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Show FIRST-AID to the AILING HOUSE By ROGER B. WHITMAN (Released by Western Newspaper Union.) Removing Dents In Wood. XlfHEN a table top is dented by 'the dropping of a candlestick or other heavy object, the dent can usually be taken out by a process that will swell the fibers of the wood. For this the finish around the dent should be scraped off so that bare wood is exposed. The dent is then covered by a cloth dampened with warm water, which is pressed by a V warm not hot iron. The steam pro- duced will be absorbed by the dented fibers, which will then swell, and return to their original positions. The refinishing of the table top will be required, at least in that part around the dent. Should the wood be actually gouged, so that some of it is removed, the hole that is left can be filled with stick shellac. This can be had in all shades of wood colors col-ors at many large paint stores and from dealers in cabinet makers' supplies. sup-plies. An old screwdriver is heated to a point at which it will melt the shellac, and a little of the shellac shel-lac carried by the blade is then transferred to the hole. If the correct cor-rect amount of shellac is picked up, the surface can be smoothed by the warm blade; if too much is used, the surface can be cut off with a razor blade. A job of this sort can be so neatly done that the patch will hardly be noticed. Thermometer Setting: One of my correspondents oe-scribes oe-scribes a very interesting experience experi-ence with a thermostat. He could not understand why the house felt so cold with the thermostat thermometer ther-mometer standing at 70 degrees. After a time he checked with a second thermometer, and found that the thermostat was registering two degrees higher. His service man was called in and adjusted the thermometer ther-mometer by lowering the glass tube, so that it registered correctly. He says that home owners might be interested to know that thermostat thermometers are oftn. so made that they can slide in relation to the scale, to change the reading, should it be out of adjustment. I am sure that the above information will be found useful. An experiment experi-ment with thermometers that is usually usu-ally startling to those who have not tried it is to take the temperature of the air at floor and cefnng at a time when the wall thermometer is standing at its normal 70. Only too often the low temperature on the floor is the unsuspected cause of chilliness. Avoiding Greasy Hands. When a dirty or greasy job is to be done, time will be saved by first coating the hands with something that will keep the dirt from working into the pores of the skin. One good material for this can be made by dissolving 2 ounces of gum arabic in 1 pint of water, to be mixed with Vz pound of soap chips, dissolved in 1 pint of water. The liquid is heated in a double boiler, and 1 ounce of lanolin is then added. The result is a soft paste, to be rubbed well into the skin, and especially under and around the finger nails. On finishing the job, the hands can be washed with clear water, or with soap and water. It is worth while to make up a quantity of the compound, to be stored in tin cans or glass jars until needed. Smoky Furnace. Question: A piped hot air furnace admits soot to the rooms, in spite of a recent cleaning. What treatment treat-ment should it have? Answer: Smoke and soot are escaping es-caping from the firebox into the air passages through open joints between be-tween the furnace sections, due to the giving out of the cement with which they were packed. The best remedy is to renew the cement, which should be of a variety made for the purpose and resistance to heat. Even with the best cement, the job usually gives out in five years or so. 'Woody' Smell. Question: About a month ago I was f" given a bedroom suite of maple furniture. fur-niture. I do not like to put any of my things in the chest of drawers because of the very strong "woody" smell inside. Airing does not seem to help. Is there any way to get rid of this odor? Answer: "Paradi" (moth) crystals crys-tals make an excellent deodorizer. Put a generous amount of the crystals crys-tals in each drawer and allow to remain for several days. Faded Veneer. Question: A damp towel was carelessly left on brown walnut veneer, and made a grayish cloudy stain. How can this be restored? Answer: The damage is probably only in the finish. Try the effect of scraping it off with a razor blade. If this also removes the color apply successive thin coats of oil stain of the proper shade; get a color sample card at a paint store. Finish with a thin coat of varnish. |