Kitebuilder Online

Stan · Posted: Wed Feb 04, 2004 1:55 pm Post subject:

When I gather spinnaker scraps from the sail lofts, they are sometimes wrinkled, and I roll them up and sort them, tieing with a fabric strip. It's sometimes months before I open them back up to find them somewhat smoother. Sharp creases are almost impossible to remove.

Stan

Steve D · Joined: 02 Sep 2003 Posts: 647 Location: USA GA Newnan

I never got around to trying to iron my Ripstop. I ended up wrapping a piece around a stiff cardboard tube like Squid suggested then heating it with a blow dryer. The wrinkles weren't completely gone but it did get out the worst of the creases - worked fairly well and was relatively quick.

Kitesquid · Posted: Fri Feb 06, 2004 10:14 am Post subject:

Dorsal · Posted: Fri Feb 06, 2004 11:57 am Post subject: Yes, it works!

Aw, how many times has this come up? I have ironed dozens of yards of Nylon and Polyester material (like both tails on my PK Pyro), without any problems. I set the iron on the "Silk" setting, NO steam, and just keep the iron moving.
Nylon is far more tricky, because you can use the heat to stretch or shrink the material slightly, depending on whether you keep it under tension while that section cools.
The tube idea will work fine, too - it just depends on how soon you want your material wrrinkle free.
_________________
"The wind is the perfect reminder of God.
The only way we can prove it exists is by observing the things it affects.
That's why I also believe in the wind!"
Dennis

kiteguy · Posted: Fri Feb 06, 2004 1:19 pm Post subject:

I iron the wrinkles from my Ripstop quite often. I just don't do it where my wife can see me. I use a garage sale iron which is not a steam iron.

I often wrinkle my material severely and while it is only paratially relaxed I spray paint it with Design Master paint from the side as much as possible. This puts paint on one side of the wrinkles and leaves the other side alone. Then I turn the material over and spray the other side from the opposite direction as the first time.

When it is dry, I iron it out flat. The result is a smooth kite skin that looks like it is made from rough granite, or some sort of stone.

I will dig up a photo of a kite done this way so you can see the result.

This kite is one of several that I made for a Memorial Flight in memory of fellow club members that are no longer with us. The sail has been ironed perfectly flat. Honest! Really!

_________________

Kites + Kids = Education