Other materials that are invaluable to the toy-maker and should be carefully preserved are old broom handles, reels, and the round rods of various sizes that one often comes across.
Lead plays an important part in many toys; sheet lead can be bought in pennyworths; lead buttons can also be bought. Chains are also useful (for example, in Part II, in the drawbridge, the siege tower, etc.), so toy watch chains or any odd pieces should be preserved, as these chains look more effective than those made of wire. Very good chain can be bought from an ironmonger's—price, 3d. a yard.
[CHAPTER XIII]
SOME DIFFICULTIES IN TOY-MAKING
I. Gluing. Generally when pieces of wood are fastened together, both glue and nails should be used; the glue prevents the wood from revolving on the nails, and the nails hold when sometimes a sudden jar will cause pieces of wood that are glued to separate. However, if glueing be well done, it will serve well without nailing, and it is often convenient to use glue only when making small toys or when adding a piece of wood to a delicate toy that will not stand the shock of the hammer. To apply glue so that the pieces of wood that it fastens shall hold together permanently, the following points should be borne in mind:
(1) The layer of glue should be so thin that the seam will scarcely be seen.
(2) The glue must be perfectly free from sawdust, shavings, etc., and so must the wood.
(3) Glue must be evenly and thinly applied to both the surfaces that are to be joined.
(4) The surfaces to be joined must be perfectly smooth.