CHAPTER X 



ROD-MAKING: VARNISHING AND 

 FINISHING 



The prime requisites of a good rod-varnish are 

 that it should possess a maximum degree of elasticity 

 and form an efficient protecting coat against the pene- 

 tration of moisture into the pores of the bamboo. 

 A varnish that dries too hard chips easily and soon 

 will crack under the repeated flexion of the rod. A 

 " special " rod-varnish need not be sought, as the 

 specifications are met in any of the best brands of 

 spar varnish, put up by a number of the bigger var- 

 nish houses, such as Berry, Crockett, or Murphy. 

 The author has more recently used Valentine's " Val- 

 spar." 



Varnishing should be done in dry weather, pref- 

 erably on a clear, snappy day, or on a warm day 

 with little humidity. If this is not sufficiently ex- 

 plicit, have your wife or sweetheart pick out for 

 you what she says is a good wash-day. And you 

 should varnish indoor, in a warm room with air as 

 free as possible from floating dust particles. A 

 small camel's-hair or ox-hair brush, of the kind that 

 we used for gluing (the same brush will do, if it 



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