Kite repair

[Windward]

Hello everyone I have an old George Petters square flyer 

The Prairie, in need of a little repair. The pocket the frame spar goes into has come apart a little bit right on the stitching was looking for the best way to repair it. 
strong glue, or other options to fix it up nicely .
 Any help would be appreciated 

[frob]

Does it actually impact the kite, or is this purely cosmetic?

From the picture it looks like the pocket is still fully intact, and the most important sides that will be taking the pressure look like they're still going to work.

It looks like it is just a stitch over the folded webbing and not a hole in the webbing or multiple stitches. For me, I'd say if it ain't broke don't fix it.

Matching red polyester thread is easy to find at any fabric store. If the pocket still works you could simply run a threaded needle through the same holes to cover up that broken stitch. If multiple stitches have broken it looks like 12 or so total stitches, easy peasy, although maybe intimidating if you don't sew. In that case find a friend who sews and they probably have a matching red polyester thread and can put those stitches in within a minute or two.

[Windward]

• Hi Frob Thanks for responding to my post appreciated. Appears as though the red stitching on the side of the pocket is coming a part a bit and the material the pocket is made of is a little bit as well where it was origanlly stitched down . Question do you know if I could use something like Aqua seal FD to glue the pocket down where it has come apart, instead of trying to re stitch the area glue and weigh it down. Would a thin amount of glue applied with a toothpick do to hold it all back together and stop the stitching from continuing to come apart like new . Or could a small amount of glue disrupt the balance of the kite ? Old ITW kite perhapes the material they used for the pocket could have been better! but I like the kite and it was flying really nicely, hate to see it fall apart any additional input would be appreciated 

[Windward]

Just now, Windward said:

• Hi Frob Thanks for responding to my post appreciated. Appears as though the red stitching on the side of the pocket is coming a part a bit and the material the pocket it is made of is a little bit as well where it was origanlly stitched down . Question do you know if I could use something like Aqua seal FD to glue the pocket down where it has come apart, instead of trying to re stitch the area glue and weigh it down. Would a thin amount of glue applied with a toothpick do to hold it all back together and stop the stitching from continuing to come apart like new . Or could a small amount of glue disrupt the balance of the kite ? Old ITW kite perhapes the material they used for the pocket could have been better! but I like the kite and it was flying really nicely, hate to see it fall apart any additional input would be appreciated 

 

[frob]

I don't know about the glue, never heard of that one. 

The usual approach is a few stitches to replace failed stitches, not glue to replace stitches. There are different repairs like punctures which can use glue, but if there is enough pressure to rip out stitches glue is unlikely to be enough. A similarly colored polyester thread will work. 

[Caller Stephen]

Hi Windward,

Looking very closely at the photograph I am not sure that it is stiches that have failed but the material that makes the pocket has frayed and pulled through the stitches.

If that is the case then you will need to do something to stop the fraying continuing. i think that this means bonding the warp to the weft of the pocket fabric so you donot have a raw edge. if the edges of the pocket material are raw edges and the material is dacron, polyester or similar then it might have originally been heat cut/sealed to melt the raw edges to prevent fraying. it does not look like heat sealing the edge of the fray is an option for you unless you are very brave as you have little material to work with. Fortunately the fray is at the open end of the pocket and not too severe.

I would try the superglue on the edge of the pocket material to bond the warp and weft threads together and stop the fraying getting any worse. The pocket material edge is very close to the stich line on that side so anything that you can do to reinforce the warp/weft bond strenth will help.

Worst case will be replacing the pocket eventually if the fray works further down the side.

For openweave fabrics there is a glue called Fray Stop to prevent the unravelling of raw edges but i would not suggest using it for kites.

Cheers

Stephen