Loopy kites wear lines, and other lines of concern

[Eric Bro]

My lines get pretty frayed from looping the kite a lot, and all in first 3-4 feet above the bar. Is there some kind of wax or spray you can rub on the lines in those vulnerable areas to get some more life out of them?

I have swapped ends on the lines and that keeps em going a bit longer.

I also notice that the front lines are an inch or two longer than the rear lines when I finally replace them with new (equal length) lines. Is that normal, or am I stretching them beyond safe limits? (Funny, I hadn't noticed the kite turning better with age)

Also, can anyone recommend someone that sews loop ends on kitelines? I might just cut off the yard+ that is affected and put new loops on the whole set.

Thanks!

Eric Bro

[JRN]

ERIC, You might try swapping the front lines to the back. More pressure on the front, so more stretch. I have used old candle wax on frayed areas. Just pull the line taught, and rub the candle against it. It also seems to protect it from fraying more. Try it on the CL lines where they pass through the bar. I noticed a big improvement on movement. I would caution against bikini wax, however, if that is what you had in mind!

[Travii]

On some kites the front lines are higher test strength (800 lb) than the rear lines (600 lb). I think the REV's and RPM's are this way. This may or may not apply to your kite, but it's at least something to consider.

T

[BBAddict]

There's PTFE (Teflon spray) that you could spray on them. Not positive it would help, but it should--it would reduce the friction between lines.