Dane, 100 % on your post. I would like to see someone try to use an arbor a on rod blank where the reel seat is just slightly larger than the blank dia. Arbors are fine for a large difference in the reel seat and the blank. That is if you want to pay for them, mess with them, and have enough on hand that you can just pick a couple out of the bin and make them work. My masking tape is always handy and easy to use, and IT WORKS!!!

Agree with the others, masking tape is fine. Of note however I recently pulled down a Daiwa Saltiga rod which had an issue with the reel seat coming unstuck. When I pulled the seat off I noticed that they had used cord and wrapped it around the blank in an X fashion and then glued the seat on. The use of the cord looked fine however it was apparent that not enough glue was used. I ended up ripping the seat and rear grip off. adding a new ALPS ally real seat with a slick butt (did want to take all the guides off) and all is good now!

I use drywall mesh now, but I used masking tape for many years and never had it fail.
One trick I learned was that after building the tape up to the correct size, take a hack saw blade (cheap and disposable) and cut down into 2-3 layers of tape. Do this from one end ot the tape to the other, and around the circumference of the tape arbor. That gives the epoxy something to "hang on" to, and you won't squeegee it all off the tape when you push the reel seat down on to it.
On a freshwater rod with a size 16 or 17 reel seat, I would would typically make 15-18 cuts...3 rows of 5-6, around the blank. Takes longer to describe than to actually do.

I am still fishing rods I built 40 years ago with this method.

Gary, it sounds like you are covering the rod blank the whole length of where the reel seat will be epoxied. That is not necessary and is actually not beneficial. The tape or arbors or whatever only need to be wide enough to keep the reel seat centered. Epoxy covering the centering material and filling the gaps well, will give a much stronger bond.

I usually use 3, 1" wide tape "arbors" with space between them. I have done them both ways: tape the full length of the reel seat and the 1" bands. The main difference I have founf is I use more epoxy with the bands than with the full length tape arbor.
Both have proven to be very strong.

As I said, I switched to the fiberglass drywall tape about 4 years ago. That holds epoxy very well and doesn't require scoring.

This is the Question that Started me into rod building. I asked a builder this,and had a hard time believing masking tape would stand up to stress and water during use. So I went and applied for a Rod Building course at the local vo-tech
and as they say "The rest is history". But YES I do use masking tape! Charlie you were right!!

Dry wall mesh tape.
You can get the epoxy all the way to the blank through the mesh.
Have had no problems and it's cheap

Tight lines !

Gary

I have repaired full lengh tape arbored seats The glue sticks to the tape but the tape does not stay stuck to the blank
I have also repaired seats glued to a painted blank Where the glue stuck to the inside of the seat but the finish came off the blank

I now if using tape arbors I do maybe three or four 1/4 " tape arbores and prep the blank - well - taking any finish off it The glue sticks to the seat and it also sticks to the well preped blank

Bill - willierods.com