Cheap Winders and...
After winding in a Delta kite one
afternoon that was on a fishing reel containing over 800 yards of 50# Spectra
line, my true lazy inclinations came out.
It took over 15 minutes to wind in the kite because it started to rain and
I thought… there has to be a better way.
Lo and behold, on the way home that afternoon I saw an old Exercycle in
a junk pile waiting for the local quarterly pickup. As I loaded it into the pickup, the whole
scenario was taking form. My son’s very
old abandoned bicycle was ALSO on OUR junk pile… [he’d
been gone 12 years!] What you see was
the final result. The bike rear end was
sawed off and I welded the frame to the Exercycle. I’ve taken off the line guides for the
picture. Line comes in a
I know, I know…
height limitations..
I’m a good boy now….
The line winder below is made from common ½”
pipe parts; 2-Tee’s, and 4 caps. The scooter handle is on a half-inch short sweep
schedule 40 electrical elbow. Line
winding is done in the usual figure “8” manner and straightening out the lines
to fly is quick.
Fast, and simple, it even holds 150’ of
300/200# buggy lines…. 4 lines, too!
More line can be wound on if longer pieces of pipe were used instead of
the caps.
Elastic hair band are used to hold the
whole thing together.
The winder shown here is 100’ of 250/150 for
the smaller of the NPW kites I fly most often.
A tip from a fellow 4 line flyer from the internet.
"I
make winders from ABS sewer pipe. A 3 inch long piece of 4" pipe makes a
good 6" winder. Set the pipe in hot oil (270 degrees) [That's degrees F,
ed.] one and a half inches deep for about 2 minutes and then flare the soft
plastic over the bottom of a round bowl. Repeat the process on the other side.
You will need a cooking thermometer as [accurate control of] the temperature is
critical for success. 10 degrees too hot and the pipe will blister. 10 degrees
too cold and it won't form.
Also,
don't leave it in the oil too long as that will cause it to buckle and/or
blister. With a little practice you can make all the winders you want for about
a quarter [$0.25 U.S.D.] each."
[270 degrees F = 132 degrees C. 10 degrees difference in degrees F = 5.5
degrees difference in degrees C.]
Fair winds.
Jim
Hannah
Best of
Luck!! Bill < mailto:NPWBill@cox.net>