What is the best way to fill in a rod with a 5/8 OD fiber glass solid rod to fit a aluminum 19 inch
trolling butt with reel seat and rod going thru to the butt ? I'm sure duct tape is not the answer. Thanks for any help.

Dick Zrudsky

Some of the urethane arbors would be a good bet. Available in enough sizes so that something is going to be very close to fitting the aluminium butt and they can be quickly centered bored to fit the blank perfectly. They're strong once enclosed and pretty much impervious to the elements. And they're very inexpensive.

..............

Dick

I tried the large arbors and I had a hard time keeping the hole straiht to get to the diameter I wanted. If I had the right tools, I would be better..lol..

I use drywall tape and rod bond to build up the area and find that to work as well. Just make sure the rod bon goes into the tape.

Ernie

I have built a few thousand trolling and standup rods that extent into the butt and are glued in to make it a one piece. I have always used masking tape for bushings and have yet to see one fail. Jesse

I've never understood why anyone would argue for mediocrity. Dump the tape and do your best. You may thank yourself in a few years.

The arbors would be great but the drywall tape and Rod Bond is how I've done them. Works great! And I'm sure it's really strong and durable.

Personally I have been waiting 30+ years for a masking tape arbor to come loose. When I first started I used to use twine or cord to make full length arbors to fit under the entire reel seat. I then used scotch tape to make bands for arbors. Then finally went to masking tape. About a year ago I posted some pics here of a rod whose reel seat I had cut away to reveal the bond between the blank and reel seat. It had masking tape arbors, perfectly intact. I built the rod 15 years ago and the rod had broken in two at the foregrip when the trolling lure snagged the bottom with the line fouled at the reel.

Even if the masking tape paper rots away the epoxy bond still would have held the reel seat securely.

I have been using thin bands of masking tape on all heavy trolling uni-butts, storabutts, gimbals, reel seats, with no failures.

(deleted this part, don't want to offend anyone)

Lou



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 07/04/2007 08:27AM by Lou Reyna.

The only failures I have seen on any sort of reel seats or butts has been when masking tape bushings have been used. I may still have a failure here somewhere and if I can find it I will post a picture of it.

If I remember correctly we had someone from a company that manufactures masking tape on this board a year or two ago that stated that masking tape was not intended for this type of application and that he would not use it for mounting seats and things. And he makes the stuff. I figure he should know the limitations of his own product.