Repairs. 801 



Igments ; and they insist that this does not impair 

 strength of the glue. While this seems to be true, 

 these liquid glues have one very serious defect not to be 

 overlooked, the more particularly since they may now 

 be bought at almost any hardware-shop, and their al- 

 ways-ready character makes them so convenient to use. 

 They, one and all, as far as I have ever seen, are prone 

 to absorb moisture if given the opportunity, and so loose 

 their grip. Good, ordinary glue, well applied in the ordi- 

 nary way, will resist unimpaired many times an exposure 

 fatal to the liquid glues. They are, therefore, in my 

 judgment, unfit for rod-work. Some prefer to melt it in 

 skimmed milk, since glue so prepared is insoluble in wa- 

 ter after it dries. Some, again, soften the glue by soak- 

 ing it over-night in cold water. The next day it will 

 resemble a stiff jelly, though retaining its original form. 

 These pieces are then dried with a cloth, and melted in 

 boiled linseed-oil, and thus another waterproof glue can 

 be made. This last is, however, a tedious drier. But I 

 have always feared to try these when anything depended 

 on the result, and so cannot speak of their respective 

 merits from my own knowledge. One thing, however, I 

 do know, that if your joints fit and are tightly brought 

 together, so as to squeeze out all the glue possible, it 

 will, even with ordinary glue, take hours of soaking in 

 water, and the subsequent application of considerable 

 and continued heat, before they can be separated. 



But this repair must be made on the spur of the mo- 

 ment, so gluing is out of the question. You see I warm 

 the splices and my cobbler's wax, and coat both the for- 

 mer with the latter. I now place them together in the 

 position in which they are to remain, squeeze them tight- 

 ly together so the layers of wax between will coalesce, 



