THE HOME.

Globe, Volume XXIV, Issue 2614, 23 August 1882, Page 4

THE HOME.

Bkonzb Lamps,—To remove grease from a bronzs moderator lamp, waah it as lightly as possible with warm water and soap, dry it with a soft silk handkerchief, and when thoroughly dry, gently rub in a little sweet oil with a piece of soft flannel. A bronze lamp ought never to need washing : it is so bad for the bronze, and so apt to spoil it. With ordinary care in trimming a moderator, there is no reason why one drop of oil should fall on the outside of the lamp ; it generally happens from pouring the oil in quickly that it is full and over the edge before the feeder can be stopped: bnt no good servant would allow this. Careful dusting and an occasional rubbing with the soft flannel and a little oil ought to be all the outside cleaning neoessary. Staining Fioobs. —I give a recipe whioh I copied from " The Queen " eighteen years ago, have used it constantly myself, and given It to friends. The result has been always successful, and, although many directions have been given in that useful paper sinoa, I have never seen this repeated. Oak floor stain—Two quarts of boiled oil, half-pound ground umber (mixed in oil by oolorman), one pint of liquid driers (turbine), one pint of turpentine ; mix. After cleaning and planing your boards, lay this on with tbe grain of the wood. If required lighter, add naptba till the required shade is attained -, it darkens with age. Give it twelve hours to dry ; then varnish with wood varnish, or use only beeswax and turpentine. The result is good in time, but slower than varnish. To get your line straight aoross a room to stain a border, chalk a long piece of string, strain it whore you require your line, then lift the centre and let it fall sharp on the boards. The result will be a dear line in chalk, Quantities given will stain a 2ft border round a room 20ft by 16ft ; cost of materials, 8?. Any housemaid can do it. As I have superintended the staining of the floors in two very large country houses, and in one town house, perhaps my hints on the subject may prove useful to the numerous inquirers upon the subject. At any rate, I had ample opportunities for experimenting, and I made use of them. Permanganate of potash is no doubt a good stain, but it produces a very red shade of brown, and unless people live near a wholesale ohemist who will sell to non-com-meroial purchasers (whioh few of them will do) it is decidedly expensive. I think on the whole Stephen's oak stain produces the prettiest tint, and is the easiest form of stain to use t but it also has the demerit of being expensive where large floors have to be stained. The oak stain sold by Walter Carson and Sons, Belle Sauvage yard, Ludgate hil), is what I have used for most of my floors, it is sold in a dry state, with full directions for mixing; the tint is good, and it is far from costly. Another pretty and inexpensive floor stain may be made by mixing raw umber (the common powdered preparation to be bought at an ordinary oil and colour shop, the artist's preparation is very dear), with milk, and laying it on the boards with a large flat brush, or an old sponge. The paint should be mixed to a smooth psste, first with a little milk, and more added, until the desired depth of tint is obtained. I cannot say that my experience would lead me to recommend beeswax and turpentine for floors. My first andf oremost objection being the slip* pery nature of the surface produced, whioh really renders walking upon it dangerous to unaccustomed feet. Moreover, where floors are much trodden over, it does require a deal of polishing to keep it in order. No doubt in a town house, where there are only narrow borders round carpets, this is of less consequence, but in a large oountry house it is a serious consideration. I found the best plan was to thoroughly size the floors when the stain was dry, and then varnish with hard oak varnish; copal or eggshell varnisb, I fancy, is less durable. I always found the hard oak varnish sold by Messrs Carson at 12s 6d per gallon very good. There is a great difference in the quality of varnish. Only a small quantity of varnish should be taken up at a time by the brush, and if a bright surface is desired, two coats should bo applied, allowing the first to dry and harden before laying on the second. The longer the final ooat can be allowed to harden before being trodden over the better. To keep a varnished floor in good order it should have furniture oil applied to it once a week, rubbed on with an old duster and quiokly polished over with another. This prevents the varnish wearing off, for if that happens the stain wears too, and the floors assume a shabby aspeot. The following recipe for furniture oil will be found most satisfactory—£- pint boiled linseed oil, 2oz methylated spirit of oamphor, 2oz spirit of hartshorn, 3oz butter of antimony, £ pint of oommon vinegar. Mix and shake before using. Stain should always be laid on the way of the grain of the wood ; and the older and shabbier the boards, the deeper the tint must be to hide their defeot.