SHBKF Posted August 28, 2014 Report Share Posted August 28, 2014 So I have had my Revolution Zen for several months. I have only flown it a few times as I have been trying to learn to fly some other kites. But despite reading many comments about the standard Zen frame being mushy I was trying to fly it unmodified not wanting to buy a new frame for an already specialized kite. A recent post from another forum got me thinking about parts I already had in my Revolution collection. Late last fall I bought a Blast & it came with an extra leading edge, a black race set 112-1/2” long. The Zen & Rev 1 use a leading edge 108” long. I had considered trimming the Blast race set to 108” & trying it. But I came up with another idea. Use a shorter center tube from a 1.5 Rev & the two end tips from the Blast. That gave me 106”, very close to the right length. So all I needed was two more inches to get the proper length. Here's what I came up with. Two pieces of scrap aluminum rod were machined in my metal lathe in just a few minutes. SHBKF 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
makatakam Posted August 28, 2014 Report Share Posted August 28, 2014 Nice, that should do the trick. You'll probably be making your own custom handles before you know it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paul LaMasters Posted August 28, 2014 Report Share Posted August 28, 2014 You have a Zen but with the Blast's leading edge tubes inserted? WoW that ought to "throw" like a javelin! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wayne Dowler Posted August 28, 2014 Report Share Posted August 28, 2014 You have a Zen but with the Blast's leading edge tubes inserted? WoW that ought to "throw" like a javelin! Paul - He's using the extra race LE, not the SLE tubes! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SHBKF Posted August 28, 2014 Author Report Share Posted August 28, 2014 You have a Zen but with the Blast's leading edge tubes inserted? WoW that ought to "throw" like a javelin! Actually I have been considering that very modification except in order to allow me to use the Blast SLE in the Rev 1. It would just be one more frame option available to me if I did that. All I would need would be an extra center tube for the normal Blast SLE leading edge with 4-1/2" trimmed off. Today I have realized that the tip extenders could use a little further modification. I need to machine a small groove in the smaller diameter of the rod to hold an o-ring. That would keep them secure in the tube instead of slightly loose as they are now. I may cut a couple more to a tighter fitting tolerance at the same time. I cut these slightly loose to allow the tubes to flex a little bit over the 1.75" that insert into the tube. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
makatakam Posted August 29, 2014 Report Share Posted August 29, 2014 A dab of rubber cement or a wrap or two of painters' tape will do the trick. I've used it in some home-made sails (see my avatar for instance) that turned out a bit longer or taller than intended. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paul LaMasters Posted August 29, 2014 Report Share Posted August 29, 2014 A slight diagonal thread wrap on the insert wall and a gentle epoxy overcoating could thicken it up easily, . . . . sanding it down if necessary. You can buy the ferules loose and just cut down old SLE tubes if they're too long as well. Then it fits correctly and it's light and strong, the carbon ferules are hollow in fact. I fly my Zen with a diamond frame all the way around and can't imagine using it any other way, but hey to each his own, I surely get playing w/modifications to see what happens! On the B-series full sail I prefer a travel frame (6 piece leading edge) Diamond so when I break a tube it's only 1/2 the cost, HA It's still snappy response stiffness compared to P-90s and you can really throw it around aggressively in zip wind. Honestly?, I think if Rev only sold the green race and diamond frames-sets that's all I'd ever need to be happy. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SHBKF Posted August 29, 2014 Author Report Share Posted August 29, 2014 I had always wondered about your avatar image Mark, very nice. I truly appreciate all the suggestions. I enjoy thinking about kites nearly as much as flying them. My thought was to use my in stock parts without changing them so I might still use them in their original application. So far I have not cut any tubes or purchased any parts. After I thrash the kite around a bit I may decide that the aluminum rods aren't tough enough to survive my flailing. Plastic extenders could be machined as an alternate choice. Of course the purchase of more tubes & ferrules would be the ultimate logical conclusion. One thought that has finally occurred to me is I might as well purchase the longest tubes of a particular type & just cut them to length for the kite I need them for at the time if the cost is the same per piece. I also like the trick line suggestion. I had just noticed it in an earlier post by Paul. My Rev flying is not to that stage yet but I hope to get there eventually. The path I tread on the Dark Side seems long & full of thought. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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