474 



Popular Science Monthly 



coat of glue, and push the core down into 

 place. Coat the core with glue and push 

 the reel-seat down over it, forcing the metal 

 edge well into the cork to make a water- 

 proof joint. 



The upper grasp is now formed on the 

 butt above the reel-seat in the same 

 manner as the lower grasp. Make this 

 iYl in. long. When all corks are glued in 

 place, lay the rod aside for 24 hours to 

 harden, before attempting to shape it. 



The cork may be turned in a lathe, or 

 roughly shaped with a sharp knife — a sloyd 

 knife is a handy tool for this work — and 

 sandpapered to make it smooth. A swelled 

 or oval grasp is the best, and the writer 

 prefers to form a ring }/i-'vn.. from the reel- 

 seat to make a rest for the forefinger when 

 casting, thus doing away with the metal 

 finger hook. This and many other points 

 may be seen by referring to the cut shown 

 in Fig. 5. 



To prevent the reel-seat and butt-cap 

 from turning, a small hole is drilled in the 

 hooded end of the reel-seat, and on the 

 edge of the butt-cap, and a small brass pin 

 is driven in. To avoid weakening the 

 wood, drive the pin in a little way, and 

 file off flush. 



The tip is planed and rounded in exactly 

 the same manner as the butt-joint. The 

 metal taper which finishes off the upper 

 hand grasp, the ferrule, closed-end centers 

 and casting tops, are first carefully fitted by 

 filing down the wood. Use ferrule cement 

 to hold it in place, first melting the cement 

 and then smearing a little on the wood and 

 in the tube. 



The final varnishing is done after the 

 guides and whippings are in place, but a 

 thin coat of varnish should be brushed on 

 and allowed to become thoroughly dry 

 before the rod is whipped. This makes the 

 wood waterproof beneath the whippings. 

 Any good outside spar varnish may be 

 used, or extra light coach varnish. 



Two guides are needed on a rod up to 

 6 ft. in length, the first being affixed to the 

 tip 7 in. from the closed-end center, and the 

 second 15 in. from the first. No guide is 

 required on the short butt-joint of a casting 

 rod, as the line renders more smoothly 

 without it. 



Smooth off the rough spots of the bases of 

 the guides with a fine file, and affix roughly 

 in place by a few turns of common thread 

 around one half of the base. Common 

 sewing silk in size "A" may be used, but 00 

 size is better for small rods. This size can 



only be obtained from a dealer in rod- 

 making or fly-tying supplies. Red and 

 green or red and yellow are the favored 

 color combinations. 



Guides and whippings are put on with the 

 invisible knot, shown in Fig. 6. A good 

 way to wind the rod is to hold the spool of 

 silk in one hand and rotate the rod with the 

 other, letting the strands of silk coil closely 

 against each other. A loop of waxed silk is 

 inserted as shown, and through it the end of 

 the whipping is carried beneath its coils to 

 make a strong and invisible finish. Whip- 

 pings may be wound on at any desired 

 distance, but many narrow turns will make 

 a neater appearance than wide bands of 

 color. Red and green, red and black, with 

 an occasional edging of yellow, always 

 prove satisfactory. 



When all windings are on, coat with 

 orange shellac dissolved in alcohol to make 

 a medium thick varnish. Do not shellac 

 the rod, and let the silk dry well before 

 varnishing the rod. 



A camel's hair brush about K-i n - wide 

 answers for this work. If varnishing is 

 done outside, select a warm, sunny day, 

 otherwise do the work in a warm room, free 

 from dust. Warm the varnish by putting 

 the can in a dish of hot water before using. 

 It will now spread smoothly, and every bit 

 of the wood should be touched. Hang up 

 to dry by the tip, and allow at least three 

 days before brushing on the second and 

 final coat. If the rod is much used, it is a 

 good plan to brush on a third coat later on 

 in the season. 



An Emergency Burning Glass Made 

 of Match Crystals 



SOMETIMES the need for a burning 

 glass arises where one is not obtainable 

 — for instance, in the woods to light a fire 

 without matches. Two watch crystals, 

 fitted together and filled with clear warm 

 water, will prove very effective. Smear the 

 edges with thick mud to keep the water 

 from running out. — E. D. Ries. 



The Trick of Burning a Lump 

 of Sugar 



APPLY a match to an ordinary lump 

 l\ of sugar such as you find in little 

 cubes for table use, and it will not burn. 

 But, strange to say, if you cover the cube 

 of sugar with cigar ashes and then apply a 

 lighted match it will begin to burn. 



