The enamelled iron now so much used for bathtubs, and to a certain extent for wash-basins, sinks, and other fixtures, is somewhat liable to chipping of the enamel. As with earthenware, the manufacture of enamelled iron has been brought to great perfection in this country, and bath-tubs with certain trade-names are guaranteed by the makers, who will furnish a new one in place of any tub of the guaranteed names from which the enamel begins to chip within two years after it is put in. Any plumber can furnish a list of the guaranteed varieties of tub, which change from year to year; but the makers do not always remember to include in their guarantee the cost of the plumber's labor in taking out the old tub, and putting in the new one; and nothing is guaranteed in regard to tubs whose trade-names do not appear on the list. The cracking of the enamel of any enamelled-iron fixture is followed by the rusting of the iron, and consequent unpleasant staining; so that, although the risk is not very great, and the best enamelled work is beautifully smooth and clean, fixtures of this kind, apart from bath-tubs, are not so much used in dwelling-houses as they perhaps deserve to be.

"A," "B," and' "C" qualities.

Enamelled iron.

Soapstone and slate are much used for kitchen sinks and wash-trays, and retain their favor among housekeepers, notwithstanding the competition of the whiter and more beautiful earthenware and enamelled iron. For wash-trays, particularly, soapstone and slate have the great advantage that the back and front of a set of three or four trays can be made in one piece, the trays being simply divided by partitions. The clothes can thus be drawn over from one tray to another without the dripping on the floor between them, incident to the use of the separate trays of earthenware or enamelled iron; while most clothes-wringers are fitted for slate or soapstone trays, although they can be had for the other varieties. Both slate and soapstone are, however, liable to defects, some of which might be avoided by greater care in the selection of the material. Most modern soapstone, for example, is acted upon by water, which corrodes the surface into pits, and finally destroys it; while the edges of the stone easily crumble away. Slate is much harder than soapstone, and would be superior as a material, if it were not for its liability to crack. As many varieties of slate are of immense strength, it should be easy to select a material not subject to cracking; but the manufacturers have not yet seen fit to do so, and, as a crack across the bottom of a sink, or a set of wash-trays, is a serious matter, slate is less popular than it might otherwise be.

Soapstone and slate.

Whether slate or soapstone is used for kitchen sinks or wash-trays, it should be well oiled with linseed oil before being put into use. Either stone, when dry, will absorb a considerable quantity of oil, which fills the pores, prevents, to a great degree, the corroding action of water, and, by darkening the stone, prevents it from acquiring the greasy look common to such fixtures.

Although unsuitable for wash-trays, on account of the danger of staining the clothes, iron is, perhaps, the best, as well as the cheapest material for kitchen sinks. Such sinks should be of cast iron, which is far less liable to rust out than the thin sheet steel sometimes used. Sinks are usually sold galvanized, and the galvanizing protects them for a time, but the acids used in cooking soon remove the coating, so that it is not of great advantage; and the bare iron, which soon becomes covered with a thin film of grease, answers very well, and can be freshened at any time with a little black paint. The weak point about iron sinks is that, being cheap, the manufacturers have not taken the trouble to make them with the roll rims and high backs which add so much to the neatness and convenience of the enamelled and porcelain sinks; so that it is necessary, to avoid spattering the wall behind them, to cover it with sheet copper, sheathing, or tiles.

Iron sinks.

Wash-basins often give trouble by dripping or overflowing, even if they are not broken by dropping tumblers into them, which is a very common occurrence. The waste-pipe is usually connected with the bottom of the basin by a brass coupling, made tight with a leather washer, and if this coupling is not properly screwed up, or if the washer is defective, the basin will drip. The supply-pipes, also, are usually connected by similar couplings to the faucets, and often leak, through want of care in screwing them up. The overflow of a wash-basin, also, is rarely capable of carrying off all the water that the two faucets, or even one of them, can pour into it, and a faucet left open soon causes the water to overflow over the edges of the basin. Where the basin is covered with marble, the upper edge, which, as it comes from the pottery, is uneven, is usually ground flat on a millstone, and the joint between it and the marble is filled with plaster of Paris; but even this only delays overflowing until the water reaches the top of the marble. Care is, of course, the only means of avoiding this trouble.

The plaster joint between the marble and the top of the basin soon washes out by the dissolving action of the water, leaving an unsightly open seam, which is often increased in size by the weight of the basin, and the waste-pipes attached to it, which tend to drag it away from the marble. The usual way of attaching a wash-basin to its marble top is by means of three triangular brass "basin-clamps,-' fastened with little bolts, fixed in the under side of the marble. These do not afford a very firm support, at best; and as the separation of the basin from the marble allows water to splash over the edge, when the basin is in use, to fall on the floor, it is desirable to keep them well screwed up, and to fill the joint occasionally with fresh plaster of Paris.

Washbasins.