62 AMATEUR RODMAKING 



it is to be used. Russian isinglass is colorless 

 and for this reason is used in glass signs and 

 metal work where other substances would 

 show. Purchase an ounce of it and try it be- 

 fore deciding to adopt it. It costs about forty 

 cents an ounce, but this quantity will be suffi- 

 cient for several rods. 



Much depends on how glue is prepared and 

 used. I prefer Coignet No. I, the best French 

 glue, soaking it overnight in cold water, then 

 using it very hot but thin. It sets very quickly 

 but is not brittle. Like all amateur rodmakers, 

 I have made mistakes in handgrasps, etc., and 

 have tried to rectify them by heating, steam- 

 ing, or soaking them, to separate the parts so 

 that changes might be made. It is at such times 

 that one learns with what obstinacy glue will 

 resist attempts to separate parts joined with it. 

 I have soaked a cork handgrasp for three 

 hours in steaming hot water, without making 

 the slightest impression on the glue, and have 

 experimented with ordinary glue and prepared 

 cements, all of which resisted severe treatment 

 in a manner that surprised me. 



There are several prepared cements that are 

 excellent and cheap. All should be warmed, 

 say in a cup of hot water. Most of them can 

 be thinned with vinegar. They are perhaps 



