April 10, 1884.] 



FOREST AND STREAM. 



207 



\m iind §iver fishing. 



ROD MAKING. 



Editor Fore.it and Stream: 



Several times I have noticed items in your paper, and one 

 in last issue signed "W. K.," recommending swelled or over- 

 capped ferrules which he says gets the full size of the wood. 

 I would like 1o have some oiie tell me what advantage there 

 is in using such ferrules; most of us rod makers of lateyears 

 in making a light rod would not think of letting in the 

 ferrules Hush with the wood. We turn the ferrules at the 

 end so as to make a nice finish, at the same time making it 

 a little thinner and place a wrapping of silk next, wind. 

 when finished, makes the work complete. But it is claimed 

 that it makes the rod stronger. Suppose we were going to use 

 for a fly-rod No. 8 swelled or over-capped ferrules for first, 

 and No. for the last joint; it makes a rod winch is really 

 No. 4 and No. 1, which is just one size larger than No. 3 

 and No. straight ferrules. Again suppose we take a swelled 

 ferrule which is size of No. 3 at large end. and compare its 

 size with No. 3 straight ferrule; we find it is just one size 

 smaller where the male ferrule enters and the same size, at the 

 other ends. Now, where is there anything gained V The 

 swelled ferrules cost more and it is more work to lit them 

 on. I use them on some rods because they are ordered so, 

 bat consider them, like the dowels, of no use whatever. 



Wheu I make a rod and use swelled ferrules, I use, just 

 one size smaller ferrules than I would in using straight 

 ferrules to get same sized rod. 



The fact Is we follow too faithfully in the old rut, and it is 

 high time, that such geutlemen as Mr. "Wells should stir us 

 fellows up, aud we should help them to get the wool off our 

 eyes and to benefit ourselves and customers. E. M. E. 



Hancock, N. Y., MarehSS. 



Editor Forcxt and Stream: 



I have been much interested in the recent discussion in the 

 columns of Forest and Stream concerning the use of dowel 

 pins in fishing rods, and would like to add my mite for the 

 benefit of my fellow anglers, although I fear the subject 

 has been already so ably and thoroughly exhausted by 

 Mr. Henry P. Wells that my remarks will prove superflu- 

 ous. 



Nearly thirteen years' experience as an amateur rod maker 

 has satisfied me of the soundness of Mr. Wells's views in regard 

 to dowel pins. During that period I have made about thirty 

 rods of various descriptions for my friends, and since my 

 first attempt I have abandoned the use of dowel pins, which, 

 as Mr. Wells correctly states, not only serve to weaken a rod 

 unnecessarily, but add to the angler's perplexities when so 

 unfortunate "as to break his only rod while on the stream where 

 the fish are biting freely, and possibly not another rod is to be 

 obtained within a distance of forty _ miles. An instance of 

 this came under my observation while bass fishing last fall. 



While engaged in the manuf actu re of my first fly-rod I 

 was so fortunate as to make the acquaintance of the lamented 

 "Uncle Thad" Norris; this resulted in a correspondence, 

 which was only terminated by his death. To him I am in- 

 debted for many little kinks in rod making, for he had, as he 

 expressed it, '"'an abiding sympathy for amateur rod 

 makers," and was always ready to extend a helping hand to 

 tyros like myself, and share with others the stores of knowl- 

 edge acquired by him during an experience extending 

 through the many years of his useful life. He early pointed 

 out to me the abomination of the dowel pin; the weakening 

 effect of the pins so generally employed to fasten on ferrules, 

 also another fruitful source of broken rods, namely: making 

 shoulders in the wood when titling on ferrules — this latter 

 method has to my mind even a far greater weakening effect 

 than the dowel pin. In nearly every instance of a broken 

 rod which has come under my observation, the fracture 

 occurred just at the junction of the female ferrule with the 

 wood. 



