Date: Fri, 11 Mar 1994 12:59:30 -1000 From: andrew@tug.com (Andrew Beattie) Message-Id: Organization: /usr/lib/news/organisation Subject: Line winders samwu@uclink.berkeley.edu (Sampson Tsen Wu) writes: >Hello. I'm currently taking part in a class project in which groups >have to design kite string winders from scratch. Since I (and my >fellow group members) do not have too much experience with kites, I >was wondering if anyone could tell me where we could send off or >call for kite/kite-parts/kite-material catalogs so we can get some ideas >for design and use of materials. Stores or companies in the Bay Area >would be ideal. 100 ways of handling line: 1) Wind in a ball. Start with a screwed up ball of paper. Wind one way for a while, then turn the ball 90 degrees and wind further. Keep turning the ball every now and again as you wind to keep the build-up of line even. This method appropriate for cotton for fighters, to let the line out quickly, just drop the ball to the floor and let the line flow - the lightness of the ball lets the line flow quickly and easily. If you want to wind it in while fighting, you probably need a helper. 2) Heap on the ground. You've got to try this to believe it. Fly a kite right out to the end of the line. Pull the line in and just let it heap up on the ground. When you've got it nearly all the way in, just let it all out again - it won't tangle. Believe me - try it! If on the other hand, you wind it round your arm as you pull it in, you''ll need to carefuly unwind it again as you let it out if you don't want to spend the rest of the day sorting out the mess. If you put it in a heap, DON'T try pulling out the line that is on the bottom! 3) Heap in a bag or box. Store soft kites by first stuffing the kite into the bag, then simply heaping the line on top in much the same way as above. Leave the end sticking out of the bag, oo that it can't get tangled. To unpack, anchor the end of the line and walk downwind, letting the line (and eventually the kite) just pull straight out of the bag. I have successfully used this technique for chucking 2-liners in the boot (USA:trunk) of my car - just chuck the kite in, then pile the line on top. 4) On an Indian reel. These look something like this: |------------| ======| |====== |------------| Traditionally the centre of the spool is made of bamboo slats to reduce the weight to a minimum, making it easier for the kite to pull the line out quickly. Experienced fliers can use these reels to wind the line in or out very quickly. 5) On a deep-sky reel. Traditional single-line reels are often nicely turned in wood with ball-bearing races and wooden and/or leather handles. They are comfortable and safe for handling heavier line and reasonably strong pulling kites. 6) Figure of 8 winder. The simplest of these would be a flat rectangle, with a wide, shallow notch cut on the top and bottom edge: +----\/-+ | | | A | | | | +----/\-+ You wind the line from the top notch, across the edge at point "A", round the bottom notch and back across "A" in a figure-of-eight pattern. Winding in a fig-8 avoids puting a twist in the line. This method is used both to store single lines while flying or as a method to avoid tangling quad lines. 7) Dyna-caster. This is a (typically yellow) reel with this cross-section: | / | / |--/ | | |--\ | \ | \ You wind by holding flat side of the reel fast in your left hand and winding on the line with your right. To release the line, you still keep the reel stationary and allow the line to fall off the edge of the angled flange. This means that every twist that is put into the line as you wind on is untwisted as you let the line off. For this reason, this reel is popular for storing a pair of stunt-lines, as you can wind up both lines together, confident that they will come off the reel untwisted. 9) Coke-can. I often apply the Dynacaster principle to whatever I can find to hand, such as a coke-can, a piece of wood or a pair of sky-claws. I (and everyone else I fly with - even those who are left-handed and find it counter-intuitive)) always wind clock-wise, so you can tell which side the line should fall off, because it's the side where the line falls off anti- clockwise. 8) Halos. These are a simple reel, similar to the Dynacaster but without the angled flange. They have no inner spokes, allowing the line to be fed out without having to touch it by hand. 10) Peter Powell Stunt Handles (method 1). Wind the lines onto each handle separately. You can then adjust the line length by not winding out all the line. The quickest way of letting the line out (particularly on the cheaper toy-immitations) it to let the handle fall to the ground and jig around by it's self as you pull the line. 11) Peter Powell Stunt handles (method 2). Hold the handles together and wind both lines onto both handles at once. This takes half as much time as winding them separately. Unwind by holding the handle and letting it move from wide to side as you pull the line off, but don't let go and don't turn the handle round and round. 12) Sky claws. These handles are like padded boom-sticks. They come with a holder that turns them into a line-store that is kinda related to the Indian reel. To wind the lines on, you must laboriously turn the reel to wind on without twisting. Winding off is simply a case of letting the reel spin in your hand as you pull the line off. OK, it isn't 100, but it'll do for now. For catalogues, check your yellow-pages. The guys with the 800 numbers should be able to do you a cat. For a kite store, the nearest decent one I know to you is across the bridge on 39th pier. One of the best kite stores I've been to *anywhere* is Windbourne Kites at Monterey. Check out our most excelent FAQ's. Andrew -- Work: gaffer@rec.com Phone: +44 793 614 110 Fax: +44 793 614 297 Play: andrew@tug.com Phone: +44 256 464 912 No-one ever got fired for buying IBM, but how many got shot? = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = =