European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - January 27, 1989, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Above use a wide Putty knife or a Spatula to scrape off the loosened finish after it has reached the consistency of wet newspaper. Above when using an aerosol remover a piece of cardboard can be held behind the work to catch the Over Spray. Refinishing furniture by Michael Varese new York times any Coats of paint have been cleaned off old furniture in a misguided Effort to get Down to the original look a natural unpainted finish. That practice now seems like reckless destruction for much of the character of the furniture to say nothing of the value is lost in the , the merest suspicion of original paint on an old piece is enough to increase its value. In colonial times painting furniture served several purposes one of which was to cover several different Woods used in one piece. The Windsor chair for example required different Woods for optimum strength. Paint also protected Wood from the grime of constant handling. Used on its own As a background for decorations in another color or stencilled with Bronze powder paint gave a face lift to an otherwise Ordinary piece of  painting of course was cheap and required no skill. Even then the colors used were often not very inspiring. They were derived either from Earth or vegetable sources greens and Blacks were used mainly for chairs and reds and blues for other pieces. When paint manufacturers came along with a wider Range of attractive colors could anyone be faulted for wanting to brighten up their furniture especially if the old paint was worn and discoloured at Yard and garage sales and at used furniture dealerships one can sometimes find painted furniture that May have some of the original paint hidden beneath a layer or two of later additions. Someone May have arrived there before you and scraped away a spot hoping to discover a better older color. Removing individual layers of recent paint on an appealing piece of furniture is not difficult for the paint usually melts and lifts off a layer at a  is needed is a Little patience in order to control the action of the liquid remover. A product like red Devil liquid 99 paint and varnish remover is generally preferable to a paste which is More difficult to remove and is Messier to work with. Arrange the piece so that the area to be worked on is horizontal. Apply remover with an old natural bristle Brush which holds liquid easily. Never work the Brush Back and Forth just move it along without allowing the remover to run All Over the surface. Let the remover work until the surface visibly softens and  with a Putty knife or steel Wool in areas where the lifted finish is soft scrape or wipe away the melted paint. In doing so try not to disturb the layer beneath unless it is destined to go also. Tips on rodent control by Reader s digest written for pit he most effective Way to control mice and rats is to prevent them from entering your Home and to deny them a food Supply. Here Are some tips that will sharply limit the Chance of rodents becoming unwanted House guests. Because rats and mice feed on Many of the foods that humans eat cleanliness and proper storage of food and garbage Are critical to controlling these pests. Carefully clean under and behind stoves refrigerators sinks Kitchen counters and other places where food scraps May fall and accumulate. Mop floors with special care along Walls and baseboards since the favored runways of mice and rats lie alongside and inside Walls. Don t allow dirty dishes to remain on the table or Kitchen counter overnight. If you leave dishes in the sink or dishwasher scrape and thoroughly rinse them. People Are often startled to find mice in the dishwasher clean under the burners of Gas stoves and inside the ovens of both Gas and electric ranges. An unclean oven or Range is a prime source of food for rodents who enter through heat vents. Don t let spilled food Harden on Highchair or Playpen. It can attract rodents. Take the garbage out every night. Tie bags and keep them in a Metal garbage can with a secure lid that clamps Down. Food storage store dry and packaged foods in Metal Glass or crockery containers with tight lids. Store bread in a Breadbox or the refrigerator and vegetables in the refrigerator or rat proof bins. Keep soap a favorite food of rats in a closed soap dish or High off the floor in a recessed Wall dish. Keep soap flakes in jars. Rodent proofing Block off every possible Access route that mice and rats might follow into your Home. Here Are some suggestions fill holes and cracks in Cement foundations. Pack steel Wool into holes in plaster Walls then plaster Over. Nail Sheet Metal Over holes in wooden Walls. Stuff gaps around pipes and wiring with steel Wool and caulking compound. Install heavy screening with half Inch mesh around windows vents and chutes. Mice climb so plug High holes too. Cover All basement drains with heavy Metal Drain plates. Above left steel Wool can clean out Long grooves. Above spindles can be cleaned with abrasive twine. Left a Brush is Handy for carved details. Not when you reach the color you want to preserve there May be vestiges of the unwanted layers of paint. Clean these off with paint thinner using either steel Wool As a scrubber or a clean cloth for wiping. Do not try to scrape the spots off As you might dig too deeply and take off the wanted paint layer As Well. A word of caution about buying painted furniture in which the top layer of paint seems to have been worn away in places revealing a different color. The piece May have been deliberately painted and recently with Coats put on in rapid succession then wiped Down to look naturally worn away. The application of a slow drying undercoat of a desirable color Over which is painted a fast drying insignificant top coat is another method of faking the paint. The top coat quickly loses its flexibility while the coat beneath continues to expand and contract with temperature changes. It is the top coat that gives Way in the unequal struggle opening up in cracks to expose the Good color beneath. Usually such a scheme lacks certain credibility either from the crazing or cracked surface being too uniform and spread too evenly or by the Lack of extreme hardness that authentic old paint takes on. Old paint will usually Flake when an area is tapped lightly with a Hammer. With newer paint no color will be lost and there will be no flaking because the paint will be too soft. Page 16 the stars and stripes Friday january 27,1989 Poison and traps traps and Poison provide Only Short term solutions. Unless you also take preventive measures the rodents will return. Rats poisons Are More effective than traps against rats because they Are wary of traps. Anticoagulant rat baits which cause death by internal bleeding Are available at hardware stores and Home Center s. Place the bait along rat runways in the basement garage or other suspect locations. The dying rat will leave its nest to look for water usually outdoors. Caution keep bait locations fenced or locked off and away from children and pets. Store bait in locked boxes. Mice your Best first defense is a cat whose scent alone will deter them. If you re unable to keep a cat mouse poisons Are widely available but mouse traps Are a More effective Choice. Mice usually build their nests within 25 feet of a food source. They forage at night running along Walls and stopping to eat the first morsel they find. Place traps near the Wall and tie foods they like Bacon fat Peanut butter raisins gum drops or nut to the trigger mechanism. To keep mice from becoming trap shy bait unset traps for two or three Days before finally setting after setting the trap move it into position with a Pencil to avoid catching your Finger. Automatic live mousetraps which will trap up to 15 mice at a setting do not require bait. Effective but expensive they will leave you with live mice that May be released in a wild area away from the House