Dickenson County herald. [volume] (Clintwood, Va.) 1939-195?, 1942-04-23
BRASS-PLATED STEEL HARD
WARE QUICKLY LOSES POLISH


WARE QUICKLY LOSES POLISH
a HOUSEWIFE was much dis
4 n tressed at finding that the hard
ware on the front door Of her new
house could not be polished to its
original brilliancy. Instead Of the
bright and glowing brass that she
had in mind, the hardware was
dull and Ifeless in spite Of her hard
polishing. The trouble came be-
cause the hardware was not solid
brass, but was made Of brass-plated
steel. The plating was so thin that
a few polishings took it off. Her
remedy was to replace the hard
ware with solid brass, which could
either be cast, or formed of sheet
brass. Any well-stocked hardware
store carries brass doorknobs and
plates, push-button plates, and 9TH
er parts, with which the original
hardware can easily be replaced.
When new, brass-plated hardware
looks just as attractive as solid
brass, and is used only because 1t
is lower in price. The difference
can be told by applying magnet,
on which solid brass will have no
effect. On brass-plated steel, how
ever, the magnet will stick. The
test is easy to make, and should
be applied when going over a house
before making a purchase.
Tree Roots
Question: Lombardy poplars in
my back yard were cut down last
spring, but shoots are now springing
up all over. We pull them up each
day, but others come UP overnight.
7 fear that the roots will dam
age the house foundations and get
into the sewer. What can we do?
Answer: Roots cannot live without
growth above the ground. Pulling
up the shoots will eventually have
a killing effect. To speed things up,
bore holes downward into the
stumps, as many and as large as
possible, and keep them filed with
crude saltpetre, which is inexpen-
sive. The chemical will be liquefied
and will have killing effect on be-
ing absorbed. It will cause quick
rotting of the wood.
Wallboard Cracks
Question: Our brick house 10 60
years old and was never plastered.
A number Of years ago the walls
and ceilings were covered with plas-
terboard, the joints having cloth
pasted over them. The joints show,
and some break open. How can we
do them over so this will not hap
pen? We do not like strips Of mould
ing.
Answer: It may not be possible to
make permanent filings, for the
joints are likely to open as the
plasterboard is affected by changes
in weather. You can do fairly good
job with patching plaster, to be had
at a hardware store, covered with
strips of open-mesh fabric intended
for that purpose. These, Of course,
will be concealed by the decorations.
Loose Tiles
Question: In our bathroom eight
Of the wall tiles are loose. What
kind of cement should I use to stick
them back?
Answer: If your tiles are of the
usual kind, scrape the old cement
off the backs and soak the tiles in
water for a few hours. Stick them
back with a stiff mixture of / part
portland cement and parts clean
building sand, spreading this evenly
over the backs. Do not fill the
joints between the tiles. This is
done after the tiles are firmly in po-
sition, with mixture of plaster
of paris in water. Wipe it on and
clean the faces of the tiles before
it hardens.
Cracked Plaster
Question: Plaster in our 40-year-