point of the compass on the central spot as lightly as circumstances
will allow, a thin scratched line must be made with the other point.
Here we may remark that screw compasses should be used, so that distance
apart of the feet may be kept rigid, as the width and the same circular
scratch marked on the button must now be marked on a piece of maple,
or, as is sometimes done, on ebony. The grain of either should run in
the same direction as that of the button, or if done aslant it will
look ugly when worn a little. The materials being matched, the fresh
piece should be reduced in thickness to very little over that required
for the height of the edging for the button; it should be a small cake
of wood large enough to cover and leave a margin where it is to be
fitted.

The wood of the button outside of the scratched line will now be cut
away down to the raw wood of the new graft; it must be done with small
and sharp chisels, carefully paring it down, leaving the edge up to
the scratched line quite perpendicular and smooth all round: the
strictest attention to this is necessary, so that the fitting on of
the fresh edging may be done with exactness. We now take up the little
cake of ebony, or maple, as selected, with the scratched line, which
should be made from a central point close to the edge as possible: if
this is a difficulty, the centre may be taken further in, the circular
line also and the superfluous wood cut away to the central point, but
not in a way to interfere with the equipoise when the edging is placed
on for fitting; if this is not seen to, the edging will, when finished,
look awry. The middle within the scratched line may now be first gouged
away and the wood cut with a sharp knife close up to and at exact right
angles with the plane. A rounded file may with care be used to make
a more even surface or run. If all this is done with precision, the
parts may be tried together for testing--the glueing may be seen to
and the cramping done, with care that the fresh portion does not slip
during the process out of its place. Some repairers would be tempted
to rely upon the exact fitting, and simply slide the parts together,
squeezing them well, but this is always risky. The work may now be put
aside to dry.

The next proceeding will be that of working down or levelling both the
ebony fingerboard and the graft, or neck. The first, in the state
usually sold, will have an apparently well-finished off arching that