Rod-making, 197 



and care, and it is difficult to finish ; but simply file the 

 place off flat, which will answer every purpose, finish 

 easily, and look quite as well if not better. Of course 

 care must be used and frequent trial of the fit, that you 

 do not take off too much. 



It is better to have your handle turned, than try to 

 make it yourself; though you can do so, governing your- 

 self by the principles already given for making your 

 joints. In the former case, the hole to receive the han- 

 dle ferrule or its support should be bored first, and the 

 handle turned on it as a centre, that it may surely coin- 

 cide with the axis of the handle. 



After the handle is shaped, and sand-papered nicely, 

 wet it and let it dry. This will roughen it "raise the 

 grain," as it is termed. Now take the finest sand-paper 

 you have, not coarser than " 0," and smooth it again. 

 Repeat this three or four times, using the same piece of 

 sand-paper. Then when dry, varnish with shellac dis- 

 solved in alcohol; giving it three or four coats, applied 

 at about three -hour intervals. When this is perfectly 

 hard, rub it down to the bare wood with powdered 

 pumice-stone and raw linseed-oil, applied with a rag. 

 This will stuff the grain. Then apply three or four more 

 coats of the same, and rub it down in the same manner 

 till all brush-marks are removed, and it is perfectly smooth. 

 Then polish, first with powdered rotten-stone and the same 

 oil, and afterwards with dry rotten-stone. This will give 

 a nice durable finish. 



VARNISHING. 



The next step in making a wooden rod is varnishing; 

 and for this purpose shellac is the worst, and coach-body 

 varnish the best. The object sought is to cover the rod 

 with a coating that will be absolutely water-proof, will 



