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Show FIRST-AID to the by Roger B. Whitman ( Roger B. Whitman WNU Service.) Paint on New Galvanizing A NEIGHBOR otmine recently put up- a galvanized metal one-car garage that hebought ready-made,. He lost no time in painting it, and was much distressed at finding that within, a few weeks the paint began to peel. Naturally enough he blamed the paint; but in thise was wrong, for new , galvanized metal does not offer a bond to any .paint except a kind that is made for the job. In galvanizing, the .metal sheets are dipped into melted zinc, which clings to the surface, and in hardening, forms a. thin coat. In addition, the galvanizing becomes coated with a fine deposit; so fine that it cannot be seen. Even so, it has the effect of closing the pores of the zinc so that paint cannot form a bond. Unless Un-less a special paint is used the first step in painting new galvanized metal met-al should be fc .wash it well with cider vinegar, which has the effect of destroying the deposit. After a half-hour, the metal is well rinsed with clear, water, and then after drying, any good quality house paint can be appliedwith good results. Newly Lighted Fires , A friend of .mine complained of smoke coming from his fireplace when. his. fire ,was first lighted, although al-though the chimney drew freely as soon as the . fire, was going. .The chimney is of stone, and bflilt on the outside of his house. . In, cool weather the mass of masonry is cold, and so is the air in the flue, naturally enough. When a fire" is started, its heat in striving to go up the flue, is required to move all of the column of cold air, and as this ' is a slow process, the resistance resist-ance prevents the first smoke from escaping freely. Instead of going up the flue, it is forced out of the fireplace fire-place opening and into the room. The remedy is a simple one; to twist a sheet of newspaper into a roll, to light one end of it, and to thrust this up the throat between fireplace and flue. This generates enough heat to start the movement of the cold air in the flue, and the fire can then be lighted without a sign of smoking. . Sweating Water Pipes Question: We are building an apartment bungalow. The water pipes are installed across the ceiling ceil-ing of the downstairs flat. Would the ceiling plaster be ruined by sweat from the cold-water pipe? The pipes could be installed along the outside walls and in the attic, but we have been told they would freeze. Which method would be better? Answer: Pipes should not be installed in-stalled in an outside wall because of the great danger of freezing. You will do better to run them along the ceiling, but cover them with pipe jacketing, for this will prevent sweating. Spotted Waffle-Iron Question: How can I clean brown spots from a waffle-iron and a-sand- wirh toaster? Answer: Cover'witha paste of baking bak-ing soda moistened with water, and allow to dry. This will remove the greater part of the spotting, so that the waffle-iron and toaster are in a condition for use. Before using the waffle-iron again, 'however, it must be brushed with a vegetable oil and heated, which is the same, treatment treat-ment given to a new waffle-iron. This is necessary because the baking bak-ing soda, in addition to taking out the brown spots, will also' remove the grease from the surface. Clogged Drains Question: Drains leading to my dry wells are filled with dirt. Can they be cleaned without taking them apart? Dirt got in through a hole in a leader pipe. .Answer: If the hole has been filled you might be able to clean out .the drains with a strong flow of water from your garden hose, although of course, the dirt from them would fill the dry , wells. It would be best for you to dig up the drains, clean them out. and relay them properly, burning Paper Question: I am told that to, burn paper in a stove or furnace, will in time clog the chimney. Is this true? Answer: Burning ordinary paper would do, no harm., although tar paper pa-per or anything like it would be injurious. in-jurious. But paper should not be burned on a coal fire, for it is likely to cause clinkering. This is also true bf burning garbage or other waste. Damp House Question: There is a damp feeling in my house. . Would putting insulation insu-lation in my basement ceiling keep my rugs from getting damp? Answer: By far your best move would be to learn the reason for the dampness and to correct the condition. If you have a bare dirt floor in your basement, this is responsible. re-sponsible. Cover it with concrete. Doggy Odor Question: Our dog took to sleeping sleep-ing on a brocatelle sofa, which absorbed ab-sorbed a doggy odor before I discovered dis-covered what was going on. How can it be taken out? Answer: You can get a liquid for that purpose at a dog and pet store. A dog can be broken of the habit of sleeping on a piece of furniture with a small snap mousetrap. The snapping of the trap will surprise him so much that he will not return. re-turn. Put the trap upside down after setting it, so that when it snaps, he will not be caught. |
