QUESTION: We bought a cherry bookcase in March and this week found a small hole from a boring insect that must be trying to get out. There is a small pile of sawdust that keeps reappearing, and we would like to know what we need to do to get rid of this problem before it becomes worse.

ANSWER: The critter could be a beetle (the old house borer or powder post beetle) that leaves telltale piles of sawdust, and that is not uncommon in furniture, especially old furniture.

You could take it to the dealer for your money back, or squirt straight bleach into the hole with a syringe or eye-dropper. The bleach will not harm the finish if it is varnish, lacquer, shellac, or paint. But it will do a job on the beetle(s).

QUESTION: My old chain-link fence is 600 feet long, but is still far from gone, although it has some rust. How can I paint it? What kind of paint should I use?

ANSWER: First, what kind of paint to use? There are many paints out there for metal, but most of them require removal of rust first. The way to do that is sand the rust off or apply Rust Reformer or other brand-name product that contains phosphoric acid, which turns the rust black and makes it paintable.

There is also a cold galvanizing paint that you can use. One is ZRC cold galvanizing compound made by ZRC Worldwide of Marshfield, 800-831-3275 or 781-319-0400; or, from American Bolt & Nut, 617-884-3387.

How to put it on: Spray it with a power sprayer or use an extra-deep-pile paint roller. With luck, the roller will cover a lot of the opposite side of the fence and that opposite side will need just a touch-up treatment.

Handyman on Call Peter Hotton is available 1-6 p.m. Tuesdays to answer questions on house repair. Call in your questions to 617-929-2930. Hotton also chats online about house matters from 2 to 3 p.m. Thursdays. To participate, go to Boston.com. Hotton's e-mail is photton@globe.com.

By The Boston Globe