Evening star., 1941-05-17
First Aid ...,
For the
AHingHouse
BY ROGER b. WHITMAN

The interest in outdoor cooking
Is reaching the point where any
body with patch of ground is
feeling the urge to build an out
door grill. There seems no doubt
that broiled steaks and baked
potatoes from an outdoor fireplace
have q flavor not equaled by any
thing cooked within the house. An
outdoor grill should begin with the
metal work; the CRATES and such
doors as may be necessary. These
are made in great variety by manu-
facturers of fireplace equipment and
can be had through hardware and
BUILDING material dealers. The fire.
place itself can be as simple or
elaborate as desired. Some of the
home magazines, Better Homes and
Gardens, American Home, House
and Garden, Good Housekeeping,
etc, issue descriptive booklets or,
on request, will give the dates of
issues in which they have published
articles on the subject. Files of
the magazines can be found in
public library.
Stray Cats.
G. How can I keep stray cats off
my back porch and stairs?
A. AT garden and seed stores you
can get liquids to be sprayed around
that have an odor distaSteful to
cats as well as to dogs. A scatter
ing of moth balls and naphthalene
fakes should also work. Both of
these are harmless
Shade Cloth.
@. I have several old window
shades, which are made of good
cloth. How can I remove the
stiffening?
A. If the shades are not of
washable variety, the stiffening is
starch. which can be taken out by
soaking with warm water. Follow
by ample rinsing.
Plastering.
q. have several large areas of
walls and ceilings to be plastered.
The estimate for the job is too
high I think I could do it myself
If I had instructions. Where can
I get them?
A. You will need to know far
more about plastering than the
mixtures. You can get printed in
formation from The National Lime
Association, Washington, and the
Gypsum Association, 211 West
Wacker drive, Chicago. But with
no experience, you would run into
difficulties, particularly in plaster
ing the, ceiling, and I strongly
advise you to have the job done by
q plasterer.
Loose Chairs.
Q. The joints of my kitchen
chairs have loosened. I have put
them together with casein glue, but
this gave out after few days. What
can you suggest?
A. Scrape off all of the loose glue.
For each end of a rung or other
loose part, cut a piece of an old
silk stocking to go over the end,
and to be forced into the hole. Put
on plenty of glue and then drive
the ends in tightly. After drying,
trim off the edges of the silk with
q razor blade. In place of the silk
you can get thin slips of steel at
hardware or dime store, made for
this particular Job
Clearing Prism Glass.
Q. Prism glass on my skylight is
dirty. Washing powders do not
clean it. How can 1 make it bright
again?
A. Wet the glass with kerosene.
In an hour or two the coating of
dirt will have softened and can be
taken off with strong soap.
Polishing Brass Hardware.
@. Constant polishing of the
brass hardware on my vanished
door has rubbed off some of the
varnish and discolored the wood.
shall revarnish the door; but how
can I prevent repetition?
A. Cut hole IN hard cardboard
or flberboard to fit each item of
the hardware. When polishing,
these shields will protect the wood,
but leave the brass exposed.
Skin in Paint Cans.
Q. When I use only part of
can OF paint, the cover cannot be
put or tight, and skin forms on
the remaining paint Also, the paint
becomes thicker. How can this be
avoided?
A. The skin is formed by the