Date: Tue, 27 Dec 1994 09:26:16 -1000 From: Mike Eason Message-Id: Organization: Communications Technology Center Subject: Korean Fighter Kite Spars There was a posting last week, inquiring about the sizes of the spars for a Korean fighter kite. I'm sorry it took so long to respond. I don't remember who the inquiry was from and the post has now disappeared, but here it is anyway. I hope this is helpful. I have a paper and bamboo Korean fighter that I obtained a couple of years ago from Tom Joe (I think I got your name right, Tom??). It is 14" wide and 18" tall with a 6" hole exactly centered in the sail. The bamboo spars (bones) are glued directly to the paper sail material with the 'bark', or hard surface of the bamboo, facing away from the back surface of the sail. The top horizontal stick is glued down first with about 3/16" extending past each end of the edge of the sail. After the center vertical stick was glued, about a 1" upper extension of the paper ('seam allowance') was folded and glued accross the width of the sail on the back side. The top stick is the heaviest of the 5 spars and is about 3/32"X1/4". The center vertical was glued down next, flush with the top of the sail and on top of the top horizontal stick. It extends about 1/16" beyond the bottom of the sail. This piece is about 1/16"x5/32". The center horizontal stick was glued down next, about 13/16" above the center of the kite. This piece is the smallest, about 3/64"x1/8". It is flush with both sides of the sail and does not extend beyond the edges. The two diagonal sticks were glued down last. The top ends extend beyond the top corner about 3/32" but are cut almost flush with the lower corners. These sticks are about 1/16"x5/32" and cross at the exact center of the hole. None of the sticks are glued or bound at the center. Last, the extra paper at the top of the sail is folded over the spar tips and glued and two paper triangles, about 1 1/4" x 2 7/8" x 2 7/8", were glued over and in line with the two diagonal spars, extending about 2" beyond the corner of the sail to a point. I will assume that you already have bridle and bowing information, but if not, I can e-mail or post same later. This kite flies wonderful straight line attacks- even accross the wind. I usually fly mine when it's dry and I have lots of room. It flies well with traditional hand line handling but the reel in the hands of a master like Tom really makes it's performance spactacular. I still have not been able to efficiently use the reel but it is normally held with a stationary left hand on one of the four short 'handles' on one end while rotating the long center pin with the right hand, or otherwise if you're left handed. It's important, especially at first, to keep the reel high in front of your eyes so that your sight line keeps the line reeling on correctly, rather than hopelessly wrapped around the center handle. When done right, spinning the "center around the outside" creates a gentle series of 'jerks' as the wobbling reel brings in the line. To let out line, simply let go of the outer handle. To haul in again, grab one of the four outer handles and then start rotating the inner/center handle on the other end. It's a lot easier to do than to describe. ;-) Mike Eason meason@ctc.edu (alias) meason@ctc.ctc.edu Communications Technology Center for Washington Community Colleges Everett Community College, Interactive Media Production Services = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = Date: Wed, 28 Dec 1994 21:02:38 -1000 From: Colin_Douthwaite@equinox.gen.nz (Colin Douthwaite) Message-Id: <3dtmue$hg7@southern.co.nz> Organization: Southern InterNet Services Subject: Re: Korean Fighter Kite Spars Mike Eason (meason@ctc.ctc.edu) wrote: : There was a posting last week, inquiring about the sizes of the spars for : a Korean fighter kite. I'm sorry it took so long to respond. I don't : remember who the inquiry was from and the post has now disappeared, but : here it is anyway. I hope this is helpful. : I have a paper and bamboo Korean fighter that I obtained a couple of : years ago from Tom Joe (I think I got your name right, Tom??). It is 14" : wide and 18" tall with a 6" hole exactly centered in the sail. The : bamboo spars (bones) are glued directly to the paper sail material with : the 'bark', or hard surface of the bamboo, facing away from the back : surface of the sail. : The top horizontal stick is glued down first with about 3/16" extending : past each end of the edge of the sail. After the center vertical stick : was glued, about a 1" upper extension of the paper ('seam allowance') was : folded and glued accross the width of the sail on the back side. The top : stick is the heaviest of the 5 spars and is about 3/32"X1/4". : The center vertical was glued down next, flush with the top of the sail : and on top of the top horizontal stick. It extends