Check it out. I threw this together this afternoon. For those of you that need this, here ya go. For those of you that already know this, did I miss anything?

Sleeving Tutorial

Seany:singing:

Sean-

That was outstanding! Now buying that roll of spectra seems far less daunting. Thanks, brother!

Bob

well done dude can repair my kite line now TOP JOB

where is a good source for sleeving?

you deserve an OSKER mate .......

O'course, some of us discovered years ago that if you learn to tie a figure-of-eight knot, there's absolutely no need to sleeve anymore; I have all the sleeving gear, and half a roll of sleeving, but haven't used them since back before the turn of the century.

-Dooley (just another Yank Wanker) :moon:

Ok, I'll bite, how does one tie an "Figure-of-Eight Knot?

exactly like an overhand knot, but add an extra twist.

Dooley, I heard some dont use sleeving. So I was wondering, do you ever break linesets, and if so, is it at the knot or elsewhere? If it breaks elsewhere, it would seem to be that the knot doen NOT weken the line. This goes against most of what I have heard, not only about kite line, but also all knots in all types of rope. Any ideas?

Seany

Give Me A BREAK!!!!

Oops.
I meant to say: "Here's a few ways to get a break".

Knots weaken lines.
Better knots are stronger, approaching line strength.

In Power Kiting, we typically fly with linesets over-rated for the actual tension we create.
But there are moments...
In those moments, power increase can be impressive and substantial, but only momentary, where one line might suddenly take the entire power load as the kite does a tight downwind spin, for instance.
It is those "transitory moments" when we are grateful for the over-spec line strength.

Line "Strength" can be measured and displayed a number of different ways.

Break Strength - A measurement of an increasing strain until the line breaks.
Attachment of the ends of the tested lines are done in a manner that eliminates the effect of the knots from the test.

Tensil Strength - Measured by dropping a suspended weight, typically half the distance of the length of the tested line.
The weight increases until a break occurs.
This helps measure the ability of the line to absorb sudden loads
Suspension and attachment methods also eliminate knots from this test.

Marketing decisions mean that sometimes the biggest number will be used.

The testing of the effect of knots in a line is done separately.

Now to the meat.....

If your line breaks mid-length, you need a new line, at the least.
If your knot breaks, you shorten your line set 6 inches and you're back in the air.

Knots breaks can be viewed as a fuse blowing, protecting your lines and kite, and you.

Occasionally we all have had a line catch on something on the ground and we have all popped that line free from whatever was holding it by jerking.
THAT can cause a small abrasion on the fibers that can weaken the line, until one day, just flying across the sky, a line will "just break- I wasn't doing anything".

The figure-8 knot, used to make your line end-loops, has an extra half wrap around, padding the knot sufficiently more than a simple overhand to virtually eliminate the need for the padding of sleeving.

As most of us are inherently lazy folks, just looking to play and have fun, such shortcuts means less time spent messing with the gear and more time out there with your tires screaming at the ground in praise of your speed.

Perhaps I read this in a book...


Safen Up! Buggy On!

"Often wrong... Never in doubt"

the coreylama

As usual, the Lama says it best, once again!

I've only had a single line break in the last 5 years or so, and that was just what Corey identified.... a weakened bit of line where I'd yanked a snag loose on the playa. Fortunately, it was near the kite, I only lost a few feet of line, so I just shortened the other three to match, and I was back in the saddle.

Figure-eights, if tied properly, really do greatly reduce stress at the knot, esp. if you keep both lines together and flat, as you tie the knot. Hard to describe, but easy to demonstrate, and the resulting knot has stood the test of time on all of my gear. I usually wear out the kite faster than the lines, because I don't listen to Lama and bag my kites every day on the playa or beach, because I'm lazy and I like looking at them... go figger.

However, if you like the "zen" of the sleeving process, go fer it! I found it kind of fun, back when I actually used my spleever, and they certainly look nicer. Gee, is there a hyphen in "anal-retentive"? <grin>

-Dooley :moon:

Here is a link to some photos of the firgure-of-eight knot...

http://share.shutterfly.com/action/welcome?sid=8AcNGrNq2aNmK...

I made them with oversized line for clarity, but sorry if there is too much glare. Still, you'll get the idea.

Click "view pictures" to view both pictures, including a doubled over knot to form a bridle loop.

Knots?

I sleeve and sew my ends. And if they break in the field, I bring my Pfaff sewing machine with an inverter and photovoltaic array rigged in the back of a pickup truck to do the repair PROPERLY on all 4 lines. How anal is that? :-)

krumly

Why do you sew the sleeving ? I know most ( if not all ) the kites come sewed now. The knot seems alot easier and user friendly. I know there must be a reason to sew. Please help me out. Thanks :puzzled:

Sewn loops are arguably stronger when done right. Any knot weakens the line as discussed above.

Sewn loop offer less drag. Cleaner look, too for the same reason.

Knots can act like little grapling hooks and snag other bridle sections.

The grappling hook thing makes sense. That reason alone is a good reason to sew them. Thank you

So im kinda lost...why do you sleeve something? Is that the different colored cord at the end of my lines (bar and kite) that is thicker? Is that to make the line stronger since there is a knot? For my NPW i just have a loop tied from dacron. (yeah i know its like a rubber band but its all I could afford) Should I find some rope i can pull the core out of to use as sleeving to make it easier? Can you sew your own? Or should i go with a knot?

I know someone more experienced will come along with a better answer, but from what I understand you sleeve your line because if your spectra or dyneema lines rub on each other they will cut themselves.

Quote:

Originally posted by dlish89 I know someone more experienced will come along with a better answer, but from what I understand you sleeve your line because if your spectra or dyneema lines rub on each other they will cut themselves.

Yes, spectra / dyneema lines are sleeved because when unsleeved the knot will bind down tighly on the line itself, dramatically lowering the break stength to failure under load. Additionally, unsleeved sprectra, under the loads a power kite will put on it, can chew up / through the leaders on your bar, handles or kite.

the idea behind sleeving is that spectra line has a very low melting point. When you tie a knot in the line it puts a lot of strain on the point where the knotted part of the line crosses over the main line. This builds heat which cuts through the line. The low melting point of spectra is also noticeable by anyone who has had their expensive spectra line sliced in two by a cheapie single line kite using cotton string. Sleeving is a way of adding on a dacron cover over the line that has a very high melting point protecting the line from cutting itself in two. With sleeving you lose very little strength in the knot where as tying a knot in your line you can lose up to 50% of the breaking strain (depending on the type of knot). Some knots are better but they are still not as strong as sleeving your line.

It Works even slicker, if you've got a sewing machine or access to one or get someone to do it for you, instead of tying ANY knots, "Sleeve the line, then Sew the loops with heavy nylon or Polyester thread in a Zig zag stitch"... I love my home sleeved & stitched loops, done on my own machine & by my own hand, along with any holes or rips that may need re-stitched... Just another option...