Preserving leading edge mesh...

[KiteLife]

Cross posted from another thread:

When handling the kite, make sure your fingers don't stress the mesh (a very common occurrence - one of the biggest factors).

Regular crashing compounds the likelihood of mesh break down.

When you pack up the kite, there are two folds (where the rods pull apart)...

Make sure you put at least 2" of space between the ends of the spars, so there is a good amount of unsparred leading edge.

Shift the fold point periodically.

Don't roll it up too tightly.

Make sure the kite is rolled without crumpling the sail.

Don't force it into the bag, twist it in, going with the way the kite is rolled so it doesn't expand.

Also, when removing your leading edge spars, avoid bunching the LE material... To pull the whole LE spar out without bunching, try the method described here (about 1/2 way through the article).

Focusing on these things should significantly extend the life of your mesh. smile.gif

[Jeepster]

...

Don't roll it up too tightly.

Make sure the kite is rolled without crumpling the sail.

Don't force it into the bag, twist it in, going with the way the kite is rolled so it doesn't expand.

...

John,

Prior posts have greatly helped in warning of the dangers of over stressing the mesh. Thus, when it comes to the "don't roll too tightly", I make the first fold with the mesh flat. Not so much of a roll, but more of a fold without kinking the mesh in a second direction. The sail then continues to be loosely folded around the leading edge. Since the final product is too large and loose to use the bridle method of keeping the kite folded, I use two pieces of double-sided velcro (one at each bottom tip) to keep the sail from unfolding. With this approach, the kite will easily slide into the sleeve ... well, at least it will slide easily into the B-series like flat sleeve.

Acceptable or annal approach?

Cheers,

Tom

[KiteLife]

If it works, it's all relative.

[rcom714]

If it works, it's all relative.

Wow! Safe answer!

[Jeepster]

Wow! Safe answer!

Thanks Rich ... that's what I thought also. John's not been the same lately. You think he's practicing how to be nice to others for some reason?

Hope the weather on the east coast is better than in the mid-west today ... rainy and NO wind.

Cheers,

Tom

[KiteLife]

Yeah, trying to be nicer with everything, 'cept ugly kites.

[monkey]

Midway thru this article is a method of leading edge removal that will -really- help prolong the life of the mesh :

http://www.kitelife.com/magazine/issue56/r...s56/content.php

[Jeepster]

Midway thru this article is a method of leading edge removal that will -really- help prolong the life of the mesh :

http://www.kitelife.com/magazine/issue56/r...s56/content.php

Yep, that specific article was downloaded and filled away in my great tips folder. It works great. And, on windy days it works great with the kite stuck in through the back hatch on the Jeep. Have you ever figured out how the 2-wraps can always nudge the 3-wraps out of place while inside the kite bag. Put the kite away with 3-wraps and the next time you take the kite out on a windy day it has 2-wraps installed.

When mesh problems were last talked about, someone mentioned that they were going to pull the leading edge and roll the kite up from one LE wing tip to the other ... ie so that the mesh was never creased. I wonder how many flyers have done that and stuck with it.

Cheers,

Tom

[sailor99]

Also keep the mesh flat for folding like jeepster. I found a while ago that if you roll the kite up one way you cannot use the bridle to "tie it up". But if you roll it the othe way you can. So try putting yourtwo verticals on the other side and roll the kite up. (it's the side with the v between the sails still showing BTW. For some weird reason everyone seems to roll up with the two rods on the side which has the V hidden).

[Jonesey]

When mesh problems were last talked about, someone mentioned that they were going to pull the leading edge and roll the kite up from one LE wing tip to the other ... ie so that the mesh was never creased. I wonder how many flyers have done that and stuck with it.

That would be me .... I do it for all my speed/power series ..... but that's for the mylar mostly ... I did it with everything for a while but its just too slow for day to day flying and it does use up a little more bag space which is at a premium... however, over the winter I broke them all down, washed, dried and rolled them for storage.

Out of interest the way I take the leading edges out is to drop the end cap bungy over a ground stake, put some bend in the leading edge as I walk backwards downwind and it comes out easily even on the PB and Blasts .... Its then really simple to gather the rods and start rolling back up the leading edge because the kite is still attached to the stake and everything is controlled and neat ....

Oh and Ive never had any mesh problems packing either way (touching wood as I speak)

[rcom714]

All this talk about mesh is great but click on the link Monks provides for the Revisons story and check out the picture of the WAY HOT Charlie Chaplin/Eyes kite

[monkey]

All this talk about mesh is great but click on the link Monks provides for the Revisons story and check out the picture of the WAY HOT Charlie Chaplin/Eyes kite

Indeed, made by Amy Doran!

[sirrom]

I believe that is our very own AKA Region 9 Director

or is it Charlie in the background just walking away looking for someone to tease

Anyway it is a nice kite

[Jim Foster]

When taking our Revs down, after we fold the sail in 1/3s, we lay the two vertical rods on the screen and carefully fold, not roll, the first couple of turns, then roll it up the rest of the way. Then, like John said, carefully roll the kite into the sleeve. Don't force it.

Since using this method, our failures have dropped to nearly zero.

[Mike]

I've put holes in my mesh when doing catch and throws. I'm a bit of a klutz and stick my thumb through.

[KiteLife]

Killer addition Monks, pulling out the LE spar in one piece without bunching...

Added it to the original post.

[dean750]

Guess this is a subject to go over during ALL clinics??? Lighten your grip??? Don't touch the mesh iron fingers???

I'm just messin'.

Never had the problem. But it's funny to think about. Kinda like watching the guy stick his thumb through the sail of his BRAND NEW Prizm Vapor. "Umm, dude, you shouldn't put your thumb there while putting in the top spreader." "Dude: I know what I'm doing." POP. "Dean: "Told you so." Imagine how hard it was to not laugh while saying those 3 little words. I cracked a smile, I know I did. But I didn't laugh. That was hard to watch.

I did let him fly my Herb Weldon Synchro which made him feel a little better.

Dean

Hard being unknown.

[bobw]

Midway thru this article is a method of leading edge removal that will -really- help prolong the life of the mesh :

http://www.kitelife.com/magazine/issue56/r...s56/content.php

I remember seeing this tip a while ago and I love it. Now, does anyone have a good way of removing the rods when you doubled up, e.g. have both a 2-wrap and 3-wrap in the leading edge? The bungees for the top caps always seems to create a lot of friction and just holds the rods in.

[LS Kite Stakes]

I remember seeing this tip a while ago and I love it. Now, does anyone have a good way of removing the rods when you doubled up, e.g. have both a 2-wrap and 3-wrap in the leading edge? The bungees for the top caps always seems to create a lot of friction and just holds the rods in.

Try this next time. Lets say you have the two and three wrap LE sets in. remove the right side rod on the two wrap, and the left side of the three wrap. Now the only doubled section is the center and you should be able to remove the other two sections of each set with no problems.

BTW, I love a post that makes me think it out...........

[bobw]

Try this next time. Lets say you have the two and three wrap LE sets in. remove the right side rod on the two wrap, and the left side of the three wrap. Now the only doubled section is the center and you should be able to remove the other two sections of each set with no problems.

BTW, I love a post that makes me think it out...........

Hey Walt! Thanks! I read that 2x and said to myself "nahh", but then the lightbulb went on! Cool! Gotta try it!

[antman]

since i rolled up my kites nice and loose my problems have went away as well

[AldenMiller]

Wow! Safe answer!

He's practicing to be married!

-Alden