66 AMATEUR RODMAKING 



being used in hot water and soap, then dried 

 and laid away out of the dust. 



Amateur fishing rod makers experience dif- 

 ficulty in obtaining silk of suitable sizes for 

 winding their rods. Those who live in small 

 towns can only obtain size A or larger, which 

 is too coarse for fly-rods and for the slender 

 bait-casting rods used so much in bass fishing 

 and in tournament casting. No silk finer than 

 A is carried by dry goods firms, but in this 

 size every imaginable color and shade may be 

 had. 



To be sure, some of the fishing tackle deal- 

 ers carry O and OO in red, green, yellow and 

 black; but if one is particular and asks for a 

 certain shade, the dealer does not always have 

 it, and the next shade may prove disappointing 

 if you happen to have part of your winding 

 finished and desire a shade that will match 

 nicely. The wholesale silk houses will not sell 

 to an individual in small lots as a rule, although 

 they may sometimes condescend to let him have 

 a given number of spools. No amateur could 

 possibly use a quantity of silk, even if he were 

 to wind every one of his rods solidly with it, 

 and after several disappointments he is likely 

 to fall back on A, even if it does finish up in 



