Part 4

=Gilt Furniture=: Dust well, and either sift on whiting, let stand an hour, and brush off or cover a little at a time with whiting and alcohol, as thick as cream, let stand three minutes, wipe with a damp cloth, and rub dry with old silk or flannel. Take away specks of whiting or tarnish with a swab of chalk tied in silk and wet with alcohol. Cork sawdust tied tight in chamois makes a good burnisher if high polish is desired. Garlands, bow knots, and traceries need to be rubbed out with a blunt skewer inside a clean leather and polished the same way, using silk or flannel in place of leather.

=Gilt Frames=: Cover with the cream of whiting and alcohol after wiping and brushing away all possible dust. Remove and polish as above directed. Repair breaks and chippings with plaster wet with white of egg, and paint with the finest gold paint, then burnish. Take off fly specks with a cloth dipped in alcohol, and rub away any obstinate dark specks or remnant of whiting with the same cloth.

=Upholstered Furniture=: Cover the stuffings with a bath towel, whip lightly, shaking the towel whenever it shows dust, then brush evenly with a soft bristle brush, wipe out the tuftings with a swab of cotton tied in silk on the point of a blunt skewer. Wipe quickly all over with a flannel wrung dry out of hot water, following with a cloth wet in alcohol. Change or wash the cloths as they grow dirty, especially upon delicate colors. Neither cloths nor swabs must be wet enough to leave marks. Alcohol, properly used, will leave no trace upon anything. Wash the wood in white soapsuds, about blood-warm, wipe dry, and rub with a flannel sprinkled with kerosene. This for ordinary wood; very fine things, and especially inlaid ones, had better have sweet oil and turpentine on the polishing-cloth, and not too much.

Upholstery can be dry-cleaned with starch and whiting sifted together and applied thickly all over it. Let stand a day, in sunshine if possible, then brush off, going over and over. If there are grimy spaces, wet them with alcohol before putting on the powder. Brush hard, and if flecks remain take them off with a cloth wet in alcohol.

=Wicker Furniture=: Scrub raw wicker with a stiff brush and white soapsuds, rinse, dry quickly, then brush over with turpentine, sweet oil, and alcohol, equal parts, mixed, then one-fifth their bulk of thin varnish added. Coat well. When dry, rub over with a thick soft cloth.

Dust gilt or enameled wicker very clean, wash quickly in weak tepid suds, wipe, and sift on whiting and corn starch, let stand half an hour, and brush off. Dry-cleaning alone suffices for things not much soiled. Instead of sifting, the starch and chalk or whiting may be tied tight in coarse net and used as a swab. Take out spots and stains (see section Spots and Stains) before cleaning.

=Porch Furniture=: Porch furniture, whether rattan, rustic, or bamboo, needs only to be dusted, well and quickly, washed in tepid suds, dried, and rubbed liberally all over with crude kerosene and creosoted turpentine (see section Renovators). Dry in air, but away from sun; do the work, however, if possible, upon a dry, sunny day.

=Enameled Iron=: Resurface things as they chip (see section Making Whole). Wash clean in tepid suds after dusting, wipe dry, then rub over lightly with sweet oil and alcohol, equal parts, with a teaspoonful of thin varnish added to the pint and well shaken.

=Sundry Preventions=: Crumple tissue paper thickly over upholstered furniture before putting on covers—it saves from wear, dust, and fading. Newspapers pasted into big sheets and spread over floor, bed, dresser, and couch in spare rooms likewise catch dust and stop light. They can be gathered up in a few minutes; take care, though, to lift edges first and shake dust inward, then fold. Where sunshine falls upon matting a double thickness of paper saves fading. Narrow lengths either to hang or pin about draperies will keep the draperies fresh. Paper is as nearly impervious to dust as almost anything known. Paper bags tied over gas globes, brass door knobs, and candlesticks prevent both dust and tarnish. Also there is no better summer ambush for articles of “bigotry and virtue” than a thick swathing of tissue paper inside a paper bag. Newspaper has further the merit of discouraging moths—they hate printers’ ink the same as other plunderers. Shut down windows upon newspaper, letting it fall well over the inner sill, and there will be no fading of paint there nor cakings of dust.

