nlaced on a table or hung on the wall. It is 53in high, 17|in wide, and SJSin deey. The wire is rustless. The wicker porch furniture, if it is only dingy, can be revived by a good | vigorous bath with the garden hose. | The upholstery must, of course, be removed, after which the noezle should ! be employed with plenty of force. The fine spray will dislodge 'dirt effectively. Do this Work on the lawn, choosing a sunny day. and let the furniture stand out in the air to dry. Mprket basket, picnic hampers, and the like heed refreshment for the summer season, and should be scrubbed with sudg.

A kind of flexible paint which is becoming increasingly popular among motorists for renovating hoods and upholstery may be usefully employed lb the household as well as in the garage. It is excellent for covering up stains and shabby places ou leather-up-holstered furniture or, indued, any article covered with or made of hide or leather. It is applied in a precisely similar manner to ordinary paint, drie s quickly and evenly, and, most important, of all, is guaranteed not to rub off or mark clothing. With the holiday season near, its possibilities for renovating shabby trunks and cases are worth noting.

The fact of putting down a good thick carpet does not always make the floors in an old house warm and couir fortable to walk on. Draughts, for instance, can come up through wooden floors warped with ago, while the chili from a tiled or stone floor will p?uetrate the thickest pile. A parquet floor can be laid over a <}eal floor, and the resultant comfort and good appear-, ance are well worth the initial cost. It conceals the old roughened wood and stops up the draught holes.

An extraordinary spectacle wag witnessed at a famous London room | recentlj- when antique wallpaper ! S?v*. J" , ® Lords Conupisaionei's of the British Admiralty. This was a finis s®t or twenty-one panels of eiglitijanth century Chines© pointed "with 4 charming design, in natural colours, of flowers, birds, and butterflies on & light blue ground. Tin? pan«ls came from an old Georgian mansion, until recently used as a naval testing station. At least one woman spectator cast lonping eyes at the precious pa per. with its possibilities o'f transform in-/ the walls of a country cottaao. Wallpaper, however, i.? not every collector's bobby. Hie historic set was knocked down at £35.

A NEW HOME. •« | ST. JOHN AMBULANCE ASSOCIATION. CONTRACT LET FOR BUILDING. J'of some time the St. John Ambulance Association has been quartered in temporary premises in Gloucester street, but within the next Ave months tho Association's valuable work will bo carried out from a new and up-to-date building in Peterborough street, through the conversion of William (toss's timber mill into a two-storeyed structure. The total price is £4OOO. A contract has been let and the work will com•mcnce before Christmas, occupying about four mopths. Provision has been inade in the plans for a length of 110 feet and a width of 00 feet, and the ground floor will contain a, spacious garage —one of tho most important features of the now building—of 57 feet by 34 feet, with an ultimate accommodation for eight ambulances. There will be three sepa-> rato entrances to the garage, allowing for rapid and eilicient movement. Adjoining tho garage will be the general office, secretary's accommodation, and | rooms for tho volunteer staff. .Firstaid will be available in the surgical dressing-room immediately off the tun in entrance. Three Lecture Kooiiis. Opening off the vestibule there is to be a corridor leading to three lecture rooms and tho board room, and olf the corridor will be installed the lockers for the different brigades. The corps aad district offices will be at tho eastern end of the building. The assembly hall will be on the first floor and its size, 42ft by 92ft. will be ample for demonstrations, lectures, and social functions. The kitchen will bo housed at the eastern end. Full provision is made for rapid escape in case of llro, the exits being on the north-west corner of the building. Three modern, self-contained Hats, served by outside stairs, will accommodate the permanent staff of drivers. These will be on the north and east sides of the first floor, aiid each will hive two bedrooms, living-room, kitchenette, and bathroom. The dormitory for the volunteer staff is flanked by the social room, with lounge and eooking facilities, and there is ample ppace for surgical stores close to the garage. The present frontage of the building is to be reconstructed entirely. A parapet will be added, together with a suspended verandah, and the whole will be plastered with a buff finish. The Alarm System. A special electric alarm system will be installed, communicating with both the permanent and volunteer staff quarters, and thus there will be every facility for a quick response to accident calls. The whole of the building will be heated on the hot-air principle, and special attention has been given to th& lighting arrangements. The main entranco and vestibule will be at the eastern end. Mr J. C. Holliss is the architect and the contract has been let to Mr T. E. Marriott, of Linwood. ST. PAUL'S CATHEDRAL. FOUNDATIONS INVESTIGATED. "The scare which certain papers hava attempted to tfork up about the safety of St. Paul's Cathedral may bo entirely discounted," says the "Architect and Building News."' "We have the authority of Mr Godfrey Allen, the surveyor to tho cathedral, for stating that no new danger has arisen or is apprehended. It was known long before tho repairs to tho dome supports were undertaken that the foundations of the building were shallow, and that beneath them was a bed of wet sand which, if it were deprived of its water content by deep excavation or pumping in the vicinity, might lead to subsidence. That, naturally, is a condition that demands constant vigilance on the part of th® cathedral authorities, but such watchfulness is no new factor, and has had to be exercised for decades past,. What has given riso to the recent scare is the fact that, now the major scheme of repair has been completed, the cathedral authorities are, entirely as a precautionary measure, investigating the actual subsoil region around the building, so that they may be prepared for any emergency that might arise."