Are graphite arbors any better to mount a real seat on compared to some of the other methods used these days?

If you are talking about the brick foam type, I feel they are best thing to use for making arbors. They are also fast to fit to the blank. Sammy Mickel was by here the other day and we fitted a couple to a blank he is working on in about maybe, 3 minutes for the pair.

Other materials can work more than adequately of course. Fiberglass drywall tape is a good alternative and if you only have to take up a small space then you could use bands of wrapping thread.

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Yes, yes, yes. It is perhaps the best way to mount a reelseat. Provided you can keep the tolerances tight, this is the best compromise between weight and strength. I prefer the Fuji arbors as they seem to be a denser stronger material.

For aluminum reelseats, I use drywall tape as the bedding material. Heavier but very solid.

Before the invention of graphite arbors, I used masking tape wrapped nice and tight, and never had a problem with a loose seat, or problem with the minimal weight added. I like to leave a gap between the tape and fill that area with epoxy for a very solid bonded reel seat.

Is making tape really that bad of material to use? I know several rod builders who use masking tape yet today. Why would the fiberglass drywall tape be better than masking tape?

Just looking for a little education.

To answer the drywall tape question, it is simple. You get the build of the tape but you have the open mesh to allow the epoxy to penetrate clear to the blank. Works great with U- 40. Just my opinion.

I tend to agree with George on this. Masking tape is not really bad, but it's not as good or even as easy as some other methods. Chances are if you run into a bad seat connected on a rod it will have masking tape underneath it. That doesn't mean that masking tape bushings are destined to fail, just that they probably fail more often than any other method used.

In the old days Clemens used to sell "graphite arbor stock" which was a stick of brick foam around an inch in diameter by maybe six inches long. I would turn it to size on a lathe to make graphite Tennessee handles. The arbor stock was bigger diameter than the handle so I could form a nice front for the handle.

I notice they don't sell the raw stock anymore. Does anybody know where the raw stock can be bought from nowadays? I am down to my last piece of arbor stock and I would like to get more.

Thanks,
Joe