Got a couple simple kids rods to build for a friend on a tight budget. Was going to use masking tape for arbors under the seats instead of the hard foam just to save him some $$$ and the kids won't care and will outgrow the rods in a couple years anyway. But before I use the masking tape, are there better tape alternatives when tape is used for this purpose?

The graphite arbors are easy to use Glue into the seat Then bore out to fit the blank

If a tight-er fit not much space 1/4" tape maybe just two Prep the blank well Will add some weight cause of more epoxy used Also prep the inside of the seat well

Bill - willierods.com

Masking tape is fine. Been used for many years. Mesh drywall is certainly better but a little more work/mess.

Russ in Hollywood, FL.

Tape works great, just make sure to fully cover all sides of it with your epoxy to make sure no water will ever get to it.

______________________________________
Super Tight Lines......Don

James,
Tape is used all of the time, even on high end rods. Nothing at all wrong with its use. Just wrap bands of tape around the blank the desired thickness. Then, leave a slight gap between each rod of tape so that you can get a layer of epoxy all of the way to the blank, as well as on the ends of the tape. Thousands of rods are done this way every year, with 0 failures.

Be safe

James, thanks for asking the question. I'm a newbie and have been lurking here quite a while as I plan my first rod build. It will be a short, light action rod for vertical jigging crappie. I know making tape arbors is the commonly accepted practice, but I have been wondering why don't people use the polyurethane or graphite arbors since they seem so simple and straight-forward for fitting.

John

Graphite/foam arbors or Drywall mesh depending on the size.

Both work great and are more solid than tape.

I always look at it as if I have to wrap 8 - 10 turns of tape on - Use an arbor
it will be a lot lighter

Bill - willierods.com

John, the graphite arbors are nice on all accounts. But masking tape is cheaper, you never have to worry about having the right size, your reel seat will always be perfectly centered, and you don't have to buy any special bits or reamers.

All that said, I almost always use graphite arbors.

Russ in Hollywood, FL.

I would say X100 on what Russell said!! I have used both tape and arbors. To me there is no advantage to arbors, but many to tape, if it is done right. At one of the Rodcrafter seminars that I held with Dale Clemens, an elderly Gentleman, (just a little older than I am now) demonstrated his method of centering and adhering the reel seat to the blank. He used brown paper bags that he first measured to the blank, then as he wrapped them around the blank he coated with a thin slow cure epoxy. They turned into a great, rock solid arbor. Just about explosion proof. I have been using that method or tape ever since.

Randy, one advantage to the arbors is if you ever have to cut and spilt a reel seat off:)

Russ in Hollywood, FL.

I have never had to do that with one of my rods, but I have cut a number of factory made reel seats off and the way they put the tape on was to just spiral wrap it and coat with some type of adhesive. I think that arbors would not be more difficult to remove, although I have never had to do it. Over the years I have been sent a number of them to test, and they work fine. I just prefer my methods.

The arbors are much, much faster to bore and install compared to winding on tape bushings. They are also lighter and more rigid which translates into several advantages.

However, I take it from the original post that tape is being used to cut costs, whatever that might be. In that instance paper masking tape will likely be okay although I'd also opt for the fiberglass drywall tape. Of course, it'll cost a few bucks more.

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I use drywall and masking tape because reaming graphite arbors produces a fine black dust that gets into everything.

Gary,
I use a separate building for doing any "dirty" work like sanding, reaming, or handle turning. Then, I use the high powered air compressor in this shop to blow everything off, before bringing the reamed, drilled, or sanded part back to the clean room for gluing and assembly. This way all of the sanding debris and dust stays out of the rod shop.

Sure, there are dust cleaners etc to help these areas, but they only do so much to avoid contaminating a clean room with dust and or dirt.

The nice thing about the separate building is that after the sanding or turning work is done, the building is swept, and then the doors are opened and the high powered air compressor blow gun nozzle is swept over everything, blowing any dust or remaining debris out the door - never to be seen again. This includes the floor and ceiling as well.

That way, the "dirty" room stays reasonably clean.

By the way, you made the comment about the "black" dust from the arbors. If you are using the black dense arbors for building rods, I might make the suggestion to pitch them and not go back to using them.
The white foam arbors are so much easier to work with and have plenty of strength to take care of any rod building needs.

[www.flexcoat.com]

By the way, when reaming these flex coat arbors, there is next to no dust or particles when working with them. They don't seem to ream with the fine dust that is common with the denser graphite arbors.
Be safe

If you use tape, keep in mind a couple of key points:

1) always leave a gap to the rod between the tape arbors.

2)Make sure the epoxy fully fills these gaps and encloses the tape arbor on both sides. This does encase the tape arbor in epoxy and will ensure a much longer life.

If you only put epoxy on top of the tape arbor (the reel seat contacts the tape arbor with no contact directly to the blank) you depend on the weak adhesive of the tape as your bond to the blank. This is a recipe for failure. A really good rod builder and friend of mine started having returns come back for loose reel seats. He didn't do step #2 well, and every one of those rods came back for repair.

I personally only use drywall tape or foam arbors. This provides a very positive connection with the blank. Foam arbors are the best for light sensitive rods.

Terry

Terry
Is correct I use tape ( depending on space )
But the holding power is between the inside of the seat and the Preped Blank I use the tape just to center the seat to the blank or a handle

Bill - willierods.com

I would only use dry wall mesh tape. Better bond

Lone Wolf Rods
"Keep your powder dry and your lines wet"
God Bless

Forrest, when you say it is a better bond, how do you know that? The tape does exactly what Bill said it only centers the reel seat. It is the epoxy at either end of the tape and on the blank that bonds the reel seat to the blank.

My measure of the efficacy of the masking tape method is when I'm glueing on the ferrule for a 2-piece aluminum butt for an 80lb game rod. Never had a failure with two bands of tape and good epoxy and I've got rods that are 15 years and still going strong. Like Terry said, just make sure the tape is 100% encased in epoxy and smother everything - the more glue the better.