So... A while back I picked up a sweet set of PL Venoms. A 10m and a 16m. Anyway. I'd like to clean them and maybe reseal the fabric. My question is.
Does anyone got any advice on how to do this or even if I should? They are beautiful red and gold kites. A matching pair. But they are a bit dirty.
Talk to Jeff about KiteRefit.
I brought a Core (that was well used at Ivanpah) back to life with it.
Go ahead... tell me to "go fly a kite!" Please!
Howard - used to be KC67
Fly: A quiver of Lynx' and Cores (did someone say "Pansh"?), a couple o' Arcs, and a Rev to remind me about control
Ride: PL XR+
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Appex buggy, Libre hardcore buggies.
Flexboardz. Blokarts.
PKD Century Soulflys. NPW's. Nasa Stars.
A few other less flown oddballs,
Line sets from 10" to 328" or 2m to 100m.
worlds only AQR that works.
North American distributor for PKD.
"Kite Bugging is not an addiction until you try to quit".
The most conventional and common response to kite cleaning is to use a damp rag and mild dish detergent... the key with using anything other than just
strait water is that it be mild. Jason (3shot) uses the original wallet I think, but all by hand, not in a machine.
That was one of my test kites, completely caked in mud, when I washed my 8.5m Blade that was a bath job and soft sponge. I have also washed my 12m
single skin (Hammer) in the bath but with just some warm water and again a soft sponge, when your only option is inland flying and can't wait for
fields to dry out it's inevitable they get muddy.
That said the machine washed one (done on a silk cycle) did come out very well. It needed line drying as the cycle doesn't spin it dry.
Blade V 4.9m & 8.5m VIP,Ozone Frenzy 11m, SS Flexifoil buggy, PL hybrid suspension buggy (PTW), MBS core 95.
homemade:
NPW 9b: 7m (Union Jack). NPW 9b HA 3m (Damien) and 10m (Jolly R). NPW21 3m, 5m (aka Zombie), 8m (Batman), 11.5m (NASA), NPW 21 HA 6.8m
The Hammers 5m, 7.2m & 12m
So... A while back I picked up a sweet set of PL Venoms. A 10m and a 16m. Anyway. I'd like to clean them and maybe reseal the fabric. My question is.
Does anyone got any advice on how to do this or even if I should? They are beautiful red and gold kites. A matching pair. But they are a bit dirty.
I wouldn't mess with them if they fly well. Cleaning kites is a losing battle unless you only plan to fly a couple times a year as show piece
a high tech jacket or tent is similar to your kite in care. i've used goretex jacket cleaner diluted way down with warm water and a soft sponge to
brush on over the kite. if the water gets dirty or loses its suds, exchange it for more fresh soapy mixture. do it in the lawn or a soft place where
you can crawl on the kite if you have to. suds it up then do a thorough rinse outside and inside since some suds will get inside. then drip dry,
then fly it dry. when you wash it you gotta put back a UV inhibitor and 'waterproofing' sealer because each time you wash it you are making the fabric
more vulnerable. the Nikwax or other wash-in stuff is carnuba wax based so it needs heat to 'activate' and melt into the fibers, if you skip this
step its useless and does not stick or stay with the fabric.
Now if the kite is floppy and porous recoat it with something to seal the pores like urethane 'tent sure' which i've used and works well. or if its
still crispy use Refit or Kiwi HD and do 2 coats. a quick way to tell what is going on with your fabric is to invert the kite inside out. look at
the backside of the fabric and see if the sizing/coating has begun to scale or discolor or flake off etc. you'll know it if you see it its a
noticeable difference from the outside finish on the fabric.
the Refit or Kiwi is chemical based and lighter than the wax stuff when dry but only 'sticks' well once the kite is clean and has no salt on it. the
Refit is $25 ish per bottle and the Kiwi HD is $7 for about half as much. i've used em both and they feel / smell identical so IMO the kiwi is the
ticket.
if the kite is porous, the re-coating works but only for a time, sorry there really is no magic stuff that restores your kite back to its glory days.
once the sizing is gone from the fabric , unfortunately the kite is nearly dead so you will have to come to terms with that. may i suggest turning
the kite into a hammock or kite bag stuff sack or shopping bag or pillow etc.... this way it still 'lives on' in memory and nostalgia.
if the kite is porous, the re-coating works but only for a time, sorry there really is no magic stuff that restores your kite back to its glory days.
once the sizing is gone from the fabric , unfortunately the kite is nearly dead so you will have to come to terms with that. may i
suggest turning the kite into a hammock or kite bag stuff sack or shopping bag or pillow etc.... this way it still 'lives on' in memory and nostalgia.
Would apologize, but alas it had to be done......
ATB,
Sam
"I never had any friends later on like the ones I had when I was 12 - Jesus, does anyone?" - The Body by Stephen King
Thanks for all the good advice guys. After reading your post powerzone. I decided to check out the inside of the fabric. It looks just like the
outside. The material doesn't show any signs of distress or wear. I had managed to get some green scuzzy sea foam on my 10m the other day and it just
looked terrible. I wasn't sure how to get it off. It's a beautiful day outside today and I have elected to try simply rinsing them off with some
freshwater and a soft sponge. No cleaning products. It looks like it worked. But should I attempt to reseal them? Or should I just leave them alone?
I'm leaning towards just leaving them be. (If it ain't broke don't fix it) right? They fly great in my opinion and they hold air fine. But then again
these are the only Arc's I've ever Flown and so far only static. All I can say is if the static test flights are any indication as to how there going
to preform in the buggy...Well...is it wrong for a grown man to be gitty?
Did I just spend 11 minutes and 34 seconds of what precious time I have left on this earth watching Sam's post? Yes I did but
nooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo I should not have. Another part of my life wasted.:flaming:
NAPKA US 47
District 17 Representative.
Beamer 1.8m, 2.5m A Chekka A few Zebras
4m Ozone Access de-power foil, prototype (for sale)
Wipika gear 5m DP (for sale) PL 8.6m Reactor
Big E NPW 21 6m custom NASA
A couple of monster tube kites I don't have the balls yet to fly.
Ivanpah Heavy with Big Kid mods. Other junk and stuff for fun.
OOBE Field Dirt Diver
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Silicone sealant dissolved in mineral turpentine. Apply plenty of it with a sponge and let the kite dry for a few days -And beware of the fumes if you
think about doing this indoors. :D:D:D:D:D
This method has been (successfully, I guess?) used on Flysurfer speeds but I haven't personally tried it so do this at your own risk!! :P
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