about 1/16" beyond : the bottom of the sail. This piece is about 1/16"x5/32". : The center horizontal stick was glued down next, about 13/16" above the : center of the kite. This piece is the smallest, about 3/64"x1/8". It is : flush with both sides of the sail and does not extend beyond the edges. : The two diagonal sticks were glued down last. The top ends extend beyond : the top corner about 3/32" but are cut almost flush with the lower : corners. These sticks are about 1/16"x5/32" and cross at the exact : center of the hole. None of the sticks are glued or bound at the center. : Last, the extra paper at the top of the sail is folded over the spar tips : and glued and two paper triangles, about 1 1/4" x 2 7/8" x 2 7/8", were : glued over and in line with the two diagonal spars, extending about 2" : beyond the corner of the sail to a point. : I will assume that you already have bridle and bowing : information, but if not, I can e-mail or post same later. This kite : flies wonderful straight line attacks- even accross the wind. I usually : fly mine when it's dry and I have lots of room. It flies well with : traditional hand line handling but the reel in the hands of a master like : Tom really makes it's performance spactacular. I still have not been : able to efficiently use the reel but it is normally held with a : stationary left hand on one of the four short 'handles' on one end while : rotating the long center pin with the right hand, or otherwise if you're : left handed. It's important, especially at first, to keep the reel high : in front of your eyes so that your sight line keeps the line reeling on : correctly, rather than hopelessly wrapped around the center handle. When : done right, spinning the "center around the outside" creates a gentle : series of 'jerks' as the wobbling reel brings in the line. To let out : line, simply let go of the outer handle. To haul in again, grab one of : the four outer handles and then start rotating the inner/center handle on : the other end. It's a lot easier to do than to describe. ;-) Thank you indeed for that excellent description. It is the most detailed I have seen for a Korean fighter. Please post the bridling and bowing information here. Bye, = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = Date: Thu, 29 Dec 1994 14:37:58 -1000 From: Mike Eason Message-Id: Organization: Communications Technology Center Subject: Re: Korean Fighter Kite Spars On 29 Dec 1994, Colin Douthwaite wrote: >> Mike Eason (meason@ctc.ctc.edu) wrote: >> : There was a posting last week, inquiring about the sizes of the >> : spars for >> : a Korean fighter kite. I'm sorry it took so long to respond. > Thank you indeed for that excellent description. It is the most > detailed I have seen for a Korean fighter. > > Please post the bridling and bowing information here.> Hi, Colin I'm happy that the info helped. Let's see how well I do with the bridle info? I'm very visually oriented and use a lot of drawings and diagrams for my own work. I sometimes find it very difficult to describe kites in words without any pictures!! But, here goes? :-O First, I should have said before that when this Korean fighter is not bowed at the top, it has a natural bow slightly forward, toward the front of the sail. In it's relaxed position, laying on a table with it's face T(front) up and the intersection where all of the bones meet in the center held down against the table with my finger, all four corners rise off the table top by 3/4" to 1". Then, when the top stick is tensioned with the bowstring, the whole kite sort of snaps into it's rearward bowed flying position. The bowstring accross the back of the top horizontal stick is simply overhand knoted to the diagonal intersections of the top horizontal stick and the two diagonal sticks. Then it has been wound around that crosspoint 4 or 5 more times (in the non-tensioned mode). To place the proper bow in the sail the bowstring is simply looped around one more time on each side. When bowed, I have a 1 1/4" to 2 1/4" offset between the sail surface, in the center, and the bowstring. Loop only one side tighter for less bow. Bowing the top only also places some smaller arc accross the bottom and from top to bottom of the center vertical as the whole thing "snaps" rearward into position. I suspect this is the reason that the bamboo sticks are glued on with their hard-skin surfaces toward the rear, as thin split bamboo will naturally curl away from it's hard outer "bark". Another feature that is part of this Korean fighter, that I think may not be traditional, is a small piece of vinyl tubing (1/8"I.D. x 3/16"O.D., 1 1/8" long) that is threaded onto the bowsrting. The tube has a small needle hole very near each end with the bowstring threaded from the outside into the center of the tube on one end and back out on the other. The holes are both on the same