Glue rounds of felt to the feet of all things not furnished with castors if you would save polished floors from marking. A brad or two, driven upward, the heads well sunk, will add stability. Old soft hats will furnish the rounds. Instead, you may use a contrivance now in market, which is practically the same thing, also cheap and convenient.

V

MAKING WHOLE

=Rickety Furniture=: Scrape or file away old glue from loosened joins, cover with fresh glue very hot (see section Renovators). Tie fast together or put in a vise, protecting the jaws of it with thick paper, and let stand two days. Reinforce then underneath with iron—a light angle iron for corners, strap iron with holes punched along each edge for straight breaks. Small light metal hinges often answer admirably. Screw everything firmly in place, then scrape away oozing of glue outside, sandpaper, and refinish.

A jagged break needs glue extra thick and hot. Brush it well into broken fibers, both ends, press them together, fasten firmly, let harden, scrape away oozings, and screw on strap iron with holes an inch apart in the edges. Put it inside or underneath, and if it shows, as on chair or table legs, paint to match the wood, and varnish when dry.

Fine brads, driven in alternately, slantwise, on the under side, will hold cracks fast, but not so fast as strap iron. Hinges set in an angle need a little wood gouged away so they may lie flat against the wood. Fill gaps in a splintered surface with putty colored to match.

=Glass and China=: No cement ever made at home or commercially will bear long soaking in hot water or suds. Hard usage is also impossible. Notwithstanding, mending is well worth while, wherefore save the pieces, and especially save tiny splinters. Otherwise your mending will be vain. Twice a year have a mending-day, saving up breakage against it. Work at a steady table set in good light but not glaring. Have a white table cover, a bowl of hot water, a cup of alcohol, plenty of clean rags, several camel’s-hair brushes of varying size, a tumbler of water to hold them when not in use, plenty of twine, tying-tape, new rubber bands in variety, a pair of swinging weights, and on the floor, out of the way, a box half full of damp earth or sand. You need in addition squares of deal or cardboard for setting out of the way mended things. Also a pound of putty mixed stiff and, if mending ornaments, gold paint and colors in powder.

With a simple clean fracture, as across a platter, wash edges very clean, using a brush and suds, rinse in hot water, then coat thickly with pure white lead rubbed thicker than cream in raw linseed oil. Set the larger fragment, break up, perpendicularly in the box of sand. It must stand plumb. Fit the other piece to it, and hang evenly across it the swinging weights, which are but a strip of strong cloth doubled up into pockets at each end and filled with buckshot or pebbles, which must balance accurately. Their use is to make the join firm and fine—in fact, barely visible. Leave standing several days, then file or sandpaper off surplus lead. Lead-mending is the most durable of all.

Mend thin china with white of egg and quicklime. Beat the egg stiff, coat clean edges thickly with it, dust with powdered unslaked lime, press hard together at once, and fasten firmly. The lime sets as in mortar. Sandpaper the break after a week. This is a good cement for opaque glass as well.

Hollow things, as cups, bowls, etc., should be set over crumpled paper upon a round of cloth, with a drawstring in the edge just big enough to cover them halfway. Draw up the string very carefully after mending, and fasten. The secret of good mending is to have things held fast.

Rubber bands help mightily. String half a dozen strong ones on a tape and tie about the neck or base of anything so rounding strings slip. Join the broken part, then put another tape through the bands, and lift it steadily until you can fasten it about the neck or over the top. The bands must be the same size, and draw equally. After tying the tapes set a weight on top of the broken thing. Loop rubber bands around broken-off handles, set them in place, then string a tape through the bands, draw them together, and pass the tape twice around the body of the vessel.

Build up shattered things bit by bit about cores of putty covered with wax paper. This if shape admits taking out the putty. Narrow-mouthed things had better have cores of absorbent cotton wound with wax paper. It can be picked out bit by bit, using a hook. Putty likewise can be dug or rasped out, but not so easily. Things very badly broken need to be mended in sections, joining scraps and fitting in splinters. Fill cavities outside and in with either soft putty or plaster mixed with white of egg. A backing of putty inside seams makes them secure. Keep clean fingers while mending. Also keep broken bits clean. If a mend fails, soak off cement and begin over. White lead must be taken off with turpentine. But failure with it is rare.

If a handle-break goes through in a vase or ewer fit inside the hole a lump of putty, then cement edges, and press together, holding something against the putty and spreading it all over the break. Hard, it makes an indestructible join. Water will not affect it; still, such a vessel had better be kept for show.

=Glass=: Mend glass as directed for china, but use white cement, gum arabic, or sugar syrup (see section Renovators). Press breaks hard together and fasten firmly. If it is possible to expel every bit of air, the break will be scarcely visible. For colored glass rub dry color smooth in a little white cement and apply with a very fine brush. Repair breaks in gilt glass, after mending, with gold paint. Do the same for gilt china, and touch up with matching colors any flaws in the pattern.

=Mending Bric-à-brac=: Mend broken ivory with a few drops of fish glue such as shoe-makers use. Press very hard together, wipe off oozings clean, fasten, wrap in cotton, then in paper, put in a vise and screw firmly but not too hard. Metal ornaments can be either soldered or repaired with sealing-wax and resin, melted together over boiling water and applied very hot. Join broken bisque and clay figures with white of egg and powdered unslaked lime unless it is possible to get from a potter a little regular luting. Mend torn or loosened leather with fish glue, and put under heavy weight.

=Mending Books=: Take out of the covers, press square and solid, then paste over the back a strip of stout thin muslin, letting the edges project unpasted an inch either side. Dry under pressure, so the muslin will be fully rounded. Turn back the loose muslin accurately along the edge, paste it plentifully on the outer sides, then lay on the cover, press firmly in place, and dry under weight. When dry, paste in new fly leaves double fold. Paste the outer one to the cover, the inner one only lightly to the book. Removing old fly leaves spotted or defaced makes a better job of it.

=Mending Lamps and Candlesticks=: Fasten loose lamp collars with white of egg and plaster; make as thick as putty and use quickly. Solder broken metal parts. Dust with powdered resin, lay on the stick of solder, and apply the hot iron. Tinkering thus needs only a little knack. It enables you to stop leaks in zinc or tin—as pipes, shields, and so on. Cooking-vessels are quite another story.

=Mending Rubber=: This is a parlous business at best, still can be done. Get the best rubber cement, have the break very clean, apply, and let harden for a day at least. Breaks in hose, tubes, and so on had better be cloth-covered—after mending, of course. Indeed, the life of such things is trebled by covering them neatly before they break. Cut strips of cloth wide enough to go round, allow half an inch for turned edges, fold down, and whip together around the hose or tube. A big pipe can have a cover of canvas stitched up. Covering protects the surface and takes up a large part of the water strain. Fill breaks in rubber footgear with rubber cement, let harden, then put inside over the break a piece of strong, thin cloth, shaped to fit and coated upon one side with fish glue. The glue goes next the rubber; after it has hardened it takes the strain.

=Darning=: Darning is an art, so much so one may well say there are torn things not worth a darn. If they are woolen things, mend with rubber tissue, smoothing the tear with a warm iron, then laying on the tissue and fixing it with a hotter one. Press again on the right side, and clip close any loose fibers.

=Linen, Silk, and Stuff=: Lay under the break stiff paper spread with net matching in color, press with a warm iron, baste before lifting lightly, take up and baste again about the edges. Match thread to fabric; use a fine needle, go back and forth with very short running stitches, catching the net below, but taking only as deep hold in the outside as will make a firm mend. Beware puckers. When finished, cut away surplus net and press on the wrong side, then under a cloth on the right. If a tiny hole is to be filled in, tack it smooth over stiff paper, then with ravelings of the stuff or thread exactly matching go over the warp way, setting thread for thread, barely catching at the ends, then weave in cross threads, same as the original fabric, and press. Or the hole can be cut to a tiny square after basting on paper and a matched square inserted and darned in all round. This had better have net under it so the join may not pull apart.

Machine-darn table linen as soon as it shows threadbare spots, putting them in an embroidery hoop and stitching back and forth the way of the missing threads. White net underneath strengthens, but with napkins and tea cloths it is better left off. A cloth broken along the middle fold can be darned thus over net. But it is easier and better to split it evenly, hem the split edges, and trim them with lace, then join the selvages with a row of coarse insertion, herringboned in with coarse linen thread.

=Darning Stockings=: Children’s stockings last much longer for ripping to the calf when new and machine-darning inside them, over the knees, sound old tops. Sew up loosely. Darn strong net or thin stockinet loosely inside heels and toes; when the stockings come in holes, rip out this first application, cover your darning-egg with fresh net, set the hole over it, taking care not to stretch it, whip down all round loosely, then darn as usual, running threads through the net and cutting away surplusage when finished.

Silk stockings should always be darned on net, matching colors of net and darning-floss. Tack lace insets or embroidery smooth upon white stiff paper and fill in breaks with lace stitches or new embroidery. Mend a running break—colloquially, a ladder—by catching the errant stitch, sewing it fast, then filling the raveled space with very fine herringbone. Fill holes in the instep, or heel, above slipper height, with loose buttonhole stitches in matching silk, going across and back, catching each stitch after the first row in the top of the one below it. Make neither tight nor slack. Infinite patience and a very fine crochet hook enable one to fill such breaks with real stocking-weaving. Ravel the break to a line, take up the stitches on a very fine thread, then fasten on silk and draw up in loops, keeping them on the needle. Fasten to the side and work back, drawing a new stitch through each one already on the needle. Repeat till the hole is full, then draw stitches through those in the upper edge, which has been likewise raveled straight. Only very costly stockings are worth such pains.

=Coarse Mending=: Boys and men wear holes at knees, elbows, and on seats. Rip seams, cut the holes square, match new squares, and stitch, press, and sew up. Seat holes need not be cut clear across-only as far as the break. Cut corners diagonally the depth of a seam, but not too deep. Lacking cloth for such repairs, take note when clothes show threadbare in such spots, lay other cloth under, and machine-darn thickly with matching thread, fine rather than coarse. Such prevention often outlasts the patch cure besides being more presentable.

=Mending Bed Clothes=: Fine threadbare blankets are worth darning. Wash well and darn with soft wool, using a large-eyed needle. Avoid puckering. Darn warp way first, then go across. Cut ragged edges smooth, and overcast loosely with colored wool rather than bind. Darn tears on net, using silk or flax, rather fine. Beware making mends hard and lumpy. Comforts should be untacked, the stuffing, whether cotton, wool, or down, aired and washed at need, the outsides made into rags, and new covers provided for the padding. Cheesecloth unbleached lasts and launders well. Make pocket covers of it, half a yard deep, for the tops of comforts breaking there and nowhere else.

Old muslin rarely pays for mending more elaborate than running together slits. Wide sheets can have the thin centers torn out, the selvages joined, and raw edges hemmed, thus turning them into single-bed size. Handsome linen sheets, when they break along the hem-stitching, should be cut there, hemmed neatly each side, and joined with strong narrow linen insertion, or beading, or linen braid crocheted in a straight line down either side. Embroidered pillow and bolster cases, when the body wears, should have the embroidery cut off and joined thus with insertion or crochet work to new bodies—it will last as long. Handsome monograms and _motifs_ should be transferred from old linen to new. Cut out, neatly baste on new stuff, and sew down all round with fine needle, thread, and stitches. If there are holes in the pattern, pierce them and sew over well, using slightly coarser thread. Press before sewing, and be careful not to draw the work.

=Mending Lace=: Transfer figures from heavy laces, such as hand-run Spanish, to new net grounds, first cleaning them carefully, and dipping, if rusty, in stale beer or water in which a raw Irish potato has been grated. Drain without squeezing, press while damp, then cut out and arrange upon the new ground, which has been stretched smooth over paper.

Point lace, being needle-made, can be needle-mended as good as new. Tack smooth upon waxed linen or stiff paper, study the breaks, and fill them with the same stitch, using the same thread. If the ground is badly broken, expedite work by laying under a bit of fine net, matching the mesh, and sewing the figures to it. Lace stitches can be learned from any book on needlework, and are none of them difficult. Irish crochet wears out all over commonly—tears or breaks, though, can be filled with a crochet hook, matching stitch and thread.

