Lines. 49 



TO OIL-DKESS LINES. 



Heat two ounces of linseed -oil until it will singe a 

 feather dipped in it. Melt in and mix thoroughly with 

 it a piece of camphor the size of a hazel-nut. Stir in an 

 equal proportion of good oil -copal varnish. Soak the 

 line in the mixture while the latter is warm, until thor- 

 oughly saturated. Then draw the line through the fold 

 of a doubled leather, held in the hand and firmly com- 

 pressed upon it, to squeeze out all the dressing you can. 

 Stretch in a garret, or similar place, to dry. This will 

 take some days according to weather. When dry, warm 

 your mixture and soak again. Squeeze as before. When 

 this is dry, rub on the third coat with a rag, and wipe 

 the line well afterwards. When this coat is thoroughly 

 dry, rub well with a paraffine candle from one end to 

 the other, then polish by rubbing briskly with a woollen 

 rag. It will take at least a month to so prepare a line, 

 for no second coat must be applied until its predecessor 

 is thoroughly dry. 



Norris recommends, quoting from Chitty : 

 " To a quarter of a pint of double-boiled, cold-drawn 

 linseed -oil add one ounce of gold-size. Gently warm 

 and mix them well, being first careful to have the line 

 quite dry. When this mixture is warm, soak it therein 

 until it is saturated to its very centre say for twenty- 

 four hours. Then pass it through a piece of flannel, 

 pressing it sufficiently to take off the superficial coat, 

 which enables that which is in the interior to dry well, 

 and in time to get stiff. The line must then be hung up 

 in the air, wind, or sun, out of the reach of moisture for 

 about a fortnight, till pretty well dry. It must then be 

 redipped to give an outer coat, for which less soaking is 



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