Contact   Imprint   Advertising   Guidelines

Can I paint my lines a different color?

Forum for kitesurfers
noahsw
Medium Poster
Posts: 51
Joined: Mon Dec 15, 2014 3:23 am
Kiting since: 2005
Local Beach: Long Beach
Favorite Beaches: La Ventana, Belmont Shore
Style: Freeride foil
Gear: Flysurfer Sonics on Taaroa race board and Slingshot Ghosts on the Triton T1 monowing
Brand Affiliation: None
Has thanked: 32 times
Been thanked: 3 times

Can I paint my lines a different color?

Postby noahsw » Mon May 23, 2016 3:34 pm

I replaced my lines with some new ones from Liquid Force. However, they're black and blue and I just realized they blend in with just about everything.

Can I paint them something bright like neon green? Will that compromise their strength in any way? What kind of paint would you recommend?

Thanks!

User avatar
flybykite
Frequent Poster
Posts: 280
Joined: Mon Nov 28, 2011 5:21 pm
Local Beach: Nitinat Lake, BC, Canada
Mui Ne, Vietnam
Style: Old School
Gear: Shinn Monk
V8K Ozone Edges 7&9
Brand Affiliation: None
Location: Saltspring Island, BC Canada & Mui Ne, Vietnam
Has thanked: 0
Been thanked: 0

Re: Can I paint my lines a different color?

Postby flybykite » Tue May 24, 2016 9:00 am

You'd be better of dying white lines to another color. I don't think paint will work and it probably will compromise your lines. Imagine wet paint soaking into your lines and then drying to a harder material and likely chewing through your lines under tension. However North coated their lines with polyurethane or similar a couple years back and I think they still do but this eventually wears off also.
Get yourself a roll of Q-line in bright orange or yellow for the next set. It'll last longer as well.

dylan*
Very Frequent Poster
Posts: 1047
Joined: Sat Mar 26, 2016 4:33 pm
Gear:
Has thanked: 1 time
Been thanked: 17 times

Re: Can I paint my lines a different color?

Postby dylan* » Tue May 24, 2016 8:07 pm

Just a random thought... I wonder if you could buy some cheap colored line that has a core, pull the core out and stick it on top of your lines?

ragzilla
Medium Poster
Posts: 159
Joined: Tue Oct 13, 2015 10:59 am
Local Beach: none
Favorite Beaches: none
Style: break shit!!!!!
Gear: slingy
Brand Affiliation: None
Has thanked: 0
Been thanked: 1 time

Re: Can I paint my lines a different color?

Postby ragzilla » Tue May 24, 2016 9:43 pm

I used yellow ink for my 5th line creation recently.

All good, but it's white originally.

Don't use anything anything to strip the color.
The lines are treated in the factory to stop them being porous and add weather treatment.
DO NOT USE ANYTHING ABRASIVE!!!

is it really that bigger deal?
If it's so complicated when setting up, just make make some new pigtail up....
But if setting up similar color lines is hard, then god forbid splicing some piggy's??

User avatar
Slappysan
Very Frequent Poster
Posts: 1445
Joined: Sat Jun 09, 2012 2:54 am
Kiting since: 2004
Gear: Wave Bandit Performer 4-10
Brand Affiliation: None
Location: Vancouver, Canada
Has thanked: 44 times
Been thanked: 185 times

Re: Can I paint my lines a different color?

Postby Slappysan » Tue May 24, 2016 11:56 pm

Try using a Sharpie to colour them, maybe do a dashed pattern to help visibility. This works okay with white lines but blue and black will probably not work.

STFU
Rare Poster
Posts: 35
Joined: Wed Mar 18, 2015 10:18 pm
Gear: Ozone c4's
Brand Affiliation: None
Has thanked: 6 times
Been thanked: 0

Re: Can I paint my lines a different color?

Postby STFU » Wed May 25, 2016 12:06 am

I don't see why not. Sand them down then slap a bit of emulsion on

noahsw
Medium Poster
Posts: 51
Joined: Mon Dec 15, 2014 3:23 am
Kiting since: 2005
Local Beach: Long Beach
Favorite Beaches: La Ventana, Belmont Shore
Style: Freeride foil
Gear: Flysurfer Sonics on Taaroa race board and Slingshot Ghosts on the Triton T1 monowing
Brand Affiliation: None
Has thanked: 32 times
Been thanked: 3 times

Re: Can I paint my lines a different color?

Postby noahsw » Wed May 25, 2016 1:28 am

My main concern was doing a self-rescue in the water and not being able to see the lines wrapping around limbs...

herbert
Medium Poster
Posts: 162
Joined: Sat Oct 13, 2012 3:46 am
Local Beach: Kailua
Style: directional
Gear: RRD
Brand Affiliation: None
Has thanked: 0
Been thanked: 0

Re: Can I paint my lines a different color?

Postby herbert » Wed May 25, 2016 2:15 am

Yes you can "paint" your lines a different color. You should buy Maxi-Jacket. It is a liquid preparation of polyurethane specifically intended to coat lines and actually protect the lines against wear. It is commonly used on Spectra and Dyneema. It comes in various colors. Sailors use it to reduce line wear and to color code different lines. Just search for it on the internet. As with coloring anything, trying to get a darker color to cover light is more effective than the opposite. Wear disposable gloves and dip the lines bit by bit and squeegee it along the line with your fingers to spread it and not over apply it. The lines will be a tiny bit stiff at first but normal flexibility returns soon enough. I would be wary of using other "dyes" and "paints" not intended for the purpose. You do not know what chemicals have been added and what effect they might have over time on the polymerized polyethylene that comprises spectra and dyneema. There is a Maxi-Jacket HP. Don't use that. It costs much more and only comes in quart sizes. The regular Maxi-Jacket is cheaper and comes in smaller quantities. You will need very little.

User avatar
Starsky
Very Frequent Poster
Posts: 4373
Joined: Mon Apr 19, 2004 12:12 pm
Brand Affiliation: None
Location: Ontario
Has thanked: 0
Been thanked: 3 times

Re: Can I paint my lines a different color?

Postby Starsky » Wed May 25, 2016 3:41 am

noahsw wrote:My main concern was doing a self-rescue in the water and not being able to see the lines wrapping around limbs...
Not getting lines wrapped has more to do with technique than visibility. Knowing how to wrap your leashed line first and then the remaining lines in a quick orderly fashion is much better protection than bright lines. You are handling the lines while wrapping, and need to be able to keep it all under mild tension as not to give lines the opportunity to float loose. Treading backward to maintain tension, having all the lines accounted for while wrapping. These are skills you need. Without those, you may see the lines well enough but not be able to keep them from causing you trouble or injury. Your efforts my be better spent on practicing in water wrapping.


Return to “Kitesurfing”

Who is online

Users browsing this forum: Bing [Bot], cglazier, chidism, elrizo, Flyingseb, Google [Bot], i_love_storm, Kitemenn, mati, nixmatters, thewindego, Ventum, Windwarrior, Xtream, Yahoo [Bot] and 191 guests