Forums > Kitesurfing General

Coating Your Kite

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Created by DoctorTerry > 9 months ago, 29 Jul 2019
DoctorTerry
4 posts
29 Jul 2019 4:08PM
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So you want to coat ur sweet kite, here is how you do it...

Mix pure, new silicon sealant with turps/white spirit/mineral spirit (oudorless if possible). MIX thorughly then put into a clear water bottle and shake until the silicon is FULLY suspended, no lumps.

Apply two coats to the extrados 1st coat 5:1, then, leave overnight and then 2nd coat, 3:1 (3 parts white spirit,1 part silicon sealant). Be aware that the first coat will soak through and you dont want a slippery floor ??. The turps evaporates fairly quickly the fully silicon cures up to 24hrs later

The extrodos (outer surface) takes all the wear as its pumped up, deflated, and packed away on the sand (or whatever). Also the extrados takes the main UV hit. Best to start treating the kite in the first year. Im hoping that one treatment will last the life of the kite as silicon doesnt not break down. We will see!

It can be applied applied a broad brush and cereal bowl. Kite must be dried flat.

The kite weight will increase by the about the weight of the silicon chaulk, but the canopy will not hold water as it is hopefully non-porous. The kite MAY still be lighter than original weight.Tear strengh improves, hang time inproves, wear is reduced big time.

For the LE you may wish to try the window film, for areas that touch the sand (not tried) or car wax wipes. If the LE bladder is out u can coat the whole kite in one go (u dont want to unglue valves, or contaminate the bladder). Ive never had a strut blow out, so why add to the weight.

I live in thailand, UV damage is a bitch. Everytime u use the kite it gets lighter. Prevention is better than cure (and MUCH cheaper).

c u on the water..

Doctor Terry ??

PS..Hey, let me know how u get on!

Plummet
4862 posts
29 Jul 2019 6:41PM
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Wow, that is a game changer. I am going to paint my kite with a cerial bowl and dub it the schrodinger's paint job because it is both lighter and heavier at the same time.

causehecan
WA, 668 posts
29 Jul 2019 6:47PM
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Threads like this make me so paranoid because theyre so stupid im worried people think its me.


Dont put anything on your kite. Its made from polyester. And the polyester is treated and coated to make it last longer against uv etc etc..

Some asshole on internet telling you to put paint thinner on it should ring alarm bells.

lotofwind
NSW, 6450 posts
29 Jul 2019 9:18PM
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^^^ yeah, I recon.

The best way is to lay your kite flat onto a rough bitumen road and rub surf board wax, in several layer, all over the canopy.
It will make it "grip" the power of the wind better so you can fly an 8m when every one else is on a 10m.
And offers maximum UV and chem trail protection.

Chris_M
2128 posts
29 Jul 2019 7:21PM
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Will this work on wind wings too?

cauncy
WA, 8407 posts
29 Jul 2019 7:28PM
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Select to expand quote
Plummet said..
Wow, that is a game changer. I am going to paint my kite with a cerial bowl and dub it the schrodinger's paint job because it is both lighter and heavier at the same time.


Thought yewwwwd use lanolin

lotofwind
NSW, 6450 posts
29 Jul 2019 9:31PM
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I hope so, otherwise there will be a lot of angry windsurfers around that are buying them on the promise that you can now windsurf waves, like a surfer or kiter, without a pole getting in the way. But then they get UV damaged cause the surf wax thing dosent work on a wing

Subsonic
WA, 2963 posts
29 Jul 2019 9:54PM
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You kiters are a special sort. (Special sauce in the docs case).

Kinda reminds me of the stick your phone in the microwave for a fast charge meme.

simon78
NSW, 115 posts
30 Jul 2019 6:00AM
Thumbs Up

silicone comes in an aerosol can for waterproofing polyester or cotton clothing.

