Hi Guys,
Following on from the recent post regarding Masking Tape Arbors I have a question about how easy it is to bore out the FC arbor that has been glued inside a reel seat. If you make a mistake at this stage you are into some serious remedial work. I have looked up on FC's website to see how they suggest the hole is bored out using bits and a power hand drill. What has been your experience of getting concentric bores to the OD of the reel seat. Nothing could be worse than having a cocked eyed reel seat languishing on a fine blank. Did you do it as FC recommended or did you find a better and safer way. I am interested in trying these arbors but want to ensure I get a quality fit onto my blank so any help would be appreciated.

Regards

Mike Oliver

You can't make a mistake. Well I guess you can, but I've done maybe 15 now and it's pretty much foolproof. The bore will automatically be concentric because the pilot bits have an alignment tube on the nose. They follow the 1/4 inch bore already in the arbor. You end up with a perfect concentric bore every time. I think Rodmaker mag had a pictorial essay on how to do this step by step awhile back. It's REALLY easy and REALLY quick.

Hi Ken,

Thanks for the fast response.

Regards

Mike O.

Mike,

I just cut them in two equal length pieces and hand reem to fit the blank where the seat is to be mounted. It's about a five minute job and works like a charm. I do them this way just because Ihave never got around to making me some bits. I have the stuff to do so and have not gotten to it. That said, I have probably built 650 rods with masking tape arbors and have never had a reel seat failure as a result of them. There wil be people fpllow up by telling me how lucky I have been. I mostly build casting rods and now as a general rule use the reel seats the cut out and sized to fit the blank.

Later,
Gerald Mc

Gerald I dont think that you have been lucky, just that you pay attention to what you are doing. I have never had a failure in over 30 years of building rods using tape but I guess sometime doing things the OLD way doesnt cut it in todays new hi tech everything world. I guess the question is why fix it if it isnt broken?

For me I just make my customers happy and they keep coming back and bringing friends. How successful do you need to be. Gerald there will be two of us left to keep the masking tape business in business.

Arbors work good too, not to take ANYTHING away from those who choose to use them.

James and Gerald,

I too have been using masking tape arbors for many years without failure, but I still want to explore new methods and materials in the quest to improve my build quality. I agree fixing for the sake of it can seem a waste of effort but we don't see too many Model T Ford's around and they got you very adequataly from A to B. I am not going to desert my proven masking tape just yet but I have to admit I have always been uncomfortable with it as a means of making reel seat arbors.
There just has to be a better if not necesarily a quicker way than paper tape., and which does not entail using expensive machinery to do it. The reason I origionally picked up on Tape was the fact if done correctly it's a piece of cake and no tools or machinery required. A plus in many a builders book.

Flex Coat still gets my business as I buy my masking tape from them by the case. Jesse

Dale Clemen's told a funny story at a seminar. The subject was mounting reel seats and how he knew first hand what not paying attention to your work can mean. He was on an offshore party boat fishing with one of his custom made spinning rods. A fellow walks up and start admiring his rod. So Dale told the fellow that he made custom rods and was in the custom rod tackle business and how much better a custom rod was compared to a store bought one. Later on in the trip, Dale hooks a fish and while fighting it, the reel seat came loose. The fellow that he had been talking to earlier walks up to him and says, "So that is a custom made rod, huh?" Dale said that he didn't answer the guy, just kept chewing on the crow.

I read that story somewhere too, maybe in one of his books or something. He did say he got the fish in and that he used a glue or epoxy that needed air to dry, hence it never dried properly if I remember right. I think with the event of rod-bond, the chances of this are greatly reduced.

The first batch of FC 16mm arbors I got fit the 16mm reel seats perfectly, lately I've had to turn them down on a 1'4" mandrel before hand reaming to fit the blank. Not hard to do, but has anyone else experienced this?

Philll and Ellis,

You reminded me of that tale of Dale's. Isawit in a copy of his famous book on custom Rod Building, and yes he had used an adhesive that neede air to st it off. I recall the story well and his struggles to reel in a fish whilst trying to prevent the seat from turning around the rod shaft. Wonderful stuff.

Tight LInes and well stuck reel seats.

Mike O.

In the past I used tape arbors and never have had one seat come loose. I have since switched to FC arbors and love them. About a month ago I decided to replace the reel seats and butt cork on two musky rods of mine. The seats had been glued on with tape bushings; it took two of us about a half hour with a vise and hack saw to get them off!!!!!!!! They were really stuck, and never would have broken loose. Gene