Evening star., 1941-10-04
First Aid
For the
Aiing House
By ROGER b. WHITMAN.

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to peel. Naturally enough he blamed
the paint; but in this he was wrong,
for new galvanized metal does not
offer bond to any paint except a
kind that is made for the job. In
galvanizing, the metal sheets are
dipped into melted zinc, which clings
to the surface, and in hardening,
forms a thin coat. In addition, the
galvanizing becomes coated with a
fine deposit; so fine that it cannot
be seen. Even so, it has the effect
of closing the pores of the zinc so
that paint cannot form bond. Un-
less special paint is used, the first
step in painting new galvanized
metal should be to wash it we'll with
cider vinegar, which has the effect
of destroying the deposit. After a
half-hour, the metal is we'll rinsed
with clear water, and then after
drying, any good quality house paint
can be applied with good results.
Hot Water Supply.
@. The coil in our Oil burner did
not give enough hot water so we
took it out. We have an upright
S5-gallon tank. and burn gas for
the summer What do you think
of side-arm gas heater?
A. Instead of side-arm heater,
to be lighted and put out by hand,
you will be better off with a newer
form of automatic storage hot water
tank, which is automatically kept
full of hot water. In the best
qualities these outfits are cheaper
In operation than the earlier forms.
Spotted Waffle Iron.
from a waffle iron and a sandwich
toaster?
A. Cover with a paste of baking
soda moiStened with water, and
allow to dry. This will remove the
greater part of the spotting, so that
the waffle iron and toaster are in
8 condition for use. Before using
the waffle iron again, however, it
must be brushed with a vegetable
oil and heated, which is the same
treatment given to new waffle
iron This is necessary because the
baking soda, in addition to taking
out the brown spots, will also re-
move the grease from the surface.
Smokepipe Spacing.
O. What should be the space be-
tween the smokepipe of a combina-
ton coal stove and the wall?
A. For a plaster wall the space
should be 18 inches. If the wall is
wood. the space should be greater,
or the wall should be covered with
a sheet of asbestos board.
ClOgged Drains.
@. Drains leading to my dry wells
are filled with dirt. Can they be
cleaned without taking them apart?
Dirt got in through hole in a
leader pipe.
A. If the hole has been filled, you
might be able to clean out the drains
with strong flow of water from
your garden hose, although of
course, the dirt from them would fill
the dry wells. 1t would be best for
you to dig up the drains, clean them
out, and relay them properly.
Leaflets.
I receive many requests for the
leaflets that are mentioned in the
footnotes of my column. signed only
by initials, and without addresses
In such cases, of course. the leaflets
cannot be supplied. Names and
addresses should always be given,
and self addressed envelopes in
closed, bearing a Scent stamp. AS
my readers will note. names Of
questioners never appear in the
column.
White Paint on Red.
@. How can | give a white finish
to a red seat without the red coming
through?
A Take off all present finish with
paint remover, which will also take
out much of the red. The remainder
can be sealed in with one or two
coats OF aluminium paint, to be fin
ished with white enamel.
Floor Cleaning.
@. Good oak floors are discolored
and revarnished. How can I clean
them and make them light? How
can I clean stair treads? Sand
ing would be expensive
A. At a hardware store you can
get an alkali powder to be mixed
with water that will take off the
varnish and the discolorations. Di-
rections on the label of the box
should be carefully followed.
Dark Room.
Q. The walls of living room are
paneled in dark wood; the ceiling
is beamed, with light paper between.
The room faces northeast. Windows
are dormers. little more than a
yard long The room is dark Can
you suggest any way to tighten it?
A. The most obvious way is to
paint the paneling white, or some
light color. and the ceiling beams as
well. Unless the paneling is very
choice wood, the change should be
attractive. If the natural finish
must be retained, the paneling could
be bleached. although this would be
q more tedious job. Wood bleaches
can be had at good paint store.
Window draperies should be thin
and light in color. Floor covering
should be light Large wall mir
rors will also help.
Fruit Cellar.
@. My porch has 8-inch brick
walls and q 6-inCh concrete floor. ]
have dug out under it for fruit
cellar. of which the floor is feet
below grade. In cool weather the
fruit cellar is fine but in hot wealth
er it is pretty warm, although ]
have small ventilator in each end
Can this fault be corrected?
A. Correction would be diff
cult, for the upper half of the walls
and the ceiling are all exposed. In
sula ton on them would not be OF
much help. To be effective, the
space should be much deeper in the
ground. so that walls are surrounded
by earth. Earth does not change