Sport Today

Help___kite makers out there___when using seam tape how, oh how, do you keep
your needle from gumming up?  I've used Teflon needles, car wax, Goo-Gone,
etc.etc..______Any answers?
Prat for Wind!
CHJ

No wonder my needles clog____I can't even spell "Pray"!

The gum can be a real pain, tell me about it.
After a few experiments this is how I sew with double sided tape -
1.    Don't use a ballpoint needle, it only makes it worse.
2.    Use a cotton bud dipped in surgical spirit and wipe your needle often.
3.    I use 6mm tape and a 6mm seam, the secret is to cut the tape down its
length and stitch just to the side of the tape.
4.    Roll all seams before sewing with a seam roller (used for
wallpapering). This helps to prevent lifting.

I don't do 1. I always do 3. & 4. and do 2. less often. works for me

Help___kite makers out there___when using seam tape how, oh how, do you keep
your needle from gumming up?  I've used Teflon needles, car wax, Goo-Gone,
etc.etc..______Any answers?
Prat for Wind!
CHJ
---------------------------------------------------------

Try alternate brands of tape.  I haven't had to buy any in a long time, but
what I've been using (sadly packageless, so I don't know what brand it was)
doesn't gum the needle at all.

JIM
Jim Martin
Region 4 Director, AKA (www.aka.kite.org)
Buy NKM logo stuff here ---> www.cafepress.com/kitemonth

"This line is so good, it surely must end in a kite!"
        -- Ethelred the Unready

Use bonded thread in the smallest size you can

(I use Dabond Polyestr in ize 33 from Hang-em-high on 90% of my kites)

Use the smallest size Schmtz DENIM needle you can

(I use a #10 or #12, but you have to look hard to find the small size
denim needles, Clotilde carrys them on the internet)  www.clotilde.com

Put a little, less than a drop of "sewers aid" (it is silicone oil in
a little bottle) on the needlle from time to time, but not too much as
you will have to clean your fabric.

Sew slow.

Use a diffrent adhisive, like 3M's F9460PC........

Stop using it in the seam.  If you are reverse appliqueing, put it
next to the seam and remove it after sewing when you back cut...  If
you are using precut shapes, like how most sport kites are assembled,
you might shift over to hot takcing your pieces together, insted of
using double sided tape.

I use Gutterman thread and when I buy it I spray the whole spool with
silicon dashboard polish until the thread is dripping and let it soak
in. Next I leave them to dry for a day or two in a paper bag then just
sew with it.
I've usead a variety of tapes, 3M, bainbridge and venture and this
method stops the stickies with all of them. It doesn't stain the fabric
either on Icarex or nylon.
The brand of dashboard polish I use is Back to Black (I'm in the UK), I
cant say whether other brands would be as succesful.

--
Ian Newham

http://www.IanNewham.com

One solution I have found is, I use stick glue such as UHU glue. Put it on
lightly, press the piece to be sewn on and wait for it to dry, about 1
minute. It dissolves in water, so before you bridle or frame your kite,
throw it in the washing machine. Great hold and a clean kite.

--
Kites.........A Natural High
Rick Longhurst

What Ian is dooing is bonding the thread himself....

Try using undiluted dish washing liquid. Wipe needle with it regularly.
Works for me

I didnt realize that's what bonded meant - have you got any
recommendations for widely available bonded threads - I'll give one a
try next time I'm sewing.

--
Ian Newham

http://www.IanNewham.com

I use the same 3M tape, schmitz needles & no problems. The hot tacking
is also very effective in holding the material if you don't want to
use glue. Hope that helps.

Have you tried pins...
They don't gum anything up and they're ever so cheap...

H

DaBond polyester is avaiable in black and white from Hang-Em-High
fabrics.  I buy the 4 oz cones.

If you want a thicer thread you can get more colors from Sail Right...

Kite Studio sells bonded nylon, but I prefer DaBond Polyester.  The
Kite Studio threads are a little to thick for me and I cant seeem to
sew well with them, but there are tons of kitebuilders out there that
will use nothing else...

I do like your bonding method.

Bonding with silicone makes the fibers lay down and also lubricates
the theread as it goes thru your machine.

Hi CHJ, hi folks.

I also use Pritt glue.

Another way I also use a lot is hot tacking the material.  Hot tacking
is faster and I dont need to wait for the glue to dry.

Two ways I do it:

1 - I cut my pieces 1 or 2 mm wider than needed.  Then I place them on
top of each other(using a little glue to avoid slippage, just a few
dab every 10 cm or 4 inches) and I cut both pieces with a hot knife.
This seals the pieces together so they do not slip when sewing.  I do
not wait for the glue to dray since it hold the piece just enough for
the hot cutting.  Since they are held together for the whole length
the sewing ends up with a very high degree of precision.

2 - I cut my pieces to the finised size.  Then I hot tack every 5 cm
or 2 inches with a fine point soldering iron.  This seals the pieces
together but there are gaps in between the tack points so I must be
more attentive when sewing to avoid some slippage and creating
pockets.

Just ideas.

Wind or no wind, fly for fun :)

Jean (Johnny) Lemire from Richelieu, Quebec, Canada

Bonded thread has an acrylic coating which bonds the fibers together.
sil;icone is a lubricant.  bonded thread will typically have a lubricant,
which sometimes reacts with certain dies and finishes.  Used to use Dabond
2000 but it left snail-trails all over one color of nylon, looked like oil
drips.  try your lubricant on a s***of each color just to make sure it
doesn't leave a mark.

an observation for which I have no good explanation, I used adhesives on
commercial kites, never had problems with gumming up needles on industrial
sewing machines, but always saw it on home machines, caused problems with
dropped zig-zag stitches.  could have been the speed of the machines,
heating the needle possibly, but I never figured that one out.

Stan