Ok...let me throw this up for advice and opinions: I have a reel seat with an I.D. of .610" and the blank where it is to be positioned is .520". That leaves me with a gap of .09". Is that too great a distance to use masking tape arbors to shim up the seat? Further, what are y'all's opinions on what is the max gap to shim up a reel seat relative to the rod dia?

For a small gap like you have, a masking tape shim will be fine. I prefer dry wall tape, the mesh allows the epoxy to penetrate to the blank giving a solid bond between the blank and the reel seat. Could also use polyurethane foam bushings. I glue them into the reel seat first and when set ream to fit the blank and glue in place. It's your choice they all work well.
Norm

Thanks Norm....great idea about the dry wall tape as well!!!

I would try the dry wall tape before purchasing a roll of it. I found it so messy that I gave mine away. I like the open mesh which allows the epoxy penetration mentioned but found it too hard for me to handle cleanly compared to the other methods, which are plenty strong, too. When using masking tape I fully encapsulate the tape with epoxy, and when using foam I also glue it into the seat before reaming it, as mentioned above. I have never had a seat failure with any of these methods.

Mike

If the dimensions given are diameters then the gap to be filled is .045. This is not very large so masking tape will do fine. The tape will center the blank in the seat. Then I would fill gaps between the tape rings with epoxy to give it a good bond.

Good luck

John

I would just use a thin tape shim at the top of the seat in about 1/4 inch to 3/8 ths in from the edge of the seat and at the end of the seat and fill the voids with epoxy as it wouldn't need an excess of amount of epoxy.

Or you could use a cord cross hack pattern as all your wanting is to keep the seat centered

The best day to be alive is always tomorrow !!
Think out side the box when all else fails !!!
Wi.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 05/13/2017 10:10AM by Matthew Paul.

For a thin shim dry wall tape works very well. With a thicker shim I usually tack the edge of dry wall type in place on the blank with a drop or two of super glue. This prevents the dry wall tape from moving due to wet epoxy when sliding the seat in place. I have had masking tape shims fail but never dry wall tape or polyurethane foam shims. I do not use masking tape for shims anymore, even though they work fine I feel that dry wall tape is better, but that just me.
Norm

This post helped me through a tight spot by pointing out some things I already knew, but was too dense to call to mind! (Fitting a very pesky reel seat). Drywall tape is the only thing for some jobs.

Foam arbors. I use a 3/8" drill bit that I hold in my hand, and I bore the arbor to 3/8 before gluing it in the reel seat. I've tried gluing the arbor in the reel seat before boring it and it resulted in an off center bore on one end, and a scrapped reel seat. Boring the arbor by hand before gluing in the reel seat gives me more control. The foam arbors bore easily, so turning the drill bit or the arbor by hand, is easy.

After gluing the arbor in the seat, I ream it to fit as other have mentioned. While my process is slow, it's what I have confidence in. To speed up the process I use Trondak Quik Bond to glue the arbor into the reel seat. I let the seat sit a couple hours before starting the reaming process,

Using tape is defiitely quicker. And I'm sure it works great. If it didn't, these knowledgeable and quality builders wouldn't you use it. I'm sure some day I'll use some sort of tape to fit a reel seat. But for now I just feel more comfortable using the foam arbors.

For such a small gap, masking tape would be fine. Otherwise, foam arbors all the way. Combine them with the 1/4" guide bits & the job is very easy...and very secure.

I use the drywall tape for larger shims and like Norm, i tack the tape in place. I use a glue gun to tack down the edge, build it up to the proper dimension and then tack the whole thing together with the glue gun. The hot melt glue is fully cured by the time I mix up my epoxy and I can press epoxy all the way through and around the drywall arbors without the mess of the tape unravelling on me. Works very well and has eliminated the "messy" part that Michael is referring to.

If the shim is more than a few turns of the drywall tape, once you are at the point of applying epoxy, you can unwind the drywall tape and then start to apply the epoxy as you re-wrap the shim. I read that this technique helps ensure that epoxy makes it all the way through the shim from blank to the seat.

Just something to consider...

Best,
Gib

Father to William (15 yrs), who I hope has found his passion in custom rod building!

Brilliant answers, one and all......thank you much!!!

I have never ever used dry wall tape for a reel seat arbor and never will.

If an arbor is needed and a masking tape arbor works, why bother with anything else.


Whenever I make masking tape arbors, I apply strips of masking tape - the width of the tape and the necessary thickness to achieve the correct arbor thickness. then, I will move up or down the blank, as needed and start another wrap of tape about 1/16th - 1/8th of an inch away from the prior wrap of tape. Then, when gluing up, i apply tape to the arbor and blank being sure to fill the open areas between stripes of masking tape with epoxy - all of the way to the blank. by using glue in this way, each stripe of masking tape is 100 % surrounded by epoxy and will virtually never fail.

Good luck.

I used to use masking tape all the time, not any more. I use either polyurethane foam shims pre glued in the reel seat or dry wall tape. In my opinion they are both superior to masking tape. Repaired a few rods (not that I built) where the reel seats failed due to the use of masking tape bushings; they did not hold up to hard use and the stress of large fish. Repaired them with dry wall tape and they have been catching fish with no further problems. For larger shims I do as Gib mentions above. I admit that masking tape works just fine under most condition, but I just feel more confident with the other two methods. Dry wall tape also works very well for snugging up grips that are too large for the blank, or misreamed grips or reel seats. Don't knock till you try it. In addition drywall tape is very light, it mostly air.
Norm

prep the area for the seat As the seat goes on make the last one first 1/4" tape Then one in the middle and final on the end Ends I put in about 1/4" in The glue will hold and with the space it will be glued to the blank
4 if you prefer It will hold WELL

Bill - willierods.com