Fractured Axel

I like my sleeves.
Different colours,helps me get orientated.

Stan Doff wrote:

I like my sleeves.
Different colours,helps me get orientated.

I used to think this was pretty important until I realised that it is easy see which side of the kite a line goes to by just putting a little tension on it.

I still have different colours on most of my lines though, and when one of the lines has green sleeves I put it in my right hand (nautical analogy) just in case I am too preoccupied to check the lines before take off.

My Shanti sleeves are black and white and I still haven't worked out a politically-correct analogy or mnemonic for this pairing, so I just put them on at random.

Personally, I use de-cored bridle line braiding as sleeving.

Works fine and is very cheap.

Stuarts tension thing lets you know what's what after that.

Mark

StuartB wrote:

Stan Doff wrote:

I like my sleeves.
Different colours,helps me get orientated.

I used to think this was pretty important until I realised that it is easy see which side of the kite a line goes to by just putting a little tension on it.

I still have different colours on most of my lines though, and when one of the lines has green sleeves I put it in my right hand (nautical analogy) just in case I am too preoccupied to check the lines before take off.

.

Not just nautical,aircraft also carry green lights to starboard and red to port.
My Eolo has red and grey straps so I always fly with the red strap in left hand and the line attached is the one with red striped sleeves so I know which one to attach to the left side of the kite.
And my Climax lines are orange sleeved on one line,green on the other.
Of course the lines on a Prism winder marked Gold Dual that came with the Gem are sleeved black and white just to be helpful.

Tugging at the lines to check handedness?
Waste of good flying time if you ask me

audiorob wrote:

there are often imperfections in the line (or damage) that will cause the line to break elsewhere way before the knot will, especially if the knot is tied properly.

Pah. Mine broke +2 m from the centre, and the knot recut within 30 seconds on my next flight. Which means Rob's telling me I don't tie my knot's properly.

StuartB wrote:

Solution: a double knot on the loop or a knot at each end of the sleeved sections before they are knotted into a loop (I have tried both but not for long enough to be sure that both methods have fixed the problem).

Looking at my lines,which all came pre-sleeved on winders:
Basic dyneema with Eolo kite-sleeves kotted at one end then loop secured with two distinct knots a few mm apart.
Climax Protec-no knots at ends,loop secured with err..big knot
Lines on 'Gold Dual' winder-knotted both ends of sleeve,loop secured with single knot.

StuartB wrote:

, and when one of the lines has green sleeves I put it in my right hand (nautical analogy)

Ah. Using the nautical analogy, I do exactly the opposite. If the green is in my left hand, then the kite, which I visualise as flying towards me, has a green flash on its starboard side.

Ah. Using the nautical analogy, I do exactly the opposite. If the green is in my left hand, then the kite, which I visualise as flying towards me, has a green flash on its starboard side.

This is mean. I am using Stuart's analogy and now I've got to think it all over again.

Erik

sftonkin wrote:

Ah. Using the nautical analogy, I do exactly the opposite. If the green is in my left hand, then the kite, which I visualise as flying towards me, has a green flash on its starboard side.

Getting into convoluted territory here. If you're going to get all nautical, the kite would have to be upside down to resemble a hull shape and the upper (leeward) side of the sail would be touching the water. The nose would be the bow and the right hand wing (as you face it) would be the starboard side and green on the right wing would be correct.

Perhaps we're thinking about this a bit hard and should keep it simple.

I've noticed that most kite fliers fly with red sleeving on the right hand side. Not sure why, but I don't think there's any nautical influence. It's probably because red and right both begin with the same letter.

jaydub wrote:

I've noticed that most kite fliers fly with red sleeving on the right hand side. Not sure why, but I don't think there's any nautical influence. It's probably because red and right both begin with the same letter.

I do it that way - I got it from how audio leads (phono/RCA) are coloured, so red is right, white is left.

jaydub wrote:

I've noticed that most kite fliers fly with red sleeving on the right hand side. Not sure why, but I don't think there's any nautical influence. It's probably because red and right both begin with the same letter.

I've seen that in some kite flying instructions somewhere on the web.

I always think of port as being red after seeing a glass of the stuff and coming from the generation who grew up with "Captain Scarlet" I always say "S.I.G." or "starboard (Spectrum) is green".

misterbleepy wrote:

jaydub wrote:

It's probably because red and right both begin with the same letter.

I do it that way - I got it from how audio leads (phono/RCA) are coloured, so red is right, white is left.

Red is Right, agreed. But when I'm using my black/white sleeved set, it's "White is Right", from rhyme, and chess boards.

Red Port wine Left on the sideboard

We've come a long way from a review of a set of kite lines!

StuartB wrote:

Red Port wine Left on the sideboard

We've come a long way from a review of a set of kite lines!

In my experience 'thread hijacking' is a time honoured custom of internet forums.

Have you tried turning it off and turning it back on again?