From: casey@the.link.ca (Allan Casey) Subject: Help a passing stranger? Date: Tue, 7 May 1996 05:51:30 -1000 Organization: Island Internet Inc. - (604) 753-2383 Message-ID: Hey All: Kites really aren't my thing, but I just made one with the kids. It's the old fashioned kind, two sticks tied in a cross, piece of nylon, string around the perimeter under tension. Looks pretty damn good, I think. Anyway, what I would like to know is this. Where does one attach the string? On the balance point, or what? And is the kite flown with the frame facing down or up? If it's up, then I suppose you have to cut holes thru the fabric to attach the string. Is about 20 feet long enough for a tail? Sorry for diluting the potency of your high-end kite talk with my humble questions, but some help would be most welcome. Allan. -- casey@the.link.ca = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = From: wlhuber@airmail.net (Bill Huber) Subject: Re: Help a passing stranger? Date: Tue, 7 May 1996 13:25:19 -1000 Organization: customer of Internet America Message-ID: <318fd86a.120367109@news.airmail.net> >Anyway, what I would like to know is this. Where does one attach the >string? I am sure there will be better answers then this, but here it is. On "Stand Kite Shape" kite I always tied the line to the top and bottom of the center rod (spar) and then one for the right and left tips of the cross rod (spar). I would then tie them together in the center with the fly line, this should be about 8 inches away fro the kite sail. I would adjust line up or down until the kite flew the way I wanted it to. As to the tail the type of material used and the weight is the big factor. You will just have to play around with it until you getting right. You don't have to have a tail if the kite is set up right and the wind is not a problem. = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = From: Steve Bateman Subject: Re: Help a passing stranger? Date: Tue, 7 May 1996 15:39:37 -1000 Organization: San Diego State University Message-ID: <318FFB59.23E0@mail.sdsu.edu> Allan Casey wrote: > Kites really aren't my thing, but I just made one with the kids. It's the > old fashioned kind, two sticks tied in a cross, piece of nylon, string > around the perimeter under tension. Looks pretty damn good, I think. > Anyway, what I would like to know is this. Where does one attach the > string? On the balance point, or what? And is the kite flown with the > frame facing down or up? If it's up, then I suppose you have to cut holes > thru the fabric to attach the string. Is about 20 feet long enough for a > tail? > > Sorry for diluting the potency of your high-end kite talk with my humble > questions, but some help would be most welcome. Your question is not diluting at all; I read full strength rec.kites in this question!!! Though I have never made the kite you refer to (shame, shame on me), I would tie a line from the cross point of the horizontal spar and the spine, to the bottom of the spine, with plenty of slack. To short and any adjustments will be too much; to long gives to much drag. To find the tow point (where to attach the flying line) hold the kite by the bridle so the kite is about 5-10 degree above horizontal. See how the kite flys from this point; no lift, move the line toward the top. To wobbly, move the line down along the bridle. I would try a tail length of about 2-3 times the length of the kite. Try to use a light material with a lot of drag. Drag is what makes the tail. Hope you pass by here again! Steve Bateman bateman@mail.sdsu.edu Flying along. = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = From: Andy Wardley Subject: Re: Help a passing stranger? Date: Tue, 7 May 1996 23:43:24 -1000 Organization: Peritas Multimedia Message-ID: Allan Casey writes: >Kites really aren't my thing, but I just made one with the kids. It's the >old fashioned kind, two sticks tied in a cross, piece of nylon, string >around the perimeter under tension. Looks pretty damn good, I think. >Anyway, what I would like to know is this. Where does one attach the >string? On the balance point, or what? And is the kite flown with the >frame facing down or up? If it's up, then I suppose you have to cut holes >thru the fabric to attach the string. Is about 20 feet long enough for a >tail? For starters, the frame should be facing up. If you take a piece of string about 1 1/2 times as long as the height of the kite and tie this to the top and bottom points of the kite then you have a basic bridle. You can tie your flying line (i.e. the piece of string from the kite to your hand) to this bridle. Knowing exactly where to tie it takes a first guess and then a little refinement. Probably about a 1/3 of the way down the string from the nose is a good place to start. If the kite doesn't climb up but seems to "lean back" then try tieing it a little higher. If the kite falls forward or seems to lack "pull", try tieing a little lower. You may want to tie small knots evenly spaced along part of the bridle line. You can tie your flying line around one of the knots and it wont slip. Just loosen the knot and move it up or down to the next knot to adjust the angle of the kite. A longer tail will increase stability but make the kite heavier and have more resistance. 20 feet sounds a little long. I would start with about 6-10 feet and add more if the kite seems unstable. A flying tip or two: don't try and fly the kite if the wind is too low. A day with a fairly good breeze will be required and make life a lot easier. If you need to run with the kite, there's not enough wind. Also, wind out a fair bit of line before launching. It makes the kite less skittish and should climb quicker. >Sorry for diluting the potency of your high-end kite talk with my humble >questions, but some help would be most welcome. No apology necessary. A kite's a kite. Hope this helps. Cheers Andy Andy Wardley || . Hacker, digital artist/designer, webmister, brave warrior thricefold decorated in the winky wars, best mate to the rich and famous, no really, I mean that. I luv you, you're my best mate.... For a good time, http://www.peritas.com/~abw = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = From: johnsen@eskimo.com (Brian Johnsen) Subject: Re: Help a passing stranger? Message-ID: Organization: Tethered Airfoil R&D Pty. Ltd.(C)(R)(TM) CD CASS Date: Wed, 8 May 1996 18:08:29 -1000 In article , Allan Casey wrote: >Hey All: > >Kites really aren't my thing, but I just made one with the kids. It's the >old fashioned kind, two sticks tied in a cross, piece of nylon, string >around the perimeter under tension. Looks pretty damn good, I think. >Anyway, what I would like to know is this. Where does one attach the >string? On the balance point, or what? And is the kite flown with the >frame facing down or up? If it's up, then I suppose you have to cut holes >thru the fabric to attach the string. Is about 20 feet long enough for a >tail? Attachment points will be based on the the size of the kite. I'm assuming ;) that it's about 3-4 feet tall, ok? The sticks go on the back and the strings go through the sail material. You can use a hot paperclip or a soldering iron to melt two small holes in the nylon sail at the vertical stick, one where the two sticks cross, and one 6 to 8 inches up from the tail end. Each end of a 5 foot piece of string gets tied to the sticks from the front side through the holes. Tie the top end around both sticks where they cross to hold them together. Use another piece of string to tie each end of the horizontal sticks together to give it a bow (as in archery). there should be 4 to 6 inches >From the string to the point where the sticks cross on the back side of the (less for a smaller kite). Select a point on the 5 foot string hanging out the front of the kite, take it for a run and see how it flys. Try another point and compare. When you find the optimun spot, mark it on the string. This is the "bridle pick point". Um. Some jargon: the vertical stick is the "spine" the horizontal stick is the "bow" or "spar" the nylon material or paper or whatever is the "sail" or "skin" the strings attached to the kite before the line you hold onto are the "bridle" they hold the kite at a given angle to the wind the "pick point" is where you attach the line from your hand to the "bridle" A bridle consisting of one piece of string with each end tied to the spine is a "two point bridle". Another alternative is a "three point bridle". This bridle is made from two pieces of string. One about 2 feet and the other about 4 feet. Melt a hole through the sail 4 to 6 inches on each side of the spine over the bow. Tie each end of the 2 foot string through the sail and around the the bow so that when you pull on the middle of the string you get a triangle with a 1 foot leg on each side of your fingers and an 8 to 12 inch base along the bow, centered over the spine. Attach the 4 foot string 6 to 8 inches up from the tail end (as with the 2 point bridle) and make a largish knot in the other end. Grab the middle of the 2 foot line and bend it back over the 1 foot tri. legs forming a sort of double loop. Thread the free end of the 4 foot string and knot through and pull the short short string tight around it. This is a "larks head" knot (dunno why). Test for the pick point as with the 2 point bridle. If the kite tends to pull to one side the larks head knot can be adjusted to correct it. You may not even need a tail with this arrangement. >Sorry for diluting the potency of your high-end kite talk with my humble >questions, but some help would be most welcome. Much more entertaining than stunt kite organization trivia ;( -- Homeless Person's Bizarre Claim: "American Civil War Veterins Planted Silly String In My Iles Of Langerhans" -- Brian Johnsen johnsen@eskimo.com Seattle, Washington USA = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = From: vraun@freenet.npiec.on.ca (Vaino Raun) Subject: Re: Help a passing stranger? Date: Thu, 9 May 1996 05:04:36 -1000 Organization: Niagara Peninsula Free-Net Message-ID: <4mt1i4$66@brain.npiec.on.ca> Allan Casey (casey@the.link.ca) wrote: : Hey All: : Kites really aren't my thing, but I just made one with the kids. It's the : old fashioned kind, two sticks tied in a cross, piece of nylon, string : around the perimeter under tension. Looks pretty damn good, I think. : Anyway, what I would like to know is this. Where does one attach the : string? On the balance point, or what? And is the kite flown with the : frame facing down or up? If it's up, then I suppose you have to cut holes : thru the fabric to attach the string. Is about 20 feet long enough for a : tail? You fly the kite with the frame facing away from you. The bridle passes through the fabric. There are various ways to attach the bridle but I tie one end to the nose of the kite. The other end is tied to the spine about 4 to 5 inches up from the tail. The bridle should be long enough so that the attachment point is about 9 - 12 inches away from the kite. You have to find the attachment point on the bridle by letting the kite hang level and then move toward the nose about an inch. When flying if it does not go up mve the attachment piont forward and if it spins too much move it back. It is also a good idea to attach a line to the back from the end of the cross spar to the other end and tension it to put some bend in the kite. About 3 inches. It will then fly with no tail or very little. The tail can add too much weight if too long and you can't get it off the ground. -- Vaino Raun..... St. Catharines, ONT vraun@freenet.npiec.on.ca Canada = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = From: gengvall@aol.com (G Engvall) Subject: Re: Help a passing stranger? Date: Tue, 21 May 1996 06:01:20 -1000 Organization: America Online, Inc. (1-800-827-6364) Message-ID: <4nspcg$l65@newsbf02.news.aol.com> In article , casey@the.link.ca (Allan Casey) writes: >Kites really aren't my thing, ..[snip]...>> I am constantly amazed at the courage of people who are willing to build a kite from scratch without plans or advice. Remarkable. Thanks to you for presenting the true spirit of kiting and reminding all of us what it is truly all about. You got lots of great advice on the newsgroup, so I won't presume to give any here. If you have any further questions or problems, don't hesitate to ask the newsgroup, or any of the folks who responded. Please also post any "adventures" with this kite. >Sorry for diluting the potency of your high-end kite talk with my humble >questions, but some help would be most welcome. > >Allan.>> It ain't and you didn't. Your post is a most welcome breath of fresh air. Lot's of folks from the newsgroup met people just like you every weekend, and it is often more fun (and a better learning experience) to help them than to selfishly fly for oneself. Enjoy the experience. Hope you and the kids have a great time. good heavens gary engvall = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = =