Rod-making. 263 



D in the preceding figure. Then bend the free end of 

 the keeper down on to the joint, and with the back of 

 a scissors or knife apply a sharp pressure close to the ring, 

 and this will be the result: 



Pig. 51. A, joint ; B, winding ; C, keeper ; D, ring. 



Then finish the winding, and fasten it off. Next, with 

 the handle of an old tooth-brush, or other similar hard 

 and smooth substance, polish the winding all over. This 

 will smooth down all fuzziness and burnish each thread 

 into close contact with its neighbor. If this is carefully 

 done, it is wonderful how well a rather botchy job can be 

 made to look, unless knots or overlaps are present. Now, 

 and not till now, proceed to cut off the projecting end 

 of the silk. First give it a pull to be sure the burnish- 

 ing process has not loosened the fastening; then strain- 

 ing it tightly towards the left, cut it off as close as you 

 can with a sharp knife. Burnish down the little projec- 

 tion left by the end, if any, and proceed to the next ring. 

 When all the windings are finished, brush them over with 

 a single coat of shellac. Before the shellac has time to 

 set, oil the end of the forefinger slightly that the shellac 

 may not adhere to it, and smooth the varnish and any re- 

 maining fuzziness down by rubbing the winding in the 

 direction in which the thread runs. This, I believe, is 

 the upual method of the professional rod-maker, though I 

 never saw one wind a rod. 