Mum used to buy a water soluable liquid and put 50mls in the washing machine with a jacket to make it waterproof.

keep it away from my kites.

bjw
NSW, 3567 posts
30 Jul 2019 6:26AM
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Nah youre all wrong. The best method is to rub Vicks Vapour rub into the capopy on a windy day at a sandy beach. Best results if it's raining.

causehecan
WA, 668 posts
30 Jul 2019 5:11AM
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Select to expand quote
cauncy said..
I've seen The doctor wanking on his gear , does that count


How much does he charge? Is it a membership sort of thing or a one off? Does he then watch you?

oldbones
QLD, 114 posts
30 Jul 2019 9:06AM
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Select to expand quote
DoctorTerry said..
So you want to coat ur sweet kite, here is how you do it...

Mix pure, new silicon sealant with turps/white spirit/mineral spirit (oudorless if possible). MIX thorughly then put into a clear water bottle and shake until the silicon is FULLY suspended, no lumps.

Apply two coats to the extrados 1st coat 5:1, then, leave overnight and then 2nd coat, 3:1 (3 parts white spirit,1 part silicon sealant). Be aware that the first coat will soak through and you dont want a slippery floor ??. The turps evaporates fairly quickly the fully silicon cures up to 24hrs later

The extrodos (outer surface) takes all the wear as its pumped up, deflated, and packed away on the sand (or whatever). Also the extrados takes the main UV hit. Best to start treating the kite in the first year. Im hoping that one treatment will last the life of the kite as silicon doesnt not break down. We will see!

It can be applied applied a broad brush and cereal bowl. Kite must be dried flat.

The kite weight will increase by the about the weight of the silicon chaulk, but the canopy will not hold water as it is hopefully non-porous. The kite MAY still be lighter than original weight.Tear strengh improves, hang time inproves, wear is reduced big time.

For the LE you may wish to try the window film, for areas that touch the sand (not tried) or car wax wipes. If the LE bladder is out u can coat the whole kite in one go (u dont want to unglue valves, or contaminate the bladder). Ive never had a strut blow out, so why add to the weight.

I live in thailand, UV damage is a bitch. Everytime u use the kite it gets lighter. Prevention is better than cure (and MUCH cheaper).

c u on the water..

Doctor Terry ??

PS..Hey, let me know how u get on!


Thanks Doctor, I'm gunna give it go on an old foil kite. Got some red high temp silicon on red kite, should work a treat. Will let you know

causehecan
WA, 668 posts
30 Jul 2019 7:50AM
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Craig i hope you have a square of fabric to test your compound

oldbones
QLD, 114 posts
30 Jul 2019 12:28PM
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testing is good! but I got a good feeling about this one, gunna roll the dice

bjw
NSW, 3567 posts
30 Jul 2019 1:23PM
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Also rubbing in Vegemite to the LE is advisable for the southern States.

It keeps away Drop Bears.

theDoctor
NSW, 5765 posts
30 Jul 2019 3:30PM
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You can also fully charge you mobile phone in twenty seconds by putting it in the microwave on high for 1 minute

amirite
350 posts
30 Jul 2019 2:18PM
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Select to expand quote
theDoctor said..
You can also fully charge you mobile phone in twenty seconds by putting it in the microwave on high for 1 minute



as mentioned earlier by Subsonic
try reading thread before posting

theDoctor
NSW, 5765 posts
30 Jul 2019 9:02PM
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If duotone has a semblance to doublelogin

Maybe causehedribbles and myahrseain'ttight should go for a hopeless yet present sponsorship....
Like bws was calling ambassadorship

bjw
NSW, 3567 posts
31 Jul 2019 5:07AM
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Select to expand quote
theDoctor said..
You can also fully charge you mobile phone in twenty seconds by putting it in the microwave on high for 1 minute


Yep there is people 'scientific' enough to try this

DoctorTerry
4 posts
2 Aug 2019 7:21PM
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im sorry to dissappoint u guys but ive tried it and it works. It goes on sweet and helps protect ur kite ( For 300 thia bart)

The original coating only lasts for maybe 20 or 30 sessions and if u use just tube ONE of silicon the weight of the kite in theory will increase by 0.75kg which is the weight of 300ml of silicon rubber. My rebel when new weighed about 4kg.

