| Show F FIRST I 1 R T Q V A AID I 1 D ta AIL me HOUSE 5 j C 4 M by roge whitman roger B whitman features USING CARBIDE RESIDUE FROM ACETYLENE BURNERS T HAVE a quantity of carbide residue from an acetylene welding outfit writes a correspondent and have heard that I 1 can make whitewash with it how should I 1 mix it carbide residue is pure lime in a finely divided form jand and can be used as a substitute for lime for many uses As a whitewash it is excellent and can be substituted for h hydrated lime in practically all of the formulas using perhaps 50 per cent more one excellent formula m ula for weatherproof whitewash is made by mixing 60 pounds of carbide residue with water to form a cream to this is added a solution of 1 pound of common salt and vz pound po und of zinc sulphate in I 1 gallon of boiling water to which is added I 1 gallon of skimmed milk this solution is added to the carbide residue cream and stirred well cracking plaster question in several houses that I 1 have inspected lately there are large cracks in the plaster walls or ceilings how can I 1 prevent this in building a new house with a cement block basement answer the usual cause of plaster racking cracking c is settlement which may be from the sinking of the foundations into the ground or the shrinkage of at the wood frame sinking of the foundation can be prevented by providing footings of a sufficient size to carry the weight settlement from the shrinkage of the timbers that might cause plaster cracking can be guarded against by the design of the framework you can get information on this from the national lumber manufacturers association so washington D C smelly containers question I 1 have received a very handsome kitchen utensil set but cannot use the containers because of the odor picked up by sugar coffee etc washing does no good nor baking soda in warm water or airing what wh at can you suggest answer try the effect of enclosing in each container a can of charcoal such as is made for deodorize ing refrigerators these can be had at dime and hardware stores charcoal is an excellent absorber of odors and should work well burning wood question we have steam heat during the cool coal fall days before the fire is started for the winter will it be all right to bum wood in the furnace when heat is needed answer I 1 do not advise it for soot and other products of combustion might cause a serious clogging of the flues in the boiler and the chimney also you would have to burn a great deal of wood to bring the water up to the boiling point you will do much better to run a low oal coal fire cleaning question how can I 1 clean the of bihy ihy my kitchen sink the dirt seems to stick in the grooves answer it may be that your ura inboard is not acid proof and that the enamel has been damaged by acidity or the incorrect use of a strong drain cleaner try bleaching with a mild solution of javelle water or something similar or apply a paste made of household ammonia and a cleaning powder allowing it to stand for several hours Re finishing a floor question I 1 have removed the varnish nish from my floor but find that tha t after using a bleach it remains spotted what should I 1 do now answer your best move will be to have the floor gone over with an electric floor machine which will remove all the spotted wood and will expose new wood which will be easy to refinish the floor can then be refinished with any one of the new and effective floor seals finished if you desire by waxing |
