Show AID f AIL G hause ii iby by rogers 0 Whit whitman axi released el eased by western newspaper unto union I 1 mixing prepared paint ilk A N OWNER recently blamed the A paint for a job that was rough and uneven As a matter of fact the paint that he used was of excellent quality and the fault was his own for not 11 mixing fixing it completely when a can of paint is allowed to stand as it will on a dealers shelf the heavier parts separate from the oils and collect in a dense mass at the bottom of the can before using this mass must be thoroughly and evenly blended with all the liquid for this a second can should be at hand as large or larger than the paint can much of the pa paint int liquid is poured off into this and the remaining liquid stirred into the mass remaining in the can when this has been softened some of the liquid is poured back and stirred in and this process should be continued until the entire can of paint is brought to an even consistency for final mixing the paint should be poured back and forth from one can to the other several times the paint is then ready for use instructions on the label for the possible thinning of the paint should be carefully followed varnish does not need any such treatment for its parts do not separate great care should be taken not to shake a can of varnish for air bubbles would form in it and spoil the final result cleaning enameled fixtures stains on the enamel of a washbasin sink bathtub or other plumbing b fixture should not be rubbed with steel wool or any other harsh abrasive for the glasslike glass like surface would be dulled and roughened and w would then stain more easily neither should acids or strong al kalies of the kind used as drain cleaners be applied to the enamel tor for the effect might be to eat the enamel and to destroy it completely one safe method for removing stains is continued rubbing with a cleaning powder moistened with kerosene A special cleaning powder can be had at a dime store or from a plumber and one of my correspondents reports complete success by mixing this with borax before adding water to make a paste the success of these cleaners depends on continued rubbing many stains can be taken out with a bleaching liquid the fixture is filled with water to above the level of the stain a cup or more of bleaching liquid is added and the mixture allowed to stand for several hours or overnight crack in a table top question what is your recipe for filling rather bad cracks in the top of a fine old cherry drop leaf table otherwise quite perfect I 1 do not hope to conceal the fact that the cracks were present but I 1 do want to fill them with something that will stick and not shrink answer if the table is really valuable I 1 should have an expert cabinet maker do the job but it if you wish to do it yourself get strips ot of cherry wood cut them to fit snugly and glue them in another way is to get fine sawdust preferably of cherry wood make into a paste with s spar par varnish and pack into the crack filling it to the top press some dry sawdust on top to take up any exposed varnish when dry rub smooth with very fine sandpaper it if you cannot get cherry wood sawdust use any fine sawdust and color with a small quantity of mahogany or cherry oil stain mixing it in the varnish before making the paste you will have to experiment to get the proper shade protecting windows question does pulling down window shades help to keep a room warm answer in bitter and windy weather yes with the shades pulled down air is confined between the shade and the window glass and acts as insulation pulling down all the window shades in the room may raise the temperature by as much as ten degrees the shades should be drawn to the window sill |