Kite Lines - Vol.1 No. 2 - KiteLife

THE DUTCH KITE2. Open paper flat . Fold and crease ona line 3" from the top (short way) . Foldand crease 3/4" from this fold . This willform a horizontal ridge .3 . Unfold the 3/4" -wide crease and cuton heavily marked lines .4 . Open paper flat, ridge side down .Brush glue on top and bottom sections ofthe long vertical fold (between the foldlines) but not on the horizontal fold sectionwhere the H-shaped slit is . Laybamboo reed, cut to size, on the centercrease, a short piece above the crossfold and a long length below . Fold incenter, spreading sides out flat, thusgluing the spine of the kite .5 . The cut flaps on the intersection overtical and horizontal ridges (crossfold) should slide over each other, onEcoming out on front of the kite, the otheron the back . Glue these flaps down orfront and back of kite .6 . On the back, brush glue on the crossfold and horizontal ridge area . Lay bambooreed in the crease . Bring together toform the horizontal ridge . Trim off topcorners .Now for the bridle :7 . Take two scraps of paper, each piece2x2 ½ ", and fold in half, across the 2"dimension . Fold in half the other way andsnip a small corner off the center fold,making a hole in the center of the paper .On one scrap, cut about 3/4" up themiddle fold below the corner cut .8. Open pieces up . Tie each end of the24" string to the center of a 2" bambooreed . Thread the sticks through the holesin the small papers, so that the sticks ridein the creases and the papers are linkedby the string .9 . Over the intersection of the ridges(parallel to the vertical ridge), glue thepaper with the slit, which separates tofit over the horizontal ridge . The otherend of the bridle is glued over the verticalridge at the bottom of the kite . Last,glue on the tail, a 4' strip of 1"-widecrepe paper to the bottom center backof the kite .A simple way to set the bridle angleon a light kite : Slip a finger through thebridle string, so it forms a right angle withthe kite at the juncture of the uprightand cross ridges . With the other hand,pinch off a loop in the string, bringingthe part of the string nearest the top ofthe kite up to meet the other portion .Pick a m de open place, fly and enjoy!FURTHER EXPERIMENTSKeeping the same proportions, you canscale the Dutch Kite down to as smallas 3x4" (before folding) . For tiny versions,use crisp, lightweight paper,broom straw for reinforcements, andmake the folds and the scraps for thebridle assembly as narrow as possibleto save weight . Fine strips of crepepaper will serve for tail . Fly on "crystal"thread, a very fine monofilament, soldin sewing centers . (Anything heavierwould mean a flying line heavier thanthe kite .) These pocket-sized kites flywell, but they need a fairly strong windand considerable skill .Dutch Kites scaledlarger than standard aregiraffes, subject to slippeddiscs and other backailments .The Dutch Kite is excellentfor flying in train. Use15-lb .-test line for the masterline, to which all the kiteswill be tied . Tie the first kiteto this line and let it outabout 50 feet. Using crochetthread, or other light flyingline, put up a second kite tcabout 25 feet. Tie a loop inthe master line, break off thesecond line and tie it throughthe loop . You now have twokites on one line, and cancontinue adding others in thesame manner. The addedkites help take the drag fromthe line, and the limit you canfly in this way is unknown . 0