The heavy-surf, or tarpon, rod is made up of an independent, detachable butt, 20 in. long, having a solid-cork or cord-wound hand grasp, and a one-piece tip, 5-1/2 ft. long, altogether weighing 23-1/2 oz. It is uniformly calipered to taper from 29/32 in to 5/16 in. One piece of dagame, or greenheart, 1 in. by 6-1/2 ft., will be required.
- One 1-in. reel seat for detachable butt, including one 3/4-in. male ferrule;
- one 1-1/8-in. butt cap; two No. 11 wide, raised agate guides;
- two No. 1 trumpet guides;
- one 3/8-in. agate stirrup top;
- two spools of winding silk, A-size, and
- two dozen cork washers, or sufficient fishline to cord the butt.
The guides are whipped on double, the first set spaced 10 in. from the top, and the second, 26 in. from the reel. The core of the independent, or detachable, butt is constructed of the same material as the rod, which makes the hand grasp somewhat elastic and very much superior to a stiff and rigid butt.
Homemade Ball Catch for Cabinet Doors
To make a ball catch, procure a piece of brass, 1 in. long, 1/2 in. wide, and about 1/16 in. thick, and an old gas burner having a diameter of 3/8 in. As described by Work, London, the threaded part of the burner is cut off, which forms a contracted end that will hold a steel ball 5/16 in. in diameter and allow it to project 1/8 in. A hole is drilled in the center of the brass plate, and the barrel soldered in place. A piece of spiral spring is inserted behind the ball. The stiffness of the spring will depend on the use of the catch. The barrel is cut to length and plugged. Another plate of brass is fitted with screw holes and a hole in the center to receive the projecting ball part, for the strike.
Combination Needle and Thread Tray
When any attempt is made to keep sewing material, such as needles, spools, or buttons, separate, each of the articles is usually kept in some special drawer, or by itself, and when necessary to use one, the others must be found, frequently necessitating many extra steps or much lost time in hunting up the various articles. The illustrated combination tray avoids this difficulty. It consists of two round trays fastened together near one edge with a wood screw, which is loosely fitted in the lower tray but screwed into the upper to permit them being swung apart. Extra thickness and weight should be given the bottom piece so no tipping will result when the top is swung out to expose the buttons in the lower section. The thread spools are placed on pegs set in the upper tray, and the cushion in the center is provided for the pins and needles.—Contributed by J. Harger, Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands.
