Dental floss works well for sewing leading edge seams back togeather.

Super glue also works for board repairs.

FOR CANOPY REPAIRS I USE MAGNET STRIP AND A STEEL PLATE OR TABLE TO HOLD AND ALIGN THE MATERIAL IN PLACE. THEN LATER I PUT ON DRY WALL TAPE AND SOME GOOP SPREAD OVER EVERYTHING.WORKS GOOD

A question about thread thickness for leading edge seam.

I've got amann serafil thread size 40 (larger numbers are finer threads so I think this is the metric size).
Very strong, but I'm unsure whether this is thick enough for the leading edge seam. The recommended needle is 90-120. I use a 110 and the holes are quite big.

Anyone got any ideas? (I'm not in the US so I can't just go out and buy dabond v92 or whatever).

-sail tape will work well (99%) if you activate the adhesive by HEATING it after you stick it on. Doesn't take much heat. If you use the white sail tape/insignia cloth, you can tell when the adhesive is activated -the tape becomes translucent and the color of the fabric below shows through more.
At home I put the canopy on a flat surface, clean and align it, apply tape, place a towel under it, then apply heat. I use a clothes iron that has been turned on to lowest setting, then unplugged for a minute! The adhesive only needs ~40-45c (100-100f) or so to work, so no need to crank it up and melt the kite! In hot weather if you leave the repair tape in the car it will be hot enough to stick well on its own, if you apply some pressure and rub it.

For a quick repair, not heating it gives you some sessions usually, you can still use heat to set the adhesive later. Mellting the adhesive allows it to penetrate the weave of the cloth more, increasing surface area for it to stick.

On a reinforced part of the kite, use some "aquaseal" or other PU that cures flexible to glue the canopy or tube, then throw patches on (both sides, one patch bigger than the other). For long or jagged tears, use cyanoacrylate (superglue) to align and glue (spot-weld) the fabric together before applying repair tape.

insignia cloth is plenty strong for canopy, it's what they use to reinforce a lot of canopies. It could creep I guess, unless it is sewed. I would sew it if you want to be able to sell it. I tend to run mine into the ground instead -literally, unfortunately -that's why I am experienced in repair.

But for the LE, I would rather get it done right... As to thread size, v92 is actually heavy anyway , just do your best to match what is there.

bought a 8m sonic 06 from a lowlife in the cape cod area a while back, he said the kite was without any problems, turned out to have 3 full thickness le tears from self launching. the douche-bag called these cosmetic. i'd like to kick his ass, some fuck named paul-you know who you are mf! if you ride with this punk, i feel sorry for your sorry asses.

anyway, how to patch a le sleeve without opening up the seam? after removing the le bladder, iI carefully inserted folded pieces of dacron into the holes, small enough wehn folded to cover the hole, after loading the pieces up with aquaseal, then unfolded them carefull from the inside and pressed it over the holes.it has worked well. i have done the same thing with bicycle tires for years, to repair a tear in the sidewall.

i am very reluctant to sew patches on our sails, punching more holes in an already compromised spot. tear aid A, then aquaseal around the edges keeps out the sand.

Merl-

For smaller tears, I've used two layers of insignia cloth on the outside and inside. But your large tear parallel to the LE needs some real support. Insignia cloth feels too light - I'd use real 4 oz dacron.

I would do this:
1. Open up the main seam. Pay attention to how they sewed it.
2. Align the tear edges back together and hold together with a 1-2 inch (2-5 cm) wide strip of adhesive-backed insignia cloth on the outside of the LE. The insignia cloth is just for appearance and to keep the remaining original dacron from fraying.
3. On the inside, sew a matching strip of 4 oz dacron to repair the tear. Use one triple zig-zag stitch on each side of the tear. If your machine doesn't do a triple zig-zag, use 2 rows of single zig-zag. Use real sail thread - it really is different from other polyester threads and it feeds better through heavy dacron.
4. Close up the leading edge. Usually this seam is a single straight stitch, then a fold, then a second stitch through 4 layers of dacron. It's sometimes easier to use a piping foot to do this seam, especially if the kite manufacturer folded the seam around a piece of line (I don't know if anybody does this anymore, but it makes for a stronger seam.)

Loads of great tips coming in - many thanks!

Had conflicting suggestions about the ability of insignia cloth to hold the load. I'll probably go with the safe option: tape on both sides plus a bit of dacron on the inside for extra strength.

The only thing I'm still unsure about is the thread for the leading edge. I know that the stuff I have will be great for the tear. It is just the leading edge that I am unsure about. It is more a thickness issue than an matter of strength. It doesn't seem that amann thread is so well known in the kite application area (it is used by the Peter Lynn distributors in Holland at least).



ps. another tip: use some silicon spray on the thread and needle to prevent the machine from getting gummed up when sewing through glued tapes.

Dental Floss!!

I use V-30 dabond polyester for canopy, V-46 for leading edge/rib repair. Never had a problem.



OK, sure, but the only time I've seen this is when using poor quality thread or too small of a needle.

Tearaid works AWESOME for bladders, leading edge, small or huge full length tears in canopy.

Stuff is way sticky and alcohol isnt needed unless kite is salty or dirty.

Yes, it is spendy for a fricken sticky membrane tape but well worth it and if you find a great deal on it share the love and post location here for others to enjoy!

For delaminated nipples, go to a pool supply store or wallyworld and get vinyl repair glue. Dries fast and works perfect.

For ultra heavyduty use Aquaseal but dries slower unless you use accelerator.

Enjoy!