04 AVIARIES^ BIRD-ROOMS AND CAMS. 



PREPARING THE SOLDERING IRON. 



i 



The centre cross 

 wire CC can either be 

 a punched bar or 

 an ordinary piece of 

 wire, to which the 

 wires are attached 

 with solder ; I prefer A wire Front in the Making, 



the latter, as looking much neater. Any one not used 

 to handling a soldering-iron will most likely find a 

 difficulty in getting the solder to run. The reason of 

 this will most likely be the want of a proper face on the 

 iron. To remedy this the iron should be left in the fire 

 until red hot, and the face well filed down, which can 

 be done with one or two sharp raspings of a coarse file. 

 The iron should then be dipped in the killed spirits of 

 salts, then on the solder, and back into the spirit; you 

 will then have no difficulty in getting the solder to run 

 where you require it. 



I must conclude with the old proverb, that " prac- 

 tice makes us wondrous perfect," and I hope that any 

 readers who feel inclined to become their own cage- 

 makers may derive as much pleasure from the occupation 

 as I have done. 



