CARE OF THE CARRIAGE.
Have an exactInventoryof the Harness, Working Utensils, and every thing appertaining to your Carriage; give a Copy of this to your Coachman, and once in Three months examine the state of the various articles.
A Carriage (especially when newly Painted) should be cleaned as soon as possible after it has been used.
A conscientious Coachman, who has any regard either for your Carriage or his own Character, will never permit any body to touch it but himself. If in your Visits to the Stable, you frequently find him out, or observe any persons lurking about there, who are meddling with either your Horses or your Carriage, be sure that he is Idle andworthless, or has Business of his Own, which he likes better than Yours:—then let him follow it.
The sooner you give such a Gentleman notice to quit, the better.
Never permit a Coachman to keep either Fowls, Pigeons, Dogs, Goats, Pigs, &c. which will not only eat your Corn, but be a public Nuisance to your Neighbours; for which offence you will be Indicted. See page 87.
If a Carriage cannot be cleaned till the dirt is dry, let it be well sluiced, and let the water have time to loosen it:—by rubbing it when dry, the sand and gravel in the Dirt will inevitably scratch off the Varnish and deface the Paint. When the Pannels have been heated by the Sun, they should not be washed till they become cool.
While the Pannels are wet they must not be exposed to the Sun, which ought to be avoided at all times as much as possible, as nothing injures the Varnish more.
The Iron work must be wiped quite dry, particularly the Springs: if the wet gets between the Plates they will rust.
A Regular Coachman will get his Carriage and Horses cleaned and dressed as early in the morning as he can, and not wait lounging about to know when he will be wanted.
An active Stable-Man will begin his work by Six in the Morning: to set his Stable to rights, and Dress a pair of Horses, will take from an Hour and a Half to Two Hours.
Washing and Cleaning the Carriage and Harness will take from Two to Three Hours, according to the work on the Harness, &c.: including his time for Breakfast, &c., he will be ready by Eleven.
However late he comes home, a good Groom will oil and wipe the Bits, wash his Horses’ feet, give them a whisp down, &c.—to shake their Beds down, and give them Water and Corn, and to rack them up for the Night; if he has a Carriage, he will also dish-clout the Body of it, will take about from an Hour, to an Hour and a Half: therefore, when a Coachman is required to wait at Table, let him be Home a full Hour and a Half before he is so wanted.
THE HAMMERCLOTH.
When Coaches were first introduced, our frugal ancestors used to load the Carriage with provisions for the family when they came to London. Thehamper, covered with acloth, was a convenient repository, and a seat for the Coachman. This was afterwards converted into aBox.Hammerclothis therefore very probably a corruption ofHamper-cloth: it is now one of the principal Ornaments to a Carriage:—according to the fulness of the plaiting of the Cloth, its depth, and the quantity of Trimming thereon, is the cost thereof, which varies from £10. to £40.
After a dusty Journey, let it be well brushed: if it is not, and it gets wetted, it will be spoiled; the Lace and Fringe cuddle dust greedily, and ought to be diligently disturbed.
SCREWING THE BOLTS.
The shaking of the Carriage frequently loosens the Bolts and Nuts23;and if these are not attended to immediately, the Timber, Iron work, &c. will suffer material injury.—A Coachman may attend to this as well as a Coachmaker.
A Careful Coachman will gently try the Nuts about once a fortnight; but, in screwing them up, use no violence, and take care not to injure the Paint with the Wrench.
RATTLING
is very disagreeable, and is a sign of something being loose about the Carriage, which requires to be tightened or lined with Leather; where Iron works upon Iron, if a thin piece of Leather can be introduced between, the Rattling will be stopped.
The Squeakingof any part is to be cured by a little Oil or Grease: this frequently happens in the Bolts of the Springs, or in the shackles where the wet has got in and rusted them; it often proceeds from some loose Nut or Bolt.
A Carriage, when first Painted, requires great care to prevent it from being spotted with Dirt—the Colour and Varnish take aconsiderable time to harden before they can entirely resist the action of Wet, &c.
If Dirt be allowed to dry and remain on the Carriage, some Colours (especially a bright Green) will be marked with Spots, which are not removed without considerable difficulty.
Therefore, the moment a Newly-painted Carriage returns from Work, sluice the Pannels well, and with a wet Sponge wipe them clean all over. If dusty with Road dust, take it off as gently as possible with a Soft Brush—wiping it with a Cloth will scratch it.
