Anyone have some tips for inspecting for pin holes in canopies. ie light at night work with 2 people. inflated deflated etc. Also is there any product that can condition, preserve, protect or rejuvinate kite lines without making them sticky or heavier. Water proofing agent? Cheers!

Pin holes in canopy's can be a problem I hate those lil buggers you can check for holes by your self by pumping the kite up in daylight and simply look for holes. As for the canopy section near the LE where it is flat on the LE I leave the kite deflated to expose that section. If you find a suspect hole you can always take a close up pic and sent that to a decent repairer for their opinion. Not sure about line rejuvenation products I don't think anyone really wants to fool around trying different things to water proof their lines just wash your lines with water after use and that should be all you need. Lines wear so just keep an eye out for wear points and knots and replace every first or second season, also don't forget to clean out your release system. I remember one time when I had been kiting for about 12 months I took my bar and lines into the ZU Board Sports in good old sunny Melbs to replace my trim line and when Ivan pulled my system apart he found a LOT of fine white powder, that was salt I assume and it just didn't look good, since then when I hose the bar I always get in there and do that. hope that helps a lil bit

Set a line up in the back yard
Clothes peg your trailing edge
Check for holes and circle with chalk
Tear aid type A CLEAR nothing else
Circular punch or sharp scissors 5 to 10 cent diameter ( circular patches hole better due to no catching edge & cosmetically look better )
Alcohol wipes
Let dry
Apply over hole on flat surface
Warm with hair dryer and apply pressure ( nylon roller)
Flip over and back up holes with another patch( not vital)
Kite lines ermmm nah, a tight weave is less likely to allow abrasives to ingress, maybe wax on a power line that passes through bar, kite life products used to do some sprays years ago, gimmick I'd say, might give the kite a newer look but restore,

I wouldn't use wax on the trim line it just promotes wear on the lines and the inside of the bar by sand , great tip for the canopy tho

Wouldn't you ...I wax my trim. Triples it's life.

Uninflated kite, hold it up with both hands towards a light source, light one side you on the other. Holes become easily visible. Pin holes though as in holes no bigger than 1mm, leave them alone. But if you must, then sail repair tape, the best is insignia tape. Every Ozone kite (I'm saying that because I know you fly Ozone) has a strip of black and white insignia tape in the repair pack. Cut a small circle and place on the inside, and a smaller piece on the outside (so you don't make a thick edge) clean like cauncy said first. Do not use metho, it leaves a residue that stops the glue sticking properly. You can get small 100ml spray bottles of alchohol at the chemist and bunnings, its a good vodka supplement in an emergency too.
Small puncture holes I never fix, anything longer than 2-3mm definitely fix if its in the centre panels of the kite, panels from the tip to the first strut are very lightly loaded.
I have used silicone spray on land kite lines, with no issues, but I'd def not use it in the water it will be a slippery nightmare and its a pollutant. Used to wax the centre line when they were not replaceable, def made it last longer, but it did attract sand and could get very abrasive to the centre hole. These days with easily replaceable (not all brands) centre lines I would not do it, because in hot weather it will just becomes a sandy sticky mess.

Pump your kite up outside during the day. Stand underneath it and look up.
The universe has provided a convenient pin hole detector 8 light minutes away from the earth.
Its called the sun. It will provide ample light to shine through any pin holes.

As above. I use Ripstop, but like Terry, I don't bother with them unless they are getting bigger or start to show signs of threading. They are great to look at as your kite passes between you and the sun. Like twinkle little stars.

Yes I normally inflate and get underneath with sun behind. I've never found one. Just wanted to double check to make sure I wasn't missing anything or doing something wrong. Cheers

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cauncy said..
Set a line up in the back yard
Clothes peg your trailing edge
Check for holes and circle with chalk

Hey thanks Cauncy. Passed your method onto mate (newbyish) buying kite in other city. He did find a couple of minuscule holes and a worn/broken stitch where kite rolls. Felt like an expert and saved/ haggled $100 s off, got a bargain! Cheers

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eppo said..
Wouldn't you ...I wax my trim.

Hmmmmm, too much information sir. I only like to hear about waxed trim from Mrs Freeze.

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MrFreeze said..

eppo said..
Wouldn't you ...I wax my trim.

Hmmmmm, too much information sir. I only like to hear about waxed trim from Mrs Freeze.

Lol...