HARDWARE

Sun (Auckland), Volume I, Issue 149, 14 September 1927, Page 7

HARDWARE

BRASS AND BRONZE. ITS USE IN THE HOME. In order to get the utmost satisfac* tion out of one’s home, it is of vital importance to consider carefully each of the many features which go into the making of the finished product. And because the problem of expense is usually among the foremost questions for deliberation, it is equally necessary to study these features from the standpoint of durability and the enduring wear which they can be made to yield. Many times, to his subsequent annoyance, a. home owner pays no attention to the hardware fixtures which are installed in his house. His mind is too occupied with questions which seem superficially to be of greater importance. And yet for the amount of money expended there is no other product of the small home’s construction which produces more in the way of usefulness and good looks than these pieces of hardware, each one of which, in some fashion or other, plays its small part in the daily domestic routine., The experienced home owner knows without being told the difficulties that follow in the wake of too cheap hardware fixtures. Rusty hinges which can discolour the carefully painted front door, and hinges which squeak irritatingly; lighting fixtures which too soon become transformed into ugly, disfigured things; window fasteners which show a lamentable reluctance to per-& form their appointed duties, and locks which do everything but lock In the way that they should. These are but a few of the disturbing results which follow in the wake of ill-chosen., inferior quality hardware. Naturally, in considering the smalli home it is not advised to install the! costliest and most elaborate hardware 1 purchasable. But it is possible to buy hardware at the present time which is manufactured and sold by reliable concerns; which is moderate in cost and which will look just as well at the end of 10 years or 20 years as at the end of one year. In most of the domestic hardware fixtures are made of brass and bronze, cast iron and steel. Brass and bronze are alloys of copper, and the brass fixtures come in a lemon yellow shade, while the bronze ones come in orange yellow tones. Brass and bronze hardware is not subject to rust, and if a home owner decides to install brass and bronze products in his house he must be sure that it is not iron and steel, plated to resemble real brass and bronze. This is sometimes done. So the value of a reputable dealer is obvious in buying domestic hardware. -The non-rusting quality of brass and bronze is one of its great value-con-tributing factors to the home owner. For instance, all the outside fixtures of a house, such as knockers, name plates, lanterns, etc., are constantly exposed So rains, snows and all kinds of weather. Where they are of brass or bronze they neither rust nor corrode. I'he same holds true of the inside flxures exposed to moisture from hand»ng as well as to moisture in the air. One may obtain both brass and bronze in cast and wrought. For the front door "‘cast” may be used wisely, but elsewhere in the small house “wrought" may be employed if expense is a matter of consideration. The ‘cast” is more expensive, but the ‘wrought” is satisfactory. There are many varieties of front Joor locks, knockers and handles. Handle and thumb pieces are much in favour now on the front door instead a knob. These handles are especially suitable for Colonial types of homes, and come in a wide variety of cast brass and bronze. Glass knobs with small wrought brass key-hole plates arc in excellent taste for use in the home interior, excepting in the kitchen where white porcelain knobs, with nickel-plated brass trimmings, are appropriate. For the bathroom and the toilet, where considerable moisture prevails, the hardware may be nickel-plated on brass or bronze. Rust has no chance ot coming through, as sometimes happens where the nickel plate is on iron or steel. Brass and bronze hinges have qualities of self-lubrication and do not squeak Casement windows opening outward may be hung on galvanised hinges with brass pins so that rust will nnt put them out of commission. For interior doors there are steel butts, plated to match the rest of the hardware in the house, which come with nail bearings and are practical. The assortment of lighting fixtures in bras-s and bronze from which one has to choose is wide. Fixtures in these alloys arc strorg and lasting and have beauty as well as practicability to recommend them.

A reliable hardware dealer is in a position to offer the home owner a great deal of practical advice in the matter of mechanical hardware contrivances on the market. His experience s first-hand m these matters and the i eas he has usually have been gained tne tried and testing method.

After a prolonged absence of the occupants, beds need airing. The hotwater bottle is the easiest method of doing this. In order to allow the warm air to circulate freely, take a short length of stick or something similar and prop it up under the bed-clothes, so that the latter form a kind of tent. A still better way is to expose the mattress and covering to sunlight or a good fire. While you are away on holiday take the opportunity of leaving open all wardrobe and cupboard doors, so that they may have the benefit of the air. Most of the garments are packed, and winter ones can be removed for the time being.

ORAKEI SECTIONS

MONTHLY SALES LIKELY CHECK ON SPECULATION (THE SUN'S Parliamentary Reporter.) WELLINGTON, To-day. It is intended shortly to advertise the first block of sections for sale in the Orakei garden suburb. Probably monthly sales will be held, and an endeavour will be made to offer both high-class and medium-priced areas, in order to give all sections of the community an opportunity of acquiring residential sites. The first group to be offered will comprise about 39 sections, ranging in area from 30 perches to 2 roods. Buyers will have the option of purchasing for cash, or on deferred payments spread over a period of 34£ years. In order to prevent speculation, so far as possible, the Orakei sections will probably be subject to section 4 of the Land Laws Amendment Act. 1926, which provides that, save in exceptional cases, lands disposed of on deferred payments may be declared as not: capable of being transferred until improvements of such extent, and of such character, as may be prescribed, have been effected, or in the event of failure to effect improvements until not less than 25 per cent, of the price of such land has been received by the Crown. THE MODERN MANTELPIECE DISPLACING WOODEN IDEAS The old idea when building a house was to have a black marble mantelpiece in the dining room, and one of white marble in the drawing room. Most of these were of the same typo, but many of them have been modernised very successfully. The wooden mantelpiece which followed was a welcome innovation, but nobody who has seen only the mantelpieces put into average houses by builders has any idea of the beauty of some of the modern productions. There are mantelpieces of beautifully veined marble, and others of mahogany, which are almost sufficient in themselves to furnish a room. Latterly the mantelpiece has been the subject of many experiments, and although some of the newer productions are quite different from ivthing seen before, and are rather too unusual to be acceptable at first sight, the breaking away from tradition s a good sign. Choosing the mantelpiece becomes more difficult in consequence, but for very little extra cost it is possible to improve upon the selection of the builder. aid of flowers COLOUR SCHEMES AT TABLE The colour schemes for the dinner table nearly always find expression with the aid of flowers. They can, however, be equally successful when the hostess calls fruit to her aid. A big bowl Is a good centre-piece, piled high with colourful fruits from far distant countries overseas. A pineapple Is very pretty fruit and makes a good centre for the fruit bowl. The cheerful yellows of oranges, and the rosy reds of apples blend very attractively. . When artificial light is used a Pleasant change is provided by candle light. Candles with coloured parchment shades can stand In gaily-painted wooden candlesticks, or coloured candies can be used. These can be obtained quite cheaply in any pretty shade, so that many colour schemes are available. Candle light is more becoming than any other form of artificial light. Probably the plan most frequently utilised for the house of moderate size is the central hall type, with living room on one side, dining room on the other. To the visitor entering the front door, be he friend or foe, 90 per cent, of the first story is spread open before his eyes. And if be but take the logical next step forward, behold! he will be up the stairs and right into the sleeping quarters.

LAMPSHADE COVERS Many novel and attractive methods have been adopted for the covering of lamp shades, and many ?ire the designs now’ in vidence. An electric light always looks so much better if covered with some material causing a shaded glow that is not only restful to the eyes, but gives the required light without difficulty. The doll head and wide crinoline skirts, once so popular for telephone covers, have now’ been adapted to lamp shades with artistic effect. This one is in pale pink silk and a deeper pink w’ool. If preferred feather can.be used instead of the wool. As may be seen the effect is wholly pleasing to the eye.