Why be cynical?, Why not try it on an old kite thats become worryingly thin and has already lost weight due to UV damage The silicon cures within the polyester weave. Its the perfect solution.

Anyway Im sorry if im competing with ur inferior commercial products. Im only trying to share.

later...

Doctor Terry ??







amirite
350 posts
2 Aug 2019 8:24PM
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is it like scotchgard

bjw
NSW, 3567 posts
3 Aug 2019 7:05AM
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Kites already have coatings on it so it may be OK for an old kite, but it might damage the intended coating for a current year kite.

DoctorTerry
4 posts
3 Aug 2019 10:59AM
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At last some honest comments.

Well i heard that scotch gaurd is a great product, altough i havent used it. but it might not soak in and cure in the same way and may cost more than 300 Thai bart.

The post about using on an old kite is valid IMHO. However If you have already had a LE blow out or ur kite has split in two u have got the timing wrong??

I have to challange the post that says keep silicon away from ur kite. Actually, you want silicon all over the kite. For example it works on the lines too. Also i recently changed my 5 interconnecting tubes on my Rebel becuase they were decomposing in the UV light. A safety issue IMHO. I replaced the tubes with silicon tubing (inside diam 7mm/outside diam 11mm). The silicon tubes will last longer than the kite, me and everyone on this forum!

I rest my case.

Doctor Terry??








bjw
NSW, 3567 posts
3 Aug 2019 4:31PM
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Does a seabreeze ad cost more than 300 Thai Baht?

amirite
350 posts
3 Aug 2019 5:02PM
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Select to expand quote
DoctorTerry said..
Well i heard that scotch gaurd is a great product

kiter 'protects' fabric with scotchgard

weakens immune system, imbalances hormones, reduces fertility, risks getting cancer

KPSS Used
NSW, 372 posts
Site Sponsor
5 Aug 2019 10:21AM
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Select to expand quote
DoctorTerry said..
im sorry to dissappoint u guys but ive tried it and it works. It goes on sweet and helps protect ur kite ( For 300 thia bart)

The original coating only lasts for maybe 20 or 30 sessions and if u use just tube ONE of silicon the weight of the kite in theory will increase by 0.75kg which is the weight of 300ml of silicon rubber. My rebel when new weighed about 4kg.

Why be cynical?, Why not try it on an old kite thats become worryingly thin and has already lost weight due to UV damage The silicon cures within the polyester weave. Its the perfect solution.

Anyway Im sorry if im competing with ur inferior commercial products. Im only trying to share.

later...

Doctor Terry ??









If you reckon adding 15-20% of your kites weight will help it perform go for it.
Spray cans of clear polyurethane also works, but all these coatings weight will affect kite performance. Also if a kite is that worn, its performance will also be on the way out, adding weight will only make the issue much worse.

causehecan
WA, 668 posts
5 Aug 2019 4:38PM
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I use to spray all my weed with brix and mango nectar so itd weigh more and i could get more cash for it.

Problem was the mango nectar would start getting s white mold on it after ahwhile in storage so i invented some funky name like white widow etc etc people were paying me even more cash for moldy dope.

People are idiots

And so are you if you put any of ops magic potion on ya kite

lotofwind
NSW, 6450 posts
5 Aug 2019 6:40PM
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Yaaaaaay, hes back

causehecan
WA, 668 posts
5 Aug 2019 7:29PM
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How do you know im a he? I could be a bunnings class lesbian with a flat top and mullet combo and "causehecan" could be a political statement about how hard done by i am by the "man" i could really be a windsurfer whose real name could be agatha or gertrude (cause poleys are old timey weirdos who swing theyre arms locked at 90 degree angles whenever they want to express enthusiasim

amirite
350 posts
5 Aug 2019 7:54PM
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Select to expand quote
lotofwind said..
Yaaaaaay, hes back


can't just assume ze's gender
must wait until ze decides



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"Coating Your Kite" started by DoctorTerry