Evening star., 1941-05-03
Godgets
CouIking Compound;
New Type Ash Troy
For Bathroom
BY HILSON MUNSEY.


More than two years ago this
column described a caulking ma
terial which never dries out and has
an indefinite life. Letters are still
coming into the Office and asking
about the material, so perhaps 1t
is q good idea again to give the in
formation because this is the time
OF the year when patching and re-
caulking of the winter damage
should be undertaken.
This caulking material has no oil
content to dry out and it will cling
10 the work being done so well that
. bowl of soapy water should be
handy into which to dip the putty
knife 10 keep 1t from sticking. The
compound for caulking is the light
est type the company makes. 1t
h forced into the cracks and crevices
around the windows and doors and
the seal Is complete. 1t will be
years before it needs any further
attention.
A heavier type of the material is
about the consistency of putty and
ID used in the same manner as that
standby and friend of the carpen-
ter. This putty not only makes a
very secure job of keeping the win
dow glass in place, but also because
Of its elasticity takes up much of
the vibration caused by trucks or
trains.
There is one large company which
has an Office built over the tracks
at Grand Central Station, New York
City. Glass breakageS were con-
stant. However. when the hardened
putty was replaced with the plas-
tic material the breakage bill prac-
tically ceased to exist.
Cold frames, hot frames and
greenhouse windows are very likely
subjects for this Sealer at this time
Of the year.
Used for Storm Sashes.
Another interesting use is for
storm sash in the winter. Tests
have shown that a storm sash ap-
parently tightly fitted gave ther-
mometer reading of % degrees
Fahrenheit between the sash and
the window glass. After caulking
the temperature rose to 81 degrees
Fahrenheit within half an hour.
The room temperature was 10 and
the outside temperature 80 degrees
with a northern gale blowing.
This material can be used also for
masonry, particularly on stucco on
metal lath. Another place for its
use is in brick veneer and it will
seal the cracks in the cellar walls
that so often develop in newly built
homes when they settle and adjust
themselves.
A light grade of this substance,
but not as light as the caulking
material, is used for fastening loose
tile on the bathroom wall. A tile
fixed in this manner will stay put
indefinitely The material also can
be used to fill the crack that SO
often occurs between the bathtub
and the wall.
All these types of plastics are
waterproof and indeed may be ap-
piled over a wet surface success
fully, a decided advantage at times.
This plastic sets with surface that
can readily be painted, although
it will not harden. No hair cracks
will appear between the window
glass and the plastic no matter what
the change of temperature may be.
1t will withstand temperature as low
as go degrees below zero Fahren-
heit.
Bathroom Fixtures.
The latest addition to bathroom
eonveniences is the ash tray. This
is not an ordinary ash tray. 1t
fits into the wall like the soap dish
and other fixtures. 1t is made with
a lighter that works on the elec-
trio circuit and it has a space for
your favorite cigarettes. Both the
lighter and the ash tray are re-
movable, the lighter so that the
electric razor or other equipment
can be connected and the ash tray
10 that it can be emptied
1t is made of hard vitreous china
and will stand any amount of wear
and tear. The needed wall opening
is AZ by inches and is less than
inches deep. The fixture is sold
complete with the outlet box and
in fact, everything except the wire.
1t is made in black or white or in
several other colors to fit into the
color scheme of the bathroom.
The ash tray can be obtained
without the lighter attachment and