Mend lace curtains by laying new net under breaks and either sewing figures to it or, in case of tender old fabrics, wetting with starch and pressing with a hot iron. The starch mend will last as long as the curtain. Tiny tears can be thus starch-mended to advantage at any stage.

=Furniture=: Threadbare coverings, as damask, brocatelle, and tapestry, require deft darning with a fine needle—several fine needles, indeed, and matched silks. Follow the pattern as nearly as possible in putting in stitches. Put worn hangings into an embroidery frame and work boldly in coarse silks or wool, keeping to the color scheme and using as far as possible the woven pattern, but making the new figures hide blemishes. Remove linings before embroidering, press on the wrong side, and, if too limp, stiffen slightly with gum water (see section Renovators).

=Fur Sewing and Mending=: Fur sewing takes courage as much as skill. All fur is mended before making up. Art lies in cutting patches accurately and setting them in so the fur lies with that around it. To fill in a moth-eaten spot rip out linings and enough seams to let the fur lie flat, then chalk-mark the smallest space that will remove the moth patch. Cut through along the mark with a sharp-pointed knife, then lay the hole upon the patch fur and shift until it matches in color and growth. Mark all round, take off the garment, cut the patch with your sharp knife just outside the marking. Fit into the hole, tack lightly in four places, turn, sew the cut edges together, taking stitches close and barely deep enough to hold. Turn every little while, smooth seam, and look for puckers; if any rip, sew over. Sewing done, press seam hard with the thimble on something flat, then turn and press on right side with the end of the thumb. Manipulate until the skin edges lie one against the other. Fur garments can be remodeled at home with just such sewing. Shape, piece, or mend, sew together, and reline. Very tiny bits can be used many ways, wherefore save them religiously. Tails that have been partly moth-eaten or lost hair should have the bare lengths cut out, the remnants neatly joined. Long furs, such as marten, mink, skunk, and fox, are not easier than seal, beaver, and so on, but less apt to show bungling work. Astrakan is so soft and crinkly it sews almost like cloth.

=Carpets, Matting, and Rugs=: Make carpets as clean as possible before mending. Darn with wool and upholsterer’s needles as they lie on the floor, matching thread to pattern, unless the pattern is worn away. Cut bad spots square, or to straight edges, snip corners, turn under edges, fit in a square, turn down its edges, trimming at corners to avoid lumps, safety-pin at each corner, turn over and whip turned edges fast, then cover with damp cloth and press. Shift stair carpets often enough to get equal wear all over. Have an extra step length and turn it under at top or bottom to make shifting easy.

Dyeing helps a faded carpet mightily. Put it down clean with thick paper under, wipe over with clarified ox gall in tepid water, then with clear water, wringing the cloth dry, then paint with a thick soft brush dipped lightly in hot dye. Use the color predominant in the room, no matter about the pattern. Rub the dye in well, but do not slop nor sop it. Treat fine matting, especially in rug form, the same way. Figures will show through, but not unpleasantly. Even a grass rug takes color readily. Hang smooth and wet thoroughly, let stand to set, then wash with weak suds. Dye on both sides. Carpets and mattings must be dyed on one side only and washed lightly, after the color sets, with suds, then wiped over with either vinegar and water or weak alum water.

Rug-mending needs a volume; here it gets only a paragraph. For breaks, tears, moth-eaten or worn spots lay smooth upon something soft and sleazy—wool crash is excellent, so is basket-woven serge. Flannel will answer; at a pinch so will burlap. Fasten so thread runs true with those of the rug. If the original fabric shows appreciably, darn it down on the patch, matching the darning-wool to the colors. If there is a yawning hole, put the wool double in a very big needle, stick through from the top, bring up again in almost the same place. Tie to the end above, stick back, stick up again, repeat, varying thread, until the whole space is covered with woolly loops. Cut them through, then trim smooth with very sharp shears, comb with a coarse comb, and trim again. Moth-eaten moquette carpet can be treated the same way, using as many needles as there are colors in the pattern.