side of the tube. With no tension on the bowsrting this tube can be shifted right or left to exactly balance the kite which is important for equal turning ability in both directions. The bridle is three point, one leg to each of the top outside corners (the same point as the bowsrting), and the third leg through the sail and around the center vertical backbone at a point 14 3/4" down from the top or 3 1/4" up from the bottom of the sail. The top two legs of the bridle are 16" long (to the knot) and the bottom leg is 15 3/4" long. The top legs are knoted and wound similar to the bowstring attachment. The lower leg is attached to the center backbone with a single loop around the stick, back to the front, and a "slippery overhand" knot. The loop that is left otisAt nwas the taped to the sail over the backbone, below the attachment point. A slippery overhand knot (at least that's what we called it in boy scouts ???) is the same knot that many of us use to attach our fighter flying line to the towing point loop on our fighter kites. It is just a plain old overhand knot except that you don't pull the whole short end of the string through, but leave a loop hanging out. You can then pull on the loose single end of the line to quickly undo the knot. The attack angle, on this kite is adjusted by undoing this lower bridle leg knot and lengthening or shortening the lower bridle leg. The side to side attitude is adjusted by taking loops in or out of the ends of the upper legs. The three legs of the bridle seem to be simply knoted together at the towing point with no adjustment there. One of the three legs extends out of the knot about 2" to a loop formed in itself for attachment of the flying line. The bridle on this kite are of a very light twisted cotton, about 7-10 lb. I would guess. I manufacture a fighter kite that I call the "Kenka Dako", which means Fighting Kite in Japanese. Real original, huh? ;-) E-mail me your address for snail-mail and I will mail you a copy of the instruction manual. It has some nice drawings of these knots and other stuff that might be of interrest. I have been contemplating building a Korean Fighter out of Icarex and custom wrapped thin fiberglass, but I think I will try to incorporate a transferred- larkshead loop adjustment, similar to what I use in the Kenka Dako, for both the balance and attack adjustments. I don't know who originated this idea but it also works extreemly well when bridling Rokkakus. I learned it from Dave Gomberg and Rick Talbot about 8 years ago. You simply stretch the bridle tight on each side of the larkshead loop and the larkshead transfers to the small loop, allowing it to slide up or down the bridle legs (or back and forth). Then, when it's in the right position, stretching the small loop outward transfers the larkshead back to the the bridle legs to lock it into position. It's cool! Let me know how it goes with your kite before I start mine. :-) I have a source of .049" , .063" , and .080" very fine fiberglass that is great for fighters, if you need any. Tako Kichiwa Mike = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = Date: Fri, 30 Dec 1994 09:39:20 -1000 From: Colin_Douthwaite@equinox.gen.nz (Colin Douthwaite) Message-Id: <3e1nl8$4r8@southern.co.nz> Organization: Southern InterNet Services Subject: Re: Korean Fighter Kite Spars Mike Eason (meason@ctc.ctc.edu) wrote: > I'm happy that the info helped. Let's see how well I do with the > bridle info? I'm very visually oriented and use a lot of drawings > and diagrams for my own work. I sometimes find it very difficult > to describe kites in words without any pictures!! But, here goes? :-O I consider your descriptions brilliant. I am very fond of ASCII drawings and kite diagrams and I may attempt a diagram from the excellent information you have given on the Korean Fighter. You really ought to consider submitting what you have written to "Kitelines" magazine for publication. > Let me know how it goes with your kite before I start mine. :-) I do not feel ready to attempt making a Korean Fighter. I have only made one kite, Jim Oliver's Paraglider, which is a success - but Koreans are probably the most demanding kite to make and to get flying well. If I did make one I think I would go for durable materials rather than paper/bamboo/cotton - do I hear loud screams from the purists ? :-) > I have a source of .049" , .063" , and .080" very fine fiberglass > that is great for fighters, if you need any. That's very interesting - our supplies here are limited to 2mm although I have heard rumours that Peter Lynn may have some 1.5mm fibreglass. Thanks again for your excellent and detailed postings and I am sure many readers will have shown great interest ( Hope you've been reading this stuff Steve Brorens ). Steve enjoys making his own fighters :-) Bye, = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = =