HOW TO DO IT

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume LXXVI, Issue 17756, 3 January 1920, Page 11

HOW TO DO IT

, THINGS YOU MAY LIKE TO _ KNOW. 1 TO FIX GUTTA PERCHA SOLES AND PATCHES TO BOOTS. a (1) Dissolve one part powdered 3 gum shellac in ten parts of ammonia . .880. It is at first slimy, in three or - four weeks it becom s liquid, then f (hard and impermeable. The above - i will also stick gutta-percha to wood > jor nietaJ. (2) Take two parts coni- - mon pitch and -one part pure guttapercha, and melt together, stirring well till dissolved. Apply to the a boots with a hot knife, pressing the soles firmly and evenly down. In all R cases warm the soles and boots before putting on the cement. (3) The f sole cement is made as follows: —1 . lb. pure asphaltum and Jib. pure inj diarubber dissolved in sufficient rectified naptha to render it into a stiff, f sticky paste. The boots are now e freed from dirt, all old patches re- . moved, and the soles rendered as ;. smooth and flat as possible by stick- '. ing little patches where necessary, e When this is done rub a rasp over to give a hold to the cement. Cut the n soles, either leather or rubber, the necessary shape, and warm both sole 3 and boot; spread the cement over evenly into its place and set aside 6 to dry. Clean off the residue. This ° cement is practically waterproof, only do not put before a fire to dry, a or the soles may give; otherwise they will remain perfectly tight till worn r out. n OAK STAIN FOR FURNITURE. n [ s (1) One of the simplest stains for e furniture is made as follows: —Mix s eu'al tar and turpentine in equal pro- - portions for a permanent stain of dark oak colour. If it is wanted n lighter increase the amount of turh pentine, or if very dark, increase the >- amount of coal tar. Apply it with an n ordinary stiff paint brush and work d with the grain of the wood, and not 3 across the grain. Lay on evenly and let dry thoroughly; then apply a sec- ! ond coat if necessary, and when perfectly dry varnish it over with a quick-drying oak varnish. Work done this way properly looks nearly s equal to polishing. (2) Equal parts of American potash and pearlash, 2 j oz. of each to about one quart of waj ter. This gives a good stain. It requires careful application, as the ’ American potash is a strong solvent, » and will blister the hands. It soft--3 ens a good paint-brush once using, so s use a very common brush, and aps ply the staining with it. Keep it » corked up in a bottle, and it is alr ways ready for use. If it strikes too deep a colour add more water. I s I TO MAKE A POLISH FOR A t BALLROOM FLOOR. The floor of a ballroom, or borders • of any room, may be very effectively ’ treated by the following simple process; Dissolve half a pound of shelr lac in a quart of methylated spirit. \ add half a pound of umber, and mix 3 until as thick as paint. First give the"boards a coat of size, then paint ' on the above stain with a brush, afterwards polishing with beeswax j and turpentine. Any quantity required can, of course, be made up in s the above proportions, and will give e a nice oak stain. s e TIGHTENING CANE BOTTOM s « CHAIRS. j (1) If the canes on the chairs are not broken, the following will be found an excellent method: Turn the chair bottom upwards, and with hot ■ water and soap well -wash the canework, using a sponge so that it may dry in the open air, or in a place where there is a thorough draught. If the cane is rot thoroughly clean 1 when dry repeat the operation, and ft when the cane is dry it will become g as tight and firm as when new, prog vided none of the strips are broken, f (2) Wash the chair in a strong solu- ? tion of soda and wafer, and let it get thoroughly dry. When dry it will be found that the cane has shrunk and „ the seat tightened. 1 TO STORE & PRESERVE APPLES. 1 Apples to be stored and preserved | must be quite sound, and gathered 2 during dry weather from the trees, I when they part easily from the spurs, s In gathering, great care must be tak- | en riot to bruise the fruit. The gatbs ering basket should be lined with ? soft material, and the fruit laid sinj gly; over the first 'layer place more J soft material; then another layer of r fruit, and so on. The apples must ? not be tumbled out of the basket, but [: removed very carefully by hand and { placed singly on very dry straw, on ; tiers of shelves in a dark and well ; ; ventilated room or cellar. To pro- . tect. them from being affected to any : considerable extent by sudden changi es of temperature, it is advisable to I cover them with very dry straw. , f about one inch thick. The straw will I i absorb any moisture that, may arise ; 1 from the fruit, which will ripen of a 1 j fair coour, be more plump than | ; if fully exposed to the air. The fruit [ ! may also be preserved very well in i e clean, dry casks; for packing in j ' these the apples should be carefully I selected. After two or three weeks ! the cask should be opened and the ■ fruit picked over, so that any that j may then give indications of decay may be removed. The sound apples will, on being repacked, keep plump till fit for use if the cask be kept in a dark, dry, cool place. TO WASH AN EIDERDOWN. Make a good lather of tepid water ; and soap powder or jelly, add to this j a tablespoonful of vinegar to keep [ the colours in the covering from running. Place the eiderdown in a tub, I and squeeze the dirt out gently with the hands; the eiderdown must noth be rubbed, or it will become lumpy, [' Probably more than one lot of suds will be required. When quite clean, [i rinse in clear, tepid water. Squeeze ! i as dry as possible with the hands, h and hang on the line to dry. A [' bright, windy day should be chosen 1 for washing. Be careful to turn and j gently shake the eiderdown occasionally when drying; this will prevent the down settling in one place, and distribute it . equally all over the quilt. BRILLIANT BLACKING FOR BOOTS AND SHOES. ( i Take a pint and a half of vinegar. ' half a pint of black ink, four ounces i of glue, two ounces of gum arable, land two drachms of isinglass. First break ug the glue into a basin and 1

pour over it one pint of vinegar, and let it stand until it softens. The gum, after being slightly crushed, must be put into another vessel; then pour the ink over it, and leave it till thoroughly dissolved. The isinglass must be melted in just as much water as will cover it, and placed near the Are for an hour or two. When all are melted and the glue softened, add the remaining vinegar to the glue; put. it in a saucepan over a gentle fire, and keep stirring until it is completely melted and amalgamated with the vinegar; it must not be allowed to boil. At this stage ridd it and the ink, letting them again come near, but not reach, boiling point. Next put in the isinglass, remove the saucepan from the fire, and pour the liquid into the vessels in which it is to be kept for use. When using, put as much as is required in a saucer and heat it till it is a fluid, then with a dry sponge apply a thin coat. The quicker it dries before a fire or in the sun, the brighter the polish will be. TO RENOVATE A FADED CARPET. Mix together 4oz. fuller’s-earth, 1 oz. pipeclay, 4oz. carbonate of ammonia, and one pint of ox gall, When thoroughly amalgamated put the mixture into a pail of water, in which 4oz. of soft soap has been dissolved, and then apply with a sponge. This will not only cleanse the carpet, but will revive the colours also.

TO CLEAN WIDOWS. (1) Windows may be effectually cleaned with a cloth made damp with paraffin, and then polished off with an old newspaper. This method tends to keep them cleaner much longer than with water. (2) Take a square of ordinary household blue, and after wiping all dust oft the -’indows or glass to be cleaned, rub the blue gently on to a clean, soft cloth, and apply to the glass. This will be found useful in cleaning mirrors, etc. (3) Moisten a little whitening with water, and rub over the glass. When dry polisr with a soft rag. A SUBSTANTIAL WHITEWASH FOR OUTSIDE USE. Take a half bushel of lime and slake it with boiling water, covering it over meanwhile; strain, and add a pinch of salt dissolved in warm water, 31bs. of ground rice boiled to a thin paste, Jib. Spanish whiting, and lib. of clear glue dissolved in warm water; mix, and let it stand for seme days. Keep a pan, and put it on as hot as’possible with a brush. It is a permanent whitewash, and will look as well and last as long as paint on wood, brick, or stone. HOW TO PREVENT OILCLOTH FROM BECOMING ROTTEN. To prevent oilcloth from becoming rotten on a damp floor:—Hang over a line, haying the back outside (or lay it face downwards on a floor if room can be found). Let the oilcloth be thoroughly dry. then make the following mixture —of course the quantity will depend upon the amount of material to be coated. Mix thoroughly red lead, dryers, and linseed or boiled oil. to about the thickness of cream (or rather thinner). Cover the back of (he oilcloth t ;th this mixture, using a rather soft brush, going all over evenly, and let it thoroughly dry. If properly done, the damp will not penetrate the cloth, and it -will last a great deal longer than the ordinary painted back. The red lead is poison, and must be used with care.

SOFTENING PUTTY. Take lib. American pearlash; 3 lbs quick stone lime. Slake the lime in water, then add the pearlash. ami make the whole of the consistency of paint. Apply it to both sides of the [ glass and let it remain for twelve hours, when the putty will be so softened that the glass may be taken out of the frame with the greatest facility. TO CLEAN HAIRBRUSHES. A good recipe which will keep the bristles stiff is as follows: Pour into an open dish a dessertspoonful of [ ammonia to a quart of cold water. [Dip the brush into this, moving up | and down and taking care not to wet [the back of the brush. In this way [the bristles will be clean and while [in less than a minute, and without. I any rubbing. Then dip the brush inIto clear water, shake, and place in a [rack to dry. TO PRESERVE EGGS. I (1) To preserve the interior cf the [egg in its natural state it is neces |sary to seal up the pores of the shell i air-tight. This may be done by dip- | ping them in melted suet, olive oil, [milk of lime, solution of gum arable. :or covering them with any air-proof [varnish. They are then packed in [bran, oats, meal, salt, ashes, or charjcoal powder. (2) The French way of preserving eggs is to dissolve 4oz. [of beeswax in Boz. of warm olive oil: [in this put the tip of the finger, and annoint the egg all round. The oil [will immediately be absorbed by the [Shell and the pores filled up by the [wax. If kept in a cool place the eggs will keep for a long time.

WASH FOR SHAMPOOING. (1) An excellent wash may be made by dissolving Aoz. carbonate of amomnia and loz. borax in one quart of water, and adding thereto 2oz. of [glycerine, three quarts of rum, and [one quart of bay rum. The hair, hav- | ing then been moistened with this [liquor, is to be shampooed with the [hands until a slight lather is formed, [and the latter, being then washed [out with clean -water, leaves the head [clean and the hair moist and glossy, i (2) Beat up the yolk of an egg In a [pint of rain-water, add half a tea- [ spoonful of glycerine and half an [ounce of rosemary spirit. Rub this [well into the head, and then rinse in plenty of warm rain-water.