The Vermont transcript. [volume] (St. Albans, Vt.) 1864-1870, 1864-08-05
Farmers department.
The Housewives Hand Book.

y.
mate dissolved in alcohol, mercury
mixed in beaten white of egg, or, for
ecrnmon coarse furniture, fill all the |
crevices not likely to come in contact |
with the bed clothes, with strong com
mon brown soap.
Then rosewood, mahogany, or any
fine furniture, must be freed from dust |
and wiped clean of fly specks or other
soil. and after rubbed over with very
fine rotten stone mixed with olive oil,
and when dry, rubbed off with silk !
cloth. If your fine furniture needs
varnish, get first rate professional
hand. But, with good cabinet makers,
varnish and suitable brushes, for com
mon furniture, you may do the job
quite we'll yourself Be sure to have
the article clean when you begin; have
the varnish thin; put on small guam
tity at time, and rub it in well, fol-
lowing the grain of the wood.
If you live out of reach of cabinet
makers aid you may repair and var
nish up considerably, if you have pa
thence and skill. If piece of veneer
ing is of, cut off the edges of the break
smoothly, fit in piece of veneer ex-
actly, 1.-THE grain running with that Of
the furniture), paste it in with glue.
and tack it in with number of com
mon pins slightly. When the glue
hardens, draw out the pins, and, with
piece of glass, scrape the newly
joined edges perfectly even. Now, if
the piece of furniture is much scurfed
and abused, scrape off oil The old rdrnish,
with glass carefully; then rub it with
coarse and fine sand-paper success
lively, until smooth rs satin; proceed
to varnish, and you will be astonished
at the result of your labor
A fine feather brush and soft
silk cloth should be used daily on fine
furniture. The dust should be beaten
out of the cushions with the hand;
brocatelle or hair cloth wiped with a
clean cloth; velvet with worsted
plush roll, or better still with the hand
only.
MARBLE ALL marble should be
washed commonly with luke-warm
water and a sponge; grease spots or
stains can be removed by washing with
salts of tartar Or repeated applications
of fine chalk.
IRON SPoTs may be removed by rub
bling with piece of lemon, and wash
ing after with cold water.
Alabaster should be washed with a
brush thoroughly with aqua FORTS in
clear water-(an ounce to half a
pint then rinsed in cold water and
set in the sun to dry.
INK SpoTs on wooden furniture may
be removed by rubbing on oil of vitrol
mixed with two parts of soft water.
The white marks from heat may be
removed by rubbing first with oil, and
after with alcohol, or with spirits OF
hartshorn.
UNFINISHED MAHOGANY, or any other
furniture wood, may be polished sew
eral ways, and by frequent rubbing
kept very nice.
A piece of beeswax as large as an
egg, half as much rosin, melted in a
pint of spirits of turpentine, spread
over table evenly, and when cold well
rubbed with soft cloth, looks well
A gill of spirits of turpentine, one
of sweet oil, and pint of sweet milk
makes an excellent polish-well rubbed
after-or take cake of pure beeswax
rub it all over the surface you wish t.
polish; then wrap linen cloth over
warm smoothing iron, and rub it owe
the table until the wax is evenly spread
then with a wooden cloth rub unit
smooth and bright We used to spen,
much time in an old pioneer house
the best rooms of which were tinishe
with black walnut, and kept, with thi
polish only, as bright as mirrors.
PICTURE FRAMES, gilt ornaments, etc
and the glass over pictures and Ell
cravings, should be cleaned with whit
ing as directed in previous receipts fo
cleaning glass Water may iniur
both picture and frame. The gildin
should be brushed or wiped very sof
~ and carefully.
On PAINTINGS may be wiped wit
luke-warm water and soft spong
and dried with soft cloth. The gilC
ing cannot be cleaned by any trials
have made, and have had woeful e,
perience in trying.
The directions for vanishing pc
ished steel gliding, etc, have four
invariably to injure instead of proven
ing DETACHMENT. These articles ms
be repaired in cities, but country pc
pie, who are cut off from such resour
es, must be more careful. All sue
articles, before the season of flies nj
dust, should be coyerd with son
transparent muslin. Yellow oiled ia
latan looks best over yellow gliding,
it, is Hardly perceptible. Pictur
should never hang over the fire,
smoke and heat discolor and crack Il
painting.
BRoSzE cannot be improved, al
can be kept clean by washing in war
water and wiping dry. The gla
pendants, shades, etc, belonging
lights and vases, can be cleaned
soap suds-cold, unless there is grea
to remoye-rinsed in clear wat
drained dry, and rubbed with hue
skin or any old silk handkerchief
VENETIAN BLINDS should be brush
between the Stats every unrninp n,