Stains will also appear where the Rain has run for any length of time; to remove which, rub the pannels with a little sweet Oil on a bit of soft baize, so as just to damp them; rub the stained places with a little more strength than the other parts of the pannels; dry them off with another piece of baize, then with a third piece, and a little flour; wipe or rub the pannels very dry; and if the stain has not then disappeared, rub it hard with the palm of a dry soft hand, drawing it smartly down, till the friction elicits a sharp squeaking sound. Thiswill probably clear the Stains; if not, after a short interval repeat the same process: if then it cannot be cleared, the Colour or Paint beneath the Varnish is injured, and nothing but time will effect a change.
Rubbing common Varnished Bodies rather strong with a soft Skin, and drying them with another, helps to increase the lustre of the Varnish—a common Varnished body, well kept and often cleaned, frequently improves in its lustre.
HIGHLY VARNISHED PANNELS.
The clear brightness of this polished surface shews every little blemish; and though likely to be stained from the same causes as the other, yet the colour is not so apt to be affected, as it is much more thickly coated with Varnish, and the resistance stronger—to clear them, use the means before mentioned.
TO RESTORE THE LUSTRE OF VARNISH.
The Varnish looking dull, striking in, or cracking, as often arisesfrom the badness of its own quality, as from any improper treatment in the Cleaning, or effect of the Weather: the high Varnish in particular, on account of the extra quantity, which, if not good, produces a change much sooner that the common Varnish, the latter being much thinner.
When Varnish Cracks, it can only be remedied by the Painter, who should be immediately applied to; but if Varnish strikes in, and looks dull, as is sometimes the case in very damp weather, use the following means:—Get a quarter of a pound of Rotten Stone or Tripoly Powder from a Colour Shop, which must be ground with water, and used of the consistency of paste, in the following manner:—Double a piece of woollen cloth, and with the flat part rub each pannel with a gentle force for about a quarter of an hour, taking care to rub it equally all over; wash off the substance, and with a hand free from corns, and damped with a soft leather, rub it smartly downwards, till by the friction it makes a shrieking noise: if this does not sufficiently polish, the rubbing with the Rotten Stone and the hand should berepeated. Much depends upon the hand rubbing clean off the pannels and mouldings as before directed with soft baize, oil, and flour. If well managed, the Body will look nearly as well as if new Painted, particularly a common Varnished Body, especially if it has never gone through the process before.
Thus, with one or two days’ trouble, and at the expense of about one Shilling, New Painting may sometimes be saved.
Letthe Carpetat the Bottom of the Carriage be often cleaned and reversed, so that the wear may not always be in one place; for Winter use and for dirty Weather, one of theDressed Sheep’s Skinsis the best foot warmer for the floor of a Carriage.
DOORS.
These, in New Carriages, will shrink in Dry, and swell in Damp Weather, however well seasoned the Wood may be—their tightness may often be cured by rubbing the edges with a little Soap:—be cautious not to touch either Door or Door Post with the Knife while damp weathercontinues; for sometimes they will shrink in Dry as much as they swell in Damp weather; and when Summer returns, you will find you have irremediably injured your Doors.
HINGES.
If these move stiffly, a few drops of Sweet Oil will generally make them easy enough.
GLASSES AND SHUTTERS.
If these do not slide easy enough, rub the grooves in which they slide with a little Soap—long exposure to wet will sometimes make them move stiffly; but after a few fine dry days, they will return to their proper dimensions.
STEPS.
If the Joints are stiff, drop a little Sweet Oil upon them, and work them well up and down.
SPARE PAINT.
Lastly; a little of the same Colour as that with which the Carriage ispainted, should be kept in reserve to repair Accidents:—Colours can seldom be exactly matched; you will find that it is very convenient for touching the Mouldings occasionally;—as much of each Colour as will fill a pint pot will be sufficient; keep it in a pan under water.
The Brushes must be kept under Water;—but with all possible skill and care. New and Old Colours seldom match nearly enough for repairing any accident or bruise happening to a Pannel, which had generally as well be left as it is until you repaint the Carriage.
Let your Coachman have some “Black Japan,” to retouch those parts of the Carriage which are blacked, but which are frequently defaced by use: this will contribute greatly to the neat appearance of it.