The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1890-05-17
SOME VALUABLE HINTS.
How Paint of All Kinds Should be
Cleaned and Applied.

Cleaned and Applied.
The painter was rather averse to
giving away the tricks of his trade, but
the reporter as usual succeeded in get
ting some information that will be APP
preciated by believers in home economy.
This particular man happened to be a
veritable cycloredia of knowledge per-
tanning to his trade.
AS it is getting along toward house,
cleaning time the ladies will want to
know the best way to clean painted sur
faces, said the painter. This work
should be done carefully in order to
avoid damaging the paint. Use a fan
mol rag dipped into warm soap suds,
then into whiting. Do not use strong
alkali soap that will cut the paint, but
select milder variety. Hard rubbing
is unnecessary. The same rule will ap-
ply to natural God finish. fit is good
job of wood finishing the dirt will roll
off easily.
There seems to be few people who
know that wallpaper can be cleaned so
nicely as to look as good as new, yet it
is a fact. One easy method is to rub the
paper thoroughly with piece of soft
rye bread. That isn't bad plan, but a
more effective one is to saturate piece
of flannel in spirits of wine and rub
gently over the paper. Either method
will absorb the dirt.
After the painter has been to work on
the house for few days the windows
are found to be we'll covered with paint
splashes. The best way to remove them
is to rub with stiff brush dipped in
camphor and sand. Coal oil, benzine or
turpentine will do the work satisfac-
torily if the paint has not become too
dry, and in that event ammonia will do
it. If paint should happen to have
splashed upon clothing the spots should
be saturated with turpcntine and al
lowed to stand for several hours, then
rubbed off. Alcohol or gasoline are bet
ter for light-colored clothing. Most
people who get themselves daubed with
paint make the mistake of rubbing it
| into the cloth.
When man wants to do a little job
of painting on his own hook, when the
work is not important enough to require
regular painter, he should at any rate
know how to do it right. Boiled oil is
the material for mixing; turpentine is
the thinner and japan the dryer. To
thin paint add little liquid at time,
then beat or stir it thoroughly before
adding more, and so on until the proper
consistency is reached. Paint should
always be applied in thin coats, and
each successive coat should BIO thor
oughly dry before another is applied.
Use plenty of oil in mixing. 1t dries
more slowly, but makes the paint elastic,
lasts longer, and prevents cracking.
This is the season, too, when the
carriage-owner wants his old vehicle to
look like new one. The carriage
painter takes it in charge and by the
quick American method completes the
work and returns it to the owner in an
incredibly short space of time. Last
year the varnish spotted shortly after it
was out of the shop and the painter and
the varnish were of course condemned.
But it was the fault of neither. When
the buggy spots it does not necessarily
indicate poor work or poor varnish. 1t
is caused by the ammonia in the atnos-
phere or in tho spots of mud and slush
that have splashed upon it. To avoid
the trouble have the vehicle washed
carefully, never allow spots of mud to
dry upon it, and, if possible, keep it out
of reach of the ammonia-laden atmos-
phere of the stables.-Chicago Tribune.