Whats your personal experience with how long these lines should be or why they are the length they are? Im making some handles and I need to pick a length. I havent been able to source or make a suitable adapter yet to rectify the aluminum tubing.

Who has ever seen the inside of Libre, Cooper, or Ozone handles? How do they keep the handle from cutting through the line?

I didnt initially have any issue with PL handles but now they all give me fits because the plastic fitting eventually cracks and breaks away if you fly enough. Hooked in and the kite overhead often and steering with the brakes really loads up the line at the handles.

I made up adapters on my lathe to change all my Peter Lynn handles over to a constrictor knot for power lines and love that there isn't any handle at the top to snag lines.
Just like this.

http://www.xxtreme.nl/xxproducts/xxgrips/

There is a flat cut into the recess to allow for the over lap of the knot without it protruding outside the handles diameter.

I've done over 10,000kms hot wired and they don't wear at all as they are pulling straight out of the knot.

I made my own plastic bushes from garden reticulation tube and a hot air gun for the brake bushes. Just push them up a centre punch and get them to double up with hot air. With practice they are perfect and last for years.

How did you attach the adapters to the tubing?

They are pressed in (an interference fit) with epoxy or Loktite "Quick metal" after sanding up the insides for a good bond and the insert covers the original holes.


This is also how to make the bushes.




They are not very clear being reduced to fit this forum. Message me with your email address and I'll forward my sketches to you.

An extremely strong and easy way is to loop the line around the handles.

Building handles is a lot of work. Slow and time consuming. First two sets ready for testing. Im sure Ill make more using different methods yet. A 10 foot stick of 1/2 inch schedule 40 is $2. The line costs more then the handles. Still a 1/4 of the cost of buying a commercial set. Time and convenience though. I wouldnt even be making these if the PL handles would never wear out.



This stuff here is a real close match to the line material we are familiar with. Its also listed on Amazon and eBay.

https://sgtknots.com/collections/rope/products/sgt-knots-nyl...

Nice work.
I thought PVC pipe may be a bit brittle for this application?

Just make sure that your happy with the strop length before you fly the kite (which will cinch up the knot unbelievably tight).

The constrictor knot is a bugger to get undone again even with a tapered awl. The bonus is no wear with it, as all the flex is now in the leader line only.

I flared out the ends of the plastic tubing so it would stay retained in the handles. 1 long line for the strop and leaders.