I approach the subject of tapered ferrules with some trepi- 

 dation, but agree in the main with Mr. Wells. Straight fer- 

 rules are undoubtedly the best if they cannot be had properly 

 tapered. If properly made the female ferrule should taper 

 very slightly from both ends to the center. This is accom- 

 plished by stretching the end into which the male ferrule 

 fits over a tapered mandrel; the male ferrule will then fit 

 snugly the whole length of its insertion, and as the metal 

 becomes worn, enters deeper and deeper, thus taking up all 

 wear. Norris thus made his ferrules, and since commencing 

 this article, I have examined my old fly-rod made by him, 

 and used by me for nearly nine seasons, and cannot" detect 

 the least looseness or shakincss in the ferrules, which fit as 

 tightly as when first made. During nearly thirteen years 

 experience in fly-fishing, both for trout and bass, I have sel- 

 d©m had my rods throw apart, and am convinced that on 

 ■every occasion where such mishap occurred, the fault was 

 ■due mainly to my own carelessness in not properly jointing 

 the rod. Unless unnecessary force is employed in casting 

 the fly, I don't see how a reasonably well jointed rod can be 

 thrown apart. 



By the way, will some of your readers furnish me a recipe 

 for making a good stick cement for fastening ferrules, or in- 

 form me where it can be bought. Norris used to supply me, 

 but since his death I have made numberless experiments try- 

 ing to make something like his, but the results have been 

 unsatisfactory. Latterly I have been using a mixture of 

 liquid shellac and powdered quartz, yet while this prepara- 

 tion appears to hold well, it would be rather inconvenient to 

 take along on a fishing trip. G. A. Brandt. 



Washington, D. C, April 1, 1884. 



Editor Forest and Stream: 



If Mr. Brandt will make his ferrules fit the joint reason- 

 ably well, and then proceed as follows, it is confidently be- 

 lieved the result will be satisfactory: 



Warm the end of the joint and cover it evenly with gutta- 

 percha gum, distributing it as it melts with a stick for this 

 purpose; warm the ferrule, place a small piece of the gum 

 inside, and move it about in like manner until the inside is 

 coated. Then warm both joint and ferrule, and push into 

 place with a twisting motion. This gum will be found to 

 melt at a low temperature, to be extremely adhesive, and it 

 is believed is sufficiently elastic to defy time or any other 

 contingency, except heat, to loosen its hold. 



Eor twelve years or more, off and on, I have experimented 

 with ferrule cements, and though several were found which 

 answered well, all left something to be desired. Some ex- 

 periments, in another direction "required" the use of gutta-' 

 percha gum, -and while - manipulating it"I was atroflce' struck 



with its unequalled adaptability to the purpose under dis- 

 cussion. 



The theoretically perfect ferrule cement resembles the 

 theoretically perfect knot, in that while it should hold for- 

 ever if desired, it still may be loosened at any time with the 

 utmost ease. 



This discovery, if discovery it is, is too recent to have as 

 yet undergone the crucial test of protracted use aud abuse. 

 But as far" as a limited lapse of time, and considerable ex- 

 perience in the behavior of other cements, will warrant, the 

 formation of an opinion, it is confidently believed that this is 

 the ferrule cement of the future, and that it fully meets aud 

 equals every requirement of the theory. 



In all that I have, written on the subject of fly-fishing ap- 

 pliances, and in all that I may hereafter write, but one end 

 and object has been and will be in view — the improvement 

 of the art. I hope to see the day when the dowel will at 

 least be the exception rather than the rule; when a detached 

 handle will be of almost universal use ; when the fastening- 

 pin and cements which necessitate that a broken end shall be 

 burned out of the ferrule, will all be things of the past. 



Every September for years past I have had to keep a Maine 

 camp full of anglers in repair. This is a labor of love, of 

 course, as it is to every true angler to aid another. 1 men- 

 tion this, that your readers may see that sufficient experience 

 has been had of the various accidents to which anglers are 

 liable, to justify an expression of opinion. And no opinion 

 that I have so formed rests, I believe, on so solid a founda- 

 tion of fact as the objections and recommendation of the pre- 

 ceding paragraph. 



Gutta-percha gum may easily be had of any dentist in 

 sufficient quantity to fasten a set of ferrules, but if Mr. 

 Brandt will send me his address, I will gladly mail him some. 



Or some of that cement may be procured at any shoe- 

 maker's, which they use to paste waterproof patches on shoes. 

 This generally, if not invariably, consists of this gum dis- 

 solved in carbon bi-sulphide. It is a thick brownish liquid. 

 But of all the vile smelling compounds that the ingenuity of 

 man has yet been able to devise, this solvent caps the climax. 

 Therefore, unless prepared to defy an attack from a mob, it 

 is not wise to use it in the near neighborhood of others. 



Not only is it believed that this gum will fill every require- 

 ment as a ferrule cement, but an equal degree of confidence 

 (based, however, less on experience than on theory) is felt 

 that it will prove invaluable in emergent repairs, as a means 

 of coating and uniting such splices as are employed to mend 

 broken joints. Its extreme adhesiveness, its utter indiffer- 

 ence to moisture, and its ready fusibility, seem to render it 

 peculiarly suited to this purpose — far more so than the shoe- 

 maker's wax usually employed for the purpose. 



To such as may desire to thus fasten their ferrules, the fol- 

 lowing procedure is recommended. Mark the distance to 

 which the joint is to enter the ferrule. There wrap on 

 tightly a strip of writing paper about three-quarters of an 

 inch wide, and secure the outer end with mucilage or flour 

 paste, that it may not unwind. Set the ferrule as before 

 directed. Some of the gum will be crowded before it, which 

 may be removed with a knife, wetted to prevent sticking, 

 and set aside for future use. Then heat till the residue is 

 fluid, and wipe off clean with a rag. Finally remove the 

 paper, and the job is complete. 



Mr. Brandt's remarks in reference to the hour-glass con- 

 formation of the bore of a female ferrule merit and receive 

 my thanks, for they call to my attention an oversight in my 

 comments on the dowel pin, of no little importance. In his 

 skilled hands doubtless this may work well; but it is a prin- 

 ciple of construction which must be handled with singular 

 discretion. 



Let us analyze this for a moment. The hour-glass confor- 

 mation we understand to be that, in which the inner diam- 

 eter of the female ferrule diminishes from both ends toward 

 the middle. Of course, the male ferrule is tapered to con- 

 form. Now here we have a portion of a cone entering 

 a conical hole. It is obvious that this cone may enter 

 some distance before it is at all in contact with the sides 

 of its socket; or in other words, before there is any fit 

 at all. It is also plain that when contact does occur, 

 very slight additional advance of the cone wedges it 

 fast, and it can enter no further. Therefore, the limits 

 within which the fit lies are very narrow. On one side 

 and almost in contact lies the "jam," where further in- 

 ward motion is brought to a stand; on the other side, and in 

 almost equally close juxtaposition, is a point where the 

 contact and consequent friction (or, in other words, the 

 cohesion of the surfaces) is very slight. Now it is this fric- 

 tional cohesion alone which prevents the rod from throwing 

 apart. 



Have any of your readers ever endeavored to loosen a stub- 

 born glass stopper from a bottle? Here we have the condi- 

 tions exactly reproduced — a cone fitting within a tapered 

 bore. Holding the bottle in the left hand and constantly 

 turning it, each side of the glass stopper is tapped in alterna- 

 tion with any light metal body, and in a moment an adhesion 

 which defied all the torsional strain you could apply, is 

 broken, and the stopper may easily be removed with" the 

 thumb and finger. 



And just here, and in ignorance or neglect of these simple 

 and elementary principles, lies the foundation of the con- 

 stantly recurring charge that the dowelless ferrule will throw 

 apart. Give to such a ferrule, if constructed on the hour- 

 glass plan, any sudden shock or jar, start it ever so little, 

 and the cohesion of the surfaces is so impaired that, if the 

 next cast does not overcome this altogether, it at all events 

 loosens it still more, until the joint throws apart, and the 

 angler lifts up his voice in such remarks as he deems appro- 

 priate to the occasion. 



Now let us contrast the action of a true cylinder. Enter 

 one-eighth of an inch aud it fits — enter it another eighth; it 

 still fits, and the cohesion of the second is added to first— a 

 third, and with like result, and so on, till it has entered to its 

 limit, still fitting at each fraction of advance, and still con- 

 stantly adding a due proportion of cohesion to that already 

 obtained. Start this ferrule intentionally a quarter of an 

 inch— yes, even half an inch, and still, if the fit is tolerably 

 good, you have cohesion more than sufficient to meet and 

 overcome the tendency of the joint to throw apart, and thus, 

 as has been demonstrated by years of use by my friends and 

 self, as well as it would appear from your columns by many 

 another angler, this most aggravating mishap may be alto- 

 gether prevented. 



Therefore it would seem that by no means should that end 

 of the female ferrule which is to receive its mate be enlarged 

 upon a tapered mandrel, but on the contrary, the bore of that 

 part should be as true a cylinder as possible. If doubt of 

 the fit is still felt, the following course is recommended: 

 Stretch' the male ferrule on a cylindrical mandrel, if it be 

 too small ; then cement it and 'its mate "each on a stick to 



serve as a handle, and grind them together with flour, emery 

 and oil. In doing this be not content with simply twisting 

 them around, the male within the female ferrule, but try to 

 combine to some extent the reciprocating motion of the pis- 

 ton of a steam engine, and this not only to insure a more 

 even distribution of the emery, but that the grinding may 

 be uniform and not in rings. To trained mechanics other 

 abrading powders preferable to emery will suggest them- 

 selves. But it is to be remembered that the ferrules of a 

 fly-rod bear little analogy to the bearings of a running ma- 

 chine, since the sum of all the motion communicated to the 

 ferrules by jointing and unjointim^ the rod in many years 

 would fall far short of that made by such a machine in a 

 very few minutes. Flour emery is everywhere to be had, 

 and is, therefore, all things cousidered, the most available 

 for our purpose. 



With the aid of a lathe this fitting becomes a matter of 

 very trifling difficulty. Provided with a round stick armed 

 with No. Cf emery cloth, glued upon it, and of a size just 

 to enter the female ferrule, the latter is chucked in the 

 lathe. While revolving at a rate of speed as high as the 

 lathe will give, the stick is introduced well oiled, and while 

 the ferrule revolves, the stick is moved constantly inward 

 and outward. A very few minutes suffices. Then the male 

 ferrule can be readily fitted. While itself revolving in the 

 lathe, Avith a "dead smooth" file, supplemented by emery 

 cloth and oil, 



Since the grinding-stick is thus constantly reciprocated 

 during this process, it is clear that while at the mouth of 

 the fernde the abrasion is continuous, it is intermittent 

 within; aud that this necessarily enlarges the mouth more 

 than inner portions of the bore. But the difference is almost 

 infinitesimal, and that it should be confined to the least pos- 

 sible quantity, the grinding should be continued for but two 

 or three minutes at most. 



Thus from the tubing described in your issue of March 27, 

 I can make and fit the ferrules for a rod, including a handle- 

 ferrule, one butt, two middle joints, and two tips, in not 

 to exceed three-quarters of an hour. I have tested them with 

 severity for years, and I know they will work in every par- 

 ticular to leave nothing to be desired. Henry P. Wells. 



VIOLATIONS OF THE FISH LAWS. 



THE Buffalo Courier says, in speaking of the work of 

 Game Protector Stephen A. Roberts, of that city : 

 "The first official act of Mr. Roberts was the taking and de- 

 stroying of eight large nets found set in American Waters of 

 Niagara River early last fall. The owners of the nets watched 

 the proceeding from hiding places along the river banks, but 

 made uo open opposition to the sacrifice of their property by 

 the game protector and his allies. Loss of their nets is 

 deemed infinitely more disastrous by the piscatorial law- 

 breakers than the being detected and indicted. The former 

 punishment means the loss of valuable nets, besides the pos- 

 sible punitive penalty imposed by the court for the offense 

 in case the name of the owner of the nets is learned by the 

 public prosecutor or game protector. It may be news to 

 many of our citizens to learn that all fishing with nets, ex- 

 cept for minnows, is positively prohibited in the American 

 waters of Niagara River at all seasons, and that it is an of- 

 fense under the same statute to have in possession either 

 black or striped bass weighing less than one-half pound 

 at any time. Snaring with pound nets in Lake Erie and 

 Ontario is forbidden at all seasons. Mr. Roberts said to a 

 Courier reporter: 'The opposition to my authority is very 

 strong, especially about Buffalo. The men who subsist here 

 from the fisheries are mostly idle fellows, too lazy to Work, 

 aud just sufficiently adventurous to love violations of the law 

 for the very sake of the excitement. Several of them are 

 desperate felloAvs avIio have served terms in the penetentiary 

 and who literally poach for a living. When I first entered 

 upon my duties these men committed open violation, claim- 

 ing that the fish they scared were of Canadian parentage, but 

 they found out their mistake. Last fall I used to go out at 

 night in boats and make a regular patrol of likely "spots for 

 nets. A policeman from the nearest station-house would 

 usually accompany me, and we often found what we sought 

 and without opposition could destroy the nets. During the 

 winter I have been in the habit, of visiting the river banks to 

 watch operations. Now, however, I shall begin my water 

 patrol systematically, and enforce the law strictly, I intend 

 to exercise my authority to the fullest, although I am almost 

 alone in my attempts. Citizens are not disposed to help me 

 and even put obstacles in the way of my success. Even the 

 sporting clubs of this city extend no helping hand to me in 

 my effort to punish violations of the game laws. One might 

 naturally suppose that these organizations would be dis- 

 posed to come forward and aid me, even to the 

 extent of offering rewards for the detection of 

 offenders, but they show no disposition to second 

 my efforts in any direction. Already this sea- 

 son the poachers are thoroughly organized. They go 

 off in boats and haA r e sentries posted along tke shore to warn 

 them. When they have set their nets they go ashore and 

 leave them over night or until early morning, setting a watch 

 on shore to keep guard over their nets. If they see me com- 

 ing in my boat, they shoot out from cover in a light skiff, 

 cut the lines, and so I lose the chance of getting both net 

 and culprits. There is no man in the State fonder of hunt- 

 ing and fishing than I am, and for that very reason, if for 

 no other, I am determined to press poachers. Only I want 

 the co-operation of the officers of the law and of the people 

 generally. What good is it to have a man indicted if he can 

 pay a trivial fine and repeat his offense under my very nose, 

 defiantly? None at all. My duties are hard enough, but I 

 mean to discharge them to the very best of ray ability, and 

 earn my money while I hold my place. There are things 

 about the game laws I should like, as a sportsman, to see 

 changed. The present open season is from May 20 to Jan. 

 1, and this is wrong, because, you see, these fish do not 

 begin to spawn here until between the 12th and 15th of 

 June, when they seek the shallow waters of the river sides 

 and can be readily snared. If the season was not declared 

 open until July 1 the spawning would be over and the fish 

 swimming in mid-stream, safe from all but anglers. I have 

 conferred with Mr. Sherman of the board, who has promised 

 to have the matter brought up before the game committee in 

 the Legislature, I hope some action Avill result from it. I 

 am devoting my whole time to my keepership, and shall 

 devote my days with equal impartiality to the poachers who 

 shoot and the poachers who fish and snare. I shall have my 

 hands full, at any rate. In August, when the woodcock 

 season sets in, the destruction of hen partridge and their 

 young will also be inaugurated, and 1 shall bring sportsmen 

 of all shades of culture to the undiscriminating bar of,, it is 

 hoped, even-handed justice, Didn't know it was loaded" ' 



