Date: Mon, 22 May 1995 15:54:16 -1000 From: dtan@merle.acns.nwu.edu (djerrick tan) Message-Id: Organization: nwu Subject: kite maintenance Hi everyone: i'm a newbie into this exciting sport. I just bought an 8' stunt kite (delta shaped) and would like to know a little more about how to maintain my investment. is there any specific things i should make sure i do after flying the kite? How about before flying? I would appreciate any tips on how to take care of a kite to make it last long. also, are nose dives into the ground especially harmful to a kite? Will crashing wear down the nose of my kite. if so, can the fabric be replaced? Thanks for putting up with my little knowledge in this sport. I would appreciate any advice and opinions. Please email if possible. dtan@merle.acns.nwu.edu djerrick tan = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = Date: Tue, 23 May 1995 05:20:15 -1000 From: Adrian Pierorazio Message-Id: Organization: Queen's University, Kingston Subject: Re: kite maintenance On 23 May 1995, djerrick tan wrote: > is there any specific things i should make sure i do after flying the > kite? How about before flying? I would appreciate any tips on how to > take care of a kite to make it last long. There's a couple of things I try to do to keep my kites flying longer: o Always dry your kite before packing away for a while o Always wash your kite and leave it to dry when it gets covered in 'stuff' or else it can stain or get ground in o Don't leave your kite staked out for long periods in the sun as the fabric can fade o Assemble and disassemble your kite with it lying on the ground a gust of wind can cost you a new sail (and you thought spars were expensive) o Grass is softer than pavement (kites are less happy when they crash into hard surfaces) o Don't clean your kite with anything more agressive than dish soap--it may work in the short run but you can severely damage your sail o Check your spars periodically. Sometimes you'll crack one without realizing it and it's better to wrap it with tape until you can find a replacement than to have it catastrophically fail on you and poke a hole in your sail (unlikely but possible) o If storing for long periods (usually because your collection has grown to a point where you can't give all your kites the time they deserve) loosen the tension on battens, spars, leech lines, etc and try to keep the spars from poking at the fabric. These things can cause stretch over time and affect performance of your kite (some kites fly better when they're stretched but not usually if that stretching was done by the tip of a spar) > also, are nose dives into the ground especially harmful to a kite? Will > crashing wear down the nose of my kite. if so, can the fabric be > replaced? Nose dives are a normal part of the learning curve. The only important thing to remember is to run *towards* the kite if its headed to a crash as this will slow it down and minimize the chances of breaking something (nose dives can lead to broken spines). As far as it be especially harmful, I don't think that that's case--I broke far more spars learning to do groundwork than I ever did on nose dives (with one kite I broke a spar almost every time it came out of the bag but I was trying to apply my heavy-handed groundwork style to an ultralight kite). I have worn through the nose of a kite via nose dives (after 3 or 4 people learned to fly on it!) and its fairly easily replaceable with seat belt or ballistic nylon and a minimum of sewing ability. To minimize the chances of wearning through the nose, fly on less abrasive surfaces like grass rather than asphalt or concrete. I hope that this answered your questions and you enjoy the fabulous world of kiting as much as the rest of us have. Tight Lines and Smooth Winds, Adrian = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = Date: Tue, 23 May 1995 11:08:59 -1000 From: andrew@tug.com (Andrew Beattie) Message-Id: Organization: /usr/lib/news/organisation Subject: Re: kite maintenance dtan@merle.acns.nwu.edu (djerrick tan) writes: >is there any specific things i should make sure i do after flying the >kite? Things that come to my mind are: - Don't leave the cross-spars in the vinyl when you fold it up as it stretches the vinyl - If remove the tension from the sail before packing (as the sail will stretch) >How about before flying? Hmmm... If you have stand-offs that look like they will be lost if they fall out, maybe you want to glue one end or attach a retaining-thread or similar. >also, are nose dives into the ground especially harmful to a kite? Will >crashing wear down the nose of my kite. if so, can the fabric be >replaced? If you want to dig a hole, you'll find that a shovel is a more durable tool. Andrew -- New to rec.kites? START HERE! | To: www@kfs.org send an email message like this->| Subject: service /-\ () >< () |\/| () >< () /-\ | http://www.kfs.org/kites/welcome/index.html = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = Date: Tue, 23 May 1995 17:49:39 -1000 From: rlhaas@eskimo.com (Robin Haas) Message-Id: Organization: We don't need no stinkin' organization! Subject: Re: kite maintenance In article , dtan@merle.acns.nwu.edu says... > >Hi everyone: > >i'm a newbie into this exciting sport. I just bought an 8' stunt > kite >(delta shaped) and would like to know a little more about how to >maintain >my investment. > >is there any specific things i should make sure i do after flying > the >kite? How about before flying? I would appreciate any tips on h >ow to >take care of a kite to make it last long. > One thing that I always try to do is unfasten the elastic bungee on the wing tips befor putting the kite away. This releives the tension on the sail and can help to reduce or delay stretching. Also if you get salt water on the fabric or you get it dirty rinsing in plain water will be beneficial. I have heard of people using Calgon to wash the fabric in as well but have not had to do this myself. Make sure you don't put your kite away wet or damp. Either wait on the fly field until it is dry or be sure to open it up and lay it out to air dry when you get home. >also, are nose dives into the ground especially harmful to a kite >? Will >crashing wear down the nose of my kite. if so, can the fabric be >replaced? > Crashing now first into the ground can be detrimental, especially if the crash is extremely hard. You may break a spar or wear out the fabric at the nose. Usually these are not items that can't be repaired --it just involves having the talent to repair it or willing to pay the expense of repair. >Thanks for putting up with my little knowledge in this sport. I >would >appreciate any advice and opinions. Please email if possible. Hey, that's what we're here for!! Robin The guy with the short signature = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = Date: Fri, 26 May 1995 07:07:58 -1000 From: dlw@odi.com (Dan Weinreb) Message-Id: Organization: Object Design Inc., Burlington, MA Subject: Re: kite maintenance In article rlhaas@eskimo.com (Robin Haas) writes: >also, are nose dives into the ground especially harmful to a kite >? Will >crashing wear down the nose of my kite. if so, can the fabric be >replaced? I'm also a rank beginner, and I wanted to pass on one bit of advice. I had a bunch of rough landings with a kite. The separators on this kite are hollow fibreglass tubes. Before I realized it, one of the lower separators apparently took so much punishment that it basically shredded at one end; about the last six inches of it were so bashed up that the tube could be easily pushed into an S shape. What I learned was that the frayed end had lots of very, very thin fibres made of, presumably, some kind of glass. These are sharp. Very sharp. I found that if you touch the end of one, by accident, even very gently, you can get an annoying splinter in your finger. The splinter is hard to remove because it's hard to see. So, if you manage to mangle your separator as badly as I did, be careful about touching it. (Lest I sound too pathetic: I'm doing much better now. I have since bought a larger kite, and switched from Dacron to Spectra, on the advice of some experienced kite flyers who I ran into and kindly helped me out, and I've gotten much better at doing soft landings. (And, of course, I'll replace the separator on the first kite.) Whoever is spreading the information that beginners ought to start out with Dacron lines, that was not my experience, at least in the somewhat lightish and gusty winds that have been available to me. It's much easier to fly with Spectra, and I'm pretty sure it's simply because the Dacron is heavy and drags the kite down.) = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = Date: Mon, 29 May 1995 02:12:51 -1000 From: aburlison@cix.compulink.co.uk ("Alan Burlison") Message-Id: Organization: Alan Burlison Subject: Re: kite maintenance Another tip. Spars quite often fail at the ends, which split along the length of the spar. This often happens when the kite is jammed into the ground. The reason is that although the spars are very strong, they are easy to crush at the ends. To prevent this, I fill the end ends of the spars with glue >From a hot-melt adhesive gun, for about the first 1-2 cm. When cool, any excess can be trimmed off with a sharp knife. This seems to prevent the ends of the spars from being so easily crushed on hard impacts. Alan Burlison aburlison@cix.compulink.co.uk = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = =