From: rsnyder Subject: Edge binding Roks? Date: Tue, 18 Jun 1996 11:37:19 -1000 Organization: Arizona Daily Star - AZSTARNET Message-ID: <4q77if$5lq@news.azstarnet.com> I have been making quite a few 4ft. roks lately. I recently started making 6ft. Roks and was wondering the importance of edge binding. I have used 1 inch dacron and extra wide bias tape.Dacron was hot tacked,Bias tape was glued (glue stick).On my 4ft. roks I have only sewn a double hem.The kites fly great. What are the advantages and disadvantages if any. Rsnyder@azstarnet.com = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = From: kitestudio@aol.com (Kitestudio) Subject: Re: Edge binding Roks? Date: Wed, 19 Jun 1996 03:45:05 -1000 Organization: America Online, Inc. (1-800-827-6364) Message-ID: <4q9091$a5e@newsbf02.news.aol.com> On roks larger than 4 ft I usually use an edge binding of dacron or light weight webbing to reduce stretch around edge. It also helps strengthen kite for those aggresive battles. -steve = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = From: Adrian Pierorazio Subject: Re: Edge binding Roks? Date: Wed, 19 Jun 1996 04:07:35 -1000 Organization: Queen's University Message-ID: <31C809A7.2D9B@me.queensu.ca> rsnyder wrote: > > I have been making quite a few 4ft. roks lately. I recently started making 6ft. Roks and was wondering the > importance of edge binding. > I have used 1 inch dacron and extra wide bias tape.Dacron was hot tacked,Bias tape was glued (glue > stick).On my 4ft. roks I have only sewn a double hem.The kites fly great. What are the advantages and > disadvantages if any. Well, there are, IMHO, at least two disadvantages to doing this: 1. You have greatly increased the weight of your sail (Dacron=3.0 oz/yd^2, Nylon=0.75 oz/yd^2) 2. You have greatly reduced the stretch in the sail between the spreaders Roks fly stably as a result of dihedral induced by the fabric between spreaders stretching in the wind. By adding the amount of reinforcement you have, you *may* have removed this stretch and the kite may be unstable. As an example of this in operation, there is a kite parable about an aeronautical engineer who thought that he could improve the efficiency of his rok by removing all the play from the sail. Through careful 3-d design the kite was tight as a drum but, it simply wouldn't fly! However, the proof is in the pudding as they say and if your bulletproof rok flies then, who cares? In terms of advantages, there are again at least two: 1. Little to no permanent stretch on the kites edges (I know this contradicts above) 2. Very durable and should survive *many* kite battles Loose edges tend to flutter in the wind and become permanently deformed over time. This leads to loose sails and is a simple fact of life. By adding dacron strip *and* edge binding, the force required to strech the material is likely to be so high that the edges of your sail may never stretch out of shape. Kite battles are very hard on kite sails, especially at the edges where people tip you by pulling their highly abrasive fighting line along the edge of your kite. The dacron, edge binding, and double-folded edges will each afford a certain level of resistance against cuts in your kite edges. A combination of these should provide many hard battles worth of damage tolerance. Just don't expect this to be a cure for all battle wounds. At every rok battle I've been to there's at least one kite held together largely by ripstop tape all over the sail (often in lengths of 2-4 feet) from being punctured by another's spine. Also, my kites are only double folded and the only damage I've sustained has been some distance from the edge. Try it, if you like it, then fly it! Good Winds, Adrian = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = From: Doug Janelle Subject: Re: Edge binding Roks? Date: Wed, 19 Jun 1996 13:21:06 -1000 Organization: Hoechst Marion Roussel Message-ID: <31C88B62.337E@brwhcc3.hcc.com> rsnyder wrote: > I have been making quite a few 4ft. roks lately. I recently started making > 6ft. Roks and was wondering the importance of edge binding. > I have used 1 inch dacron and extra wide bias tape.Dacron was hot tacked, > Bias tape was glued (glue stick).On my 4ft. roks I have only sewn a double hem. > The kites fly great. What are the advantages and disadvantages if any. I'm no expert, but I know that SJKF Co-Pres Scott E. Spencer prefers to sew edge binding on most, if not all, of his Roks. He claims it improves the overall stability of the kite. I've had the pleasure of flying several and can attest to their performance in the air. Whether this is due to the edge binding or just Scott's impecable craftsmanship I can't say, but I'd be hard pressed to find very many negatives about how they fly with the edge binding in place. Maybe Scott can shed some light here??? -- ------------------------------------------------------------------------- Doug Janelle | Go fly a kite? Don't mind if I do! (work)...djanelle@omicron-usa.com | South Jersey Kite Flyers (personal)..SamRI@aol.com | sjkf@aol.com | e-mail for info & a free newsletter -------------------------------------------------------------------------- = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = =