6221. To Take Bruises out of Furniture

6221.    To Take Bruises out of Furniture. Wet the part with warm water; double a piece of brown paper 5 or 6 times, soak it in warm water, and lay it on the place; apply on that a warm, but not hot, flat iron, till the moisture is evaporated. If the bruise be not gone, repeat the process. After two or three applications the dent or bruise will be raised to the surface. If the bruise be small, merely soak it with warm water, and hold a red-hot iron near the surface, keeping the surface continually wet; the bruise will soon disappear.

6222. To Dissolve Gum-Shellac in Ammonia

6222.    To Dissolve Gum-Shellac in Ammonia. The vessel containing the shellac is put into a large vessel with hot water. Boiling water is then poured on the gum, after which ammonia is added slowly, but continuously, stirring all the while with a glass rod, until solution is effected. An excess of ammonia will color the solution brown. After cooling, the fluid is filtered, and may be kept in this state a long while.

6223. To Manage Water-Pipes in Winter

6223.     To Manage Water-Pipes in Winter. When the frost begins to set in, cover the water-pipes with hay or straw bands, twisted tight round them. Let the cisterns and water-butts be washed out occasionally; this will keep the water pure and fresh. In pumping up water into the cistern for the water-closet, be very particular in winter time. Let all the water be let out of the pipe when done; but if this is forgotten, and it should be frozen, take a small gimlet and bore a hole in the pipe, a little distance from the place where it is let off, which will prevent its bursting. Put a peg into the hole when the water is let off.

6224. To Protect Lead Water-Pipes

6224.    To Protect Lead Water-Pipes. Dr. Schwarz, of Breslau, notes a simple method of protecting lead pipes from the action of water, by forming on the inside surface of the pipes an insoluble sulphide of lead. The operation, which is a very simple one, consists in filling the pipes with a warm and concentrated solution of sulphide of potassium or sodium; the solution is left in contact with the lead for about 15 minutes, and then poured out.

6225. Blowing Out Steam Boilers

6225.    Blowing Out Steam Boilers. Steam boilers should never be blown out under steam pressure. The safety valve should first be raised until the pressure is all removed by letting the steam escape as rapidly as possible ; then the hand hole plate or other device should be opened, and the dirt and sediment will run out with the water. If the boiler is allowed to cool off, the dirt will settle to the bottom and be fastened on by the heat. The dirt is always on the top of the water when there is any pressure of steam on it.

6226. Substitute for a Corkscrew

6226.    Substitute for a Corkscrew. A convenient substitute for a corkscrew, when the latter is not at hand, may be found in the use of a common screw, with an attached string to pull the cork. Or, stick two steel forks vertically into the cork on opposite sides, not too near the edge. Run the blade of a knife through the two, and give a twist.