riffclown

Just wanted to share a few things I do differently than Rev/Freilein or anyone else that I know of..When I'm attaching the Bungees and Caps to the sail, I did not care for the washers both Rev and Freilein use as they both allow the sail to bunch up when tension is applied.. My solution I started using about a year ago is to make inserts for the corners of the sail that provide a fixed flat area to attach the bungees to.. I make the inserts out of some plastic boxes I've had on hand and just cut them up and sand/size/punch to fit.. At the Bottom of the sail I use these triangles. If you look at the finished sail you can just see the edge of the plastic where I pulled it out a bit to show how it fits.. At the ends of the LE Sleeve I use these angled fittings that also fill the space that would be a continuation of the screening. These aren't visible on a finished kite so using an LE Sleeve I have already made but not used to show the detail. The amount of weight added to the finished sail is only a tiny bit more than the typical round washers the manufacturers use. but the advantage of the sail not bunching up at all is IMO tremendous..

Haven't updated my numbers in a bit.. You'll notice The Jester isn't mentioned since it has a new home. 12 Revs Shook Mesh 75% #214 Shook Mesh 40% #206 RWB Trifinity, Rainbow Trifinity, Skulls, B-series Custom Full Sail, SUL Old Glory, SUL Ghost Full set of B-Pros (Full Sail, Mid-Vent and Full Vent) Full Vent SLE Black/Lime 6 Freilein Vertigos (4 in a stack plus a full sail and a Max all of them are Red White & Blue) 2 Freilein Exodus (one full sail and one Mid Vent) Both the Cool Color Scheme 1 knockoff (it was a gift) 16 home-mades 2 RWB Full Sails 5 The Spectrum Stack 1 Yellow 1 Purple 1 Plaid RWB 1 RWB Mesh 1 Mesh #2 Yellow Green Blue Black 1 Mesh #1 Blue Black Lime 1 SUL Indigo Sunrise 1 Full Sail Midnight Royal Taboo 1 Full Sail Yonder 4 converted HQ Symphony 2.2.4's 1 HQ Mojo Power Kites: 3 HQ Crossfires 2,3,& 4M 1 8M Toxic 1 2M Hornet 1 2.8 Skydog 1 4.5 Flexifoil Bullet 1 3.5 Flexifoil Blurr total 50 Quadline Kites 8 of those are true power kites.

Framed and ready for flight testing.. Bridles are done. just wanted the pic first.. Rain Rain Go Away, Leave some wind so I can play..

Made the Bag.. Will put an Air Force Symbol on it as well eventually..

All of the sewing on Yonder is finished.. Will bungee and frame tomorrow.. First flight hopefully this week if the weather allows.. This kite is a 72" LE and will utilize a B2 Frame size.

@Breezin I started out sewing patches on my uniform and trying to repair small tears.. the biggest trick to kite fabric from my limited experience is the grain is strange sometimes and the fabric is very slippery... You'll get there.. you are well on your way..

indeed it does..

Midnight Royal Taboo with a bit of Air time today.. A few flyby clips..

Finally a chance to get a few clips of The Jester

I realize I'm not the craftsman that some people are and I endeavor to learn every time I try something new.. While I've have purchased kites made by master craftsmen, the one thing I can't say about those sails is "I designed and made this all by myself." While I endeavor to learn from others every chance I get, I also seem to be a person people ask questions about how to do certain things as well. You see when they see a brand on a kite they kind of know where it came from.. I've had TONS of conversations based on "did you make that yourself??" My kites are more than kites. They are ambassadors into kiting, kite making and conversation starters in general. While I try very hard to be a good mentor on kiting and kite making.. I also defer to those that know more and try to learn everything I can from them as well. I'm not afraid to say I don't know. I endeavor always to be a good steward of the attention someone afford to me whether it be on the forums, the kite field or the sewing machine. I've sat for long periods of time learning from Eliot, I look with the discerning eye at every kite I buy and every kite I make.. Even Eliot will tell you, you can't beat the QC on the Freileins.. I have 6 and can't find a single stitch anywhere out of place. One thing Eliot has never said to me is, "You should let someone else do the sewing and just have better kites." He has sat down with me and showed me finer point of how to do what I enjoy doing better. Can I buy a better kite than I can make?? Sure.. I get a huge amount of personal joy saying, "I designed and made this all by myself." or "I made this out of Kite Tails" The Sewing machine is one way I unwind after all day staring at computer screens. I really appreciate your inputs on things like talking with Dave or buying pre-made LE's from Eliot but I prefer to succeed or fail on my own merits while learning from those better than me how to not make those little mistakes. Can I make a Kite better than Bazzer?? I doubt it.. Better than Freilein,, very doubtful.. Can I make a better kite than Rev?? Maybe not but I have color choices, Frame choices and accessories I like better without having to learn the secret handshake.. My kites don't compete. I still fly solely for fun. They have to look good from 30ft (or more) away.. I don't notice the stitching errors from there. The bottom line is I prefer to make my own, bad stitches, little mistakes and all. The one vital question I want to ask myself and answer yes every time is. Did I make this kite better than my last one?? I doubt I'll ever consider myself a master builder or flyer. I don't want to stop learning long enough to make that decision. Thanks for your feedback, I appreciate the input.. I really like doing it this way.. I started here Duct Tape and all before I ever owned or flew a Rev.. 15 Home made kites later I'm here loving every minute spent flying, designing and sewing my own imperfect stuff.

You saying I need to bring my machine to Corolla?? (I've kind of thought about doing that but honestly, if you want that environment then sit with Eliot for an afternoon.. You'll learn more than I can teach in a week. He isn't greedy with his skills and will provide pointers that WILL make you a better kite maker.

A hint at that but more a singular reference to the Air Force Song.. Remember it was Kites that inspired the Wrights.

This kite had a name before I ever made a stitch.. Introducing "Yonder" Still a lot of decisions to make but the side panels are set and stitched.. More to come. Stay tuned..

This is a great deal for someone wanting to start flying quads..

Finishing Touches...

No issues for me.. Worked fine. Thought it was very cool and entertaining. Streamed nicely. and you are correct. Not on FB..

Started on the little brother for this kite today.. Same (-ish) layout but probably Rev II B2 sized with 72" LE.. If the panels turn out well I make make a 1.5 size though.. Will still be smaller than the first one.. first was a 97.5" LE. The second kite will be made from the strips cut from the first kite.. I cut through 4 layers each time to give me alternating triangles but still keep the grain pretty true.

Now that's decorating a house for Christmas!!!

I'd never have time to fly if I did that.. But I also wouldn't have room to..

Yes..