Buddy
Randolph
Huntsville, Alabama
USA
Steve
Here are the Waldof Box Kite pictures I mentioned on the
phone today. This kite flies easily in light wind, but is
a wild beast in strong gusts (three days later, scared
the 4-year-old). Live and learn… I’ll use
more discretion when picking flying days for this one
from now on, and will experiment with the bridle attach
point. I’m sure a change of angle would change
the lift, which was clearly excessive in the strong wind.
That’s the plan for another day, because the
conditions were too challenging for an amateur like me to
do anything but wrestle it down and back into the
vehicle, grateful and surprised that nothing broke.
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Your materials worked really well. The
fabric “seconds” were, as you described,
indistinguishable from first quality for our purpose.
I appreciate your generous allowances on the fabric
amounts, and the surplus provided material for a kite
storage bag complete with two inside pockets for spare
dowels and the hub. We did substitute a grosgrain
ribbon for the edge binding, partly because of the
shipment delay [from the vendor] and partly because
my wife felt the material received was too heavy to match
the ripstop. I’ve kept the ribbon in mint
condition and will get it in the mail to you tomorrow. By the way, I sent an email to Tony
describing the crude way I machined the aluminum hub for
this kite. I figured to at least get some ribbing
from a real machinist but haven’t heard anything.
Kitebuilder.com is great – thanks
again.
Buddy Randolph
Huntsville, Alabama
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Hey Buddy, great
looking Waldorf! Yes, the kite might not look like a strong
puller on the ground but there is a lot of cloth in that kite -
meaning a lot of lift! I am a big fan of primary colors and the
way you used them is very effective. I bet it looks real cool
when the light hits it just right, combining colors, and giving
the kite a whole new dimension.
On this kite the edge binding would have been okay in some areas, but
yes, as you say, it is overkill to edge the whole kite with it -
especially the 1" that you ordered and it is no problem to
return it. I like to use this light weight webbing in areas where
there is a lot of stress and where stretch is a concern. We often
see the 1/2" and 3/4" on the edges of mid to large
sized foils and flowforms. We've also seen it used on the edges
of large Cody's where there is a lot of tension in the sail.
Be on the lookout for a response from the Old Man, he's not real
quick on the keyboard (he's much faster on the phone and with a
pencil), but he will get back to you. Dont worry about getting
beat up on your hub! lol, It works right? - that is most
important!
Thanks again for your letter and the positive feedback on
kitebuilder.com. Keep me posted on your next project.
~Steve
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