Breezin Posted March 1, 2020 Report Share Posted March 1, 2020 Wasn't long into flying before I had sets of 50# and 90# LPG. Couldn't really tell the difference from Dyneema for quite awhile. Especially in 20+ winds. For the last year and a half 90# x 100" LPG has been my go to set. Wed measuered 8 to 16 mph pretty fast cycling winds. Big gust hit breaking 1 line and fraying the other pert near in the middle. Set was getting pretty used but dang. Don't remember the last time I flew my 80# x 100" Dyneema set. SHOCKED at how much they sucked. They felt heavy with an awful rubberband effect. Danged if they didn't stretch out about an inch again too. Good thing is I must have gotten a lot better since the last time I used them. Prestretched my LPG and never had to adjust that set it's whole life. Doubt I'll have to on the new set either. Maybe once. Yup buying by the spool is the way to go. When high wind flying I've been using 130# and 150# Dyneema mainly to get the use out of them. 150# LPG has been hanging on the rack. Not anymore!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
makatakam Posted March 1, 2020 Report Share Posted March 1, 2020 On those 100" (8 feet, 4 inches) lines, you should feel very little stretch in your Dyneema lines. 😁 (the devil makes me do it, really) 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Breezin Posted March 8, 2020 Author Report Share Posted March 8, 2020 OOPS. 8 feet 4 inches might be a little long for a I Flight and a bit short for a Kaiju. Been snivelling about how abrupt my Nitro framed kites power up in 15 to 20 mph bumpy winds for as long as I've had them. Today winds were cycling 3 or 4 to a bit over 15. Used my LP 100' x 150# set. Instead of the unsettling yanks on my Widow Maker at times the 15+ hits were a blast with fast smooth contolled whooshes. Issue hasn't been the Nitros it's been the crappy lines. Ya think I would've figured that out long before now. Hate to admit it but sometimes I'm just a complete dumbass. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Dvoracek Posted March 8, 2020 Report Share Posted March 8, 2020 (edited) Over the past week I have equalized five of my six quad line sets. The sixth is very new so I didn't look at it yet. I had NEVER done this before. The background is I am a very casual flyer, and in 10 years I had probably flown as much as John Barresi does in a month or two. Some of these line sets were used more, but all were used. Black (BLK) were almost always connected as the brake lines. Black and red pairings were not always maintained, so BLK 1 could have been with both RED 1 and RED 2. In each set, one of the BLK lines was always the shortest and was used as the reference line to which each of the other three were adjusted (cut). I recorded the amount I removed from each of the other lines in the set, and I circled the line(s) with the greatest stretch in each set. Set 3 (50# 120' LPG) had some pretty impressive stretch, but I think I flew it a lot - and I remember having trouble with reverse. I would like to thank Bryan Wagstaff for nagging me on the importance of flying with balanced lines. Also see JB's tutorial on this website https://kitelife.com/forum/files/file/685-rev-tutorial-line-equalizing/ Edited March 8, 2020 by John Dvoracek Added credits 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mebeatee Posted March 9, 2020 Report Share Posted March 9, 2020 One thing I've always done is alternate the lines every session. I do this in the winding up at the end of a session so the next time the top lines are now the bottom and verse visey.... bt 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wayne Dowler Posted March 9, 2020 Report Share Posted March 9, 2020 And don't assume that new lines are equalized either. Many times I have gotten new sets that seriously needed attention. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Dvoracek Posted March 9, 2020 Report Share Posted March 9, 2020 (edited) 1 hour ago, Wayne Dowler said: And don't assume that new lines are equalized either. Many times I have gotten new sets that seriously needed attention. Thanks for the confirmation. Look at my set #5 which I had flown very little. Three lines were almost equal and one was over one inch shorter. When I flew that set yesterday after adjustment, my tendency to spin one direction was gone. We pay a lot for these lines. I am thinking they are a money maker for the shops, not that I begrudge them (too much). I have been trying to find where to buy seriously bulk Spectra to see how much it costs, and it is difficult. A Chinese merchant on eBay sells 1093 yards of 100 pound "Super Strong PE Spectra Braided Sea Fishing Line" for $30 including shipping, but is fishing line the same (yes?) and is this Honeywell/Allied Signal Spectra? Then there is the problem of sleeving and tooling, and new Spectra (and Dyneema more) "creep" about 2%, so how long and hard would you stretch before cutting? We probably pay the shops as much for what they know as for their materials. Edited March 9, 2020 by John Dvoracek grammar correction, deleted erroneous link Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wayne Dowler Posted March 9, 2020 Report Share Posted March 9, 2020 Unless you fly alone - I do NOT recommend fishing line. Same material, different weave. Look on the major online kite stores for bulk spools, sleeving, and don't forget winders. Look on A Wind of Change for components. I find you can usually get 2 sets for the price of 1, but you also invest the time it takes to make them. All comes down to what your time is worth... I buy commercial sets, then equalize. Saves me the time of setting up and getting it all arranged. One adjustment and usually I'm good to go for a awhile. One more adjustment and usually pretty safe, unless flown in extreme conditions. I usually go thru 2 sets of quad lines every year. I fly team mostly, lots of crossed lines there. I almost always go thru a set just at WSKIF every year. Team flying almost every day for a week solid eats that set fast! Old lines get thrown in the practice bag, maybe cut down, etc. About lines - if you fly on a beach - wash them out - lots! Take the handles off and dunk the whole set, winder and all, in a container. You will be surprised at how much sand comes out. Plus the dunking dissolves the salt crystals that build up on your lines. Ever look at sand or salt under a microscope? Sharp!! Eats lines fast! Clean them!!! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wayne Dowler Posted March 9, 2020 Report Share Posted March 9, 2020 Also - please don"t take my mentioning of AWOC as a pure endorsement of the store, there are many others out there. The Kite Shoppe, Ocean Shores Kites, ITW, The Shook store, I'm sure most, if not all, carry bulk line. I have done business with all these and more - satisfaction on my end!! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DonFibonacci Posted March 10, 2020 Report Share Posted March 10, 2020 23 hours ago, Wayne Dowler said: I find you can usually get 2 sets for the price of 1, but you also invest the time it takes to make them. All comes down to what your time is worth. 2 for 1 sounds right in my experience. I enjoy making my own sets. A lot of weekends here in AZ, the wind won't cooperate, so I take my gear over to my office building (love that AC!) where there's a nice long tiled hallway to work in. Getting past the stretch is the least fun part. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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