Kite Manufacturing - free feedback

[marlboroughman]

I will be posting here things that don't work in the long term:

[marlboroughman]

Webbing and dacron don't mix. Webbing shrinks overtime causing damage. Don't use webbing on leading edge and struts. It might look like making it bomb proof but it does the opposite. This is only 2015 kite and struts are failing.

[marlboroughman]

I haven't saved the pictures but I can tell you that narrow diameter struts are failing in the areas where they bend from sitting on the beach. Don't make them so thin or put sections there of kevlar aramid cloth or similar.

[marlboroughman]

Again, should have saved the picture and will do in the future but triple zigzag is for flat surfaces only. Don't use it on oval shapes like struts. Triple point zigzag seams are failing on struts because the load is spread unevenly and these seams don't like bending.

[marlboroughman]

If you have a kite build question send me a PM before you produce a batch of a 100 faulty kites.

[cleepa]

Interesting. More please!

[marlboroughman]

Canopy has to be sewn to the leading edge using triple point not regular zigzag, come on people.

[Laughingman]

Oh I got one! Graphics should not be printed to the fabric especially on the leading edge using a process called hot split plastisol. It is notorious for pealing off over time.
That kite my profile picture looked great at first but the graphic detail was half pealed off in two years.

[Matteo V]

Oh I got one! Graphics should not be printed to the fabric especially on the leading edge using a process called hot split plastisol. It is notorious for pealing off over time.
That kite my profile picture looked great at first but the graphic detail was half pealed off in two years.

That is the opposite of what I have had happen. Best Kahoona's have this coating on the tips (black over ripstop canopy) and that fabric holds up better than the non coated ripstop. If it tears on a tomahawk, it rips right up against the coated area, but not through it. And I have seen deterioration on other brands, just not on Best. So maybe Best had a good formula for that stuff.

I actually would love to have a kite completely coated in the stuff that does not fall off.

[Laughingman]

That is the opposite of what I have had happen. Best Kahoona's have this coating on the tips (black over ripstop canopy) and that fabric holds up better than the non coated ripstop. If it tears on a tomahawk, it rips right up against the coated area, but not through it. And I have seen deterioration on other brands, just not on Best. So maybe Best had a good formula for that stuff.

I actually would love to have a kite completely coated in the stuff that does not fall off.

Maybe in an application where it coats a larger area, in the application I was referring to it was printed in a honey comb pattern... and I also noticed mostly yellows and oranges peeled, the white never peeled.