The Corks Glued in Place on the Butt and the Wood Sleeve, or Reel-Seat Core, Ready to Slide Down and Glue in Position (Fig. 8)
A sleeve will be needed for the reel seat to slip over, and a soft-wood core of this sort can be purchased from any dealer in rod-making materials, or it can be made at home. For the material procure a piece of white pine, about 3/4 in. in diameter and 5 in. long. A section sawed from a discarded curtain roller will serve the purpose well. Bore a 15/32-in. hole through the piece and plane down the outside until it slips inside the reel seat. It should be well made and a good fit, and one end tapered to fit the taper of the reel seat, while the opposite end should be about 1/4 in. shorter than the reel seat. Slide this wood sleeve down the rod, as shown in Fig. 8, coat the rod and the upper part of the last cork with glue and force the sleeve tightly in place. A day or two should be allowed for the glue to set and thoroughly dry, before giving the hand grasp the final touches.
If a lathe is at hand, the hand grasp may be turned to any desired shape, but most anglers prefer a cylindrical-shaped grip, leaving the top cork untrimmed to form a kind of shoulder when the metal reel seat is pressed into the cork. If corks of 1-1/4-in. diameter are purchased, but little trimming will be necessary to work the hand grasp down to 1-1/16 in. in diameter. This size seems to fit the average hand about right. The lower corks will need a little trimming to fit the taper of the butt cap so that it may fit snugly in place. Cement the butt cap in place by heating the cap moderately hot, then rub a little of the melted ferrule cement inside the cap, and force it over the cork butt. When the cement has hardened, drive a small brass pin or brad through the cap, and file the ends off flush with the metal surface. All the guides, ferrules, and reel seat are shown in Fig. 9.
The regulation metal reel seat is about 4-1/2 in. long, and in fitting it to the old type of bait rod, the covered hood is affixed to the upper end of the reel seat. This arrangement is satisfactory enough for the 9-ft. bait rod, but it is rather awkward in fitting it to the short bait-casting rod, as with the hood at the upper end the reel is pushed so far forward that it leaves 1 in. or more of the reel seat exposed, and the hand must grip this smooth metal instead of the cork. To avoid this, it is best to cut the reel seat down to 3-7/8 in. and affix the reel seat to the rod with the hood at the lower end near the hand. For a single hand grasp, a tapered winding check will be needed to make a neat finish and this should be ordered of the correct diameter to fit the reel seat at the lower end and the diameter of the rod at the other. In the double hand grasp the winding check is used to finish off the upper end of the cork, which is tapering to fit the rod at this point.
In assembling the reel seat, push it with the hooded end well down and work it into the cork to make a tight waterproof joint. Push the reel seat up the rod, coat the sleeve with cement and push the reel seat home. Drive a small pin through the hooded end and reel seat to make the whole rigid. This pin should not be driven through the rod or it will weaken it at this point. Just let it enter the wood a short distance to prevent the reel seat from turning.
The upper or double grasp is fashioned after the reel seat is in position, and the corks are cemented on and pushed tightly together in the same manner as used in forming the lower grasp. The first cork should be pressed tightly against the upper end of the reel seat and turned about so that the metal may enter the cork and form a tight joint. As many corks as are required to form a grip of proper length are in turn cemented to each other and the rod. After the glue has become dry, the cork may be worked down and tapered to make a smooth, swelled grasp. The winding check is now cemented on, to make a neat finish between the upper grip and the rod.
Before affixing the guides, go over the rod with fine sandpaper, then wet the wood to raise the grain, and repeat this operation, using old sandpaper. If an extra-fine polish is wanted, rub it down with powdered pumice and oil, or rottenstone and oil, and finish off with an oiled rag.
To fit the agate tip, file down the end of the rod with a fine-cut file until it is a good fit in the metal tube. Melt a little of the ferrule cement and smear a little on the tip of the rod, then push the agate down in place.
Spar varnish is often used to protect the rod, but extra-light coach varnish gives a better gloss, and it is as durable and waterproof as any varnish. It is only necessary to purchase a quarter pint of the varnish, as a very small quantity is used. The final varnishing is, of course, done after the rod has been wound and the guides are permanently whipped in position. However, it is an excellent idea to fill the pores of the wood by rubbing it over with a cloth saturated in the varnish before the silk whippings are put on. Merely fill the cells of the wood and wipe off all surplus, leaving the rod clean and smooth.
The guides may now be fastened in place, and for the 5-ft. rod, but two of them are necessary. The first guide should be placed 19-1/2 in. from the metal taper which finishes off the upper hand grasp, and the second guide spaced 15-1/2 in. from the first. By spacing the guides in this manner, the line will run through them with the least possible friction.