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Line sleeving


Codywater

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I am going to attempt making a set of lines and am trying to figure out where to find line sleeving. Ideally I would like to find some fun colors for the sleeving, but I can't seem to find anything other than black or white. I have been searching around for braided dacron, which seems to be what most lines are sleeved with. Am I looking for the wrong thing? Does anyone have any tips on where I might be able to find colored line sleeving? Thanks for the help!

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Remove the spectra core from 100#hi-test bridle line, that left-over Dacron sheath is the thin stuff you are seeking, it comes in few different colors, red, black, orange and yellow, as well as white which you dye easily enough, how far do you want to go? Harold Ames tie-dyed some rok battle line for my wife, (primary colors) so she can easily keep track of her stuff in a big mixing of lines.

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Tip #2. A guitar string makes a great sleeping needle. Tip #3 attach a coloured ribbon or rip stop off cut to your sleeping needle, otherwise when you put it down you will lose it.

The "E" string makes a very good tool and you may get one which has broken at the end at your local guitar repair shop.

Bend it in half and it becomes a very nice, long, flexible needle. Cut your sleeve material about 18" long and thread it onto the tool.

Important........

Now burn the ends of your sleeve material to stop fraying.

Slip about three inches of your new line through the loop in the guitar string, then pull the sleeve off the guitar string on to the line.

Carefully hold end the sleeve in one hand as you pull the line back through being sure to leave about 1/4" of the line protruding out the end of the sleeve.

Tie a simple overhand knot at the end of the sleeve securing the kite line.

Hold that knot in your finger tips and with the other hand stretch the sleeve down the kite line.

Now fold the ends of the sleeve together and tie a couple of overhand knots about half an inch apart and your line is sleeved.

Leaving the 1/4 inch of line showing out the end of the sleeve makes for easy line length adjustment later if needed.

Hope this helps.

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The "E" string makes a very good tool and you may get one which has broken at the end at your local guitar repair shop.

Bend it in half and it becomes a very nice, long, flexible needle. Cut your sleeve material about 18" long and thread it onto the tool.

Important........

Now burn the ends of your sleeve material to stop fraying.

Slip about three inches of your new line through the loop in the guitar string, then pull the sleeve off the guitar string on to the line.

Carefully hold end the sleeve in one hand as you pull the line back through being sure to leave about 1/4" of the line protruding out the end of the sleeve.

Tie a simple overhand knot at the end of the sleeve securing the kite line.

Hold that knot in your finger tips and with the other hand stretch the sleeve down the kite line.

Now fold the ends of the sleeve together and tie a couple of overhand knots about half an inch apart and your line is sleeved.

Leaving the 1/4 inch of line showing out the end of the sleeve makes for easy line length adjustment later if needed.

Hope this helps.

if you put a "stopper knot" into the line BEFORE you form the loop, you'll have the pull tab you seek in glove weather. When you make unsleeved line-sets this is a requirement, othewise you'll find the raw spectra has jumped over any knot tied into the loop at the end where you attach to the pig-tail on the bridle (or handles). I highly recommend NO SLEEVING on the end that attaches to the kite though. Most of the tangles and twists of set-up are pushed out easily without all the crap dangling down or offering a spot to tangle-up or snag. -plm

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I highly recommend NO SLEEVING on the end that attaches to the kite though. Most of the tangles and twists of set-up are pushed out easily without all the crap dangling down or offering a spot to tangle-up or snag. -plm

I've noticed your preference for unsleeved lines. Do you notice any increased tendency for lines to break at those unsleeved knots? What I read about spectra/dyneema says that the strength goes way down in tight bends, and sleeving helps alleviate that.

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And dont discard the core of the bridle, use it to make "pull offs" !

They really help in the cooler weather especially if your fingers are more like thumbs !

Bill

Pictures as a guide

attachicon.gifpull offs 001.jpgattachicon.gifpull offs 002.jpgattachicon.gifpull offs 003.jpg

For years now I have been tying a knot at the very end of the sleeve loop. This leaves a small "handle" to grab making undoing the larkshead attaching knot very easy. It also provides a "stop" to keep the lines together when attaching them in pairs for winding, again easily undone, even in the cold.

When setting up, I am always careful to be sure that the larkshead is tight, and against the the knot on the bridle and handle. Have never had a failure at these points.

Lynn's line sets are set up in the same way.

This all adds insurance that we don't have any unexpected surprises when we set up. Having one of the line pairs come apart can cause a small problem in the wind if one line gets blown around the other pair when setting up.

Some of this may seem like overkill, but once everything is arranged in this fashion, set up becomes very easy and almost always trouble free.

We are usually in the air in less than five minutes.

Find a method that works for you, and stick with it.... When you deviate from a routine that works for you, bad things can happen and usually do.

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I've noticed your preference for unsleeved lines. Do you notice any increased tendency for lines to break at those unsleeved knots? What I read about spectra/dyneema says that the strength goes way down in tight bends, and sleeving helps alleviate that.

I never trust anything I "hear", so my own personal experiences are the only guides. I haven't ever broken an unsleeved line set anywhere near the knots in all my years of quad-line flight. I use a figure-of-eight knot whenever possible for self-made line sets or bridle construction. At the thickest point or center of the knot it is four strands and an added bonus: this knot tightens in both directions. If you can "place" it correctly, it is impossible for further movement!

For line sets you'll make a longish loop, so if and when your need equalizing, you can just insert another doubled-overhand (less length used) or figure-of-eight knot (more) into that longest strand.

I'm constantly fiddling with tuning, so the line loops are eventually full of little tiny knots. When the spectra isn't slippery enough anymore I buy new lines. The older sets get cut down progressively shorter (as they gracefully age) until they are finally discarded or tuning into magic stick truss lines.

Everything wears out at about the same time for me. Low wind kites last me a couple of seasons (max is 3 years for intensely abused) High wind kites can go strong for a decade or more. I'd say routinely I get a couple thousand hours (2-3) of pleasure before it's time for replacement on the sails. Line-sets? A couple times every year I'll buy new 120s, LPG when it's easy, Skybond when it's easy. Both lines are great if different. One is like flying on kinda' slippery wires, the other is more forgiving with flex but EASILY twice as slippery.

I only fly sleeved lines if they came that way, It's not my preference but I am certainly a lazy kite flier.

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Just sleeved a set of 30' #50 line in less than an hour... Hour and half with cocktails. Buy a sleeving kit for less than $10.00 and you can do many sets of lines. It's fairly easy if you pay attention and have manual dexterity. Tying knots can be a bitch. Once you you get the hang if it it becomes very satisfying that you got four lines length EXACT. That's the key. I untied and retied twice to get it right. Only did one overhand knot on this because this is low wind and little stress.

Also used 8" of sleeve instead of 12" for weight saving. I think I saved .00012 oz on this set.:-) As far as a sleeving tool?

Guitar string really? Heavy gauge 12s I would

think otherwise you would blow right through that Dacron weave time and time again cussing as you pull back and try threading the needle. My tool has a knurled knob on it so I don't have to tie a ribbon on it.

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  • 2 weeks later...

They don't look it anymore but my lines have thin sleeving with a florescent green/yellow for green on the right(starboard) side and florescent orange for red on the left (port) side. The lower line sleeves have extra strands of black in the sleeving.

I bought this sleeving at the kite store "Luftpirat" in Hamburg, Germany. They have since gone out of business thus I have no idea where to get this sleeving anymore.

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No sleeves here either.

I have a bazillion sets of beater lines over the years that have gotten wound up on my handles, wet or dry, and I dare say I've not had any line breaks as a result. The breaks have come from other foibles but not as a result of no sleeving.

Also, Sleeves just get in the way of my 10 thumbs ( which may explain my inability to fly Revs!). But really, I've found, FOR ME, sleeves always end up bunching up or fraying or slipping, or something that makes me say, No More Sleeves!.

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I have sets with Pink and Lime unopened. A set I'm using now has Lime and Fluorescent Orange sleeves with black and/or white sleeved 3rd and 4th lines. Doesn't matter other than having the 2 colors in my left and right hands, when I equalize the lines again, my colors will be on top because they are on the bottom now. When it comes time to making a new 100' line set, I'll grab my spool and these nice condition 2 year old sleeves. I wonder if I'll ever get to use my Pink and Lime sets? They really are nice!

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My longer lines are all sleeved in white, except the Shanti 120's, which are sleeved white and black, because they came that way. Using the method explained in the B-Series tutorial vid, I never have to designate top or bottom, left or right.... <br /><br />Anything shorter than 80ft. is sleeve-less. Once the old longer line sets outlive their usefulness, I'll be converting everything to sleeve-less. Sleeves just aren't necessary to me anymore.

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I am going to attempt making a set of lines and am trying to figure out where to find line sleeving. Ideally I would like to find some fun colors for the sleeving, but I can't seem to find anything other than black or white. I have been searching around for braided dacron, which seems to be what most lines are sleeved with. Am I looking for the wrong thing? Does anyone have any tips on where I might be able to find colored line sleeving? Thanks for the help!

Just saw this!

Next time...when it's raining, snowing, sleeting, gusting to 60mph...we should all go in the condo and have hot chocolate and a mini sleeving clinic!

I'll show you next week when I see you :)

T

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Next time...when it's raining, snowing, sleeting, gusting to 60mph...we should all go in the condo and have hot chocolate and a mini sleeving clinic!

I suggest anyone who is interested ... take the lady up on her offer !!!!

Most of my lines are from Theresa (except shorter lines I make to beat on) and I experience ZERO issue - but she IS very exacting about how her line sets are made.

I have made a number of short (up to 50' and one 80' set) line sets myself, and while they don't really give me any major issues, I do experience the odd snag or hiccup because they're not perfect like Theresa's.

Each to their own preference, so long as we all crossing good quality line so we can all have fun together, then whatever works for you.

Me personally - if I only need a shorter line set thats 'good enough' I could make my own ... If I want that line to be perfect and as problem free as possible, then I pay for Theresa to handle that problem ;)

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