Kite cleaning

[mattyw]

Just wondering if anyone could help out. One of the guys we fly with was unfortunate enough to have his kite dirtied up with some greece or oil off the floor of a boat. He has an Ozone LD. I don't know the extent of the damage as I haven't seen it yet, but does anyone know what to use in an attempt to clean his poor kite up a bit without damaging the ripstop? Any ideas from past disasters would be greatly appreciated!!! :)

[schmik]

Wipe off as much as possible. Then try warm soapy water in a bath. Maybe give it a spray with preen first. That should be ok on ripstop.

Another method i've used is.... tie up the bridels with a spare piece of line. put the kite in a pillow case. Tie up the top of the pillow case. Put it in the wash with warm water and a small amount of detergent and make sure you take it out before the spin cycle.... let it drip dry.

I think that the bath apporach will be better... nothing beats elbow grease!

Oh..... I' don't thinnk she'll ever look like new again.... not after grease and oil.

Schmik

[mattyw]

Thanks Schmik, might give the soapy water in the bath method a go! Had a look at the kite last night... Murphy's Law, all the greece is on the white panels, and there's barely any on the red ones!!! Poor guy! Never mind, at least it still flies!
A few of us will probebly be flying in George Kendal Riverside Park on Sunday and having a bit of a bbq, depending on the wind, if you are passing that way and feel like a fly.

[schmik]

Ahhh... i'd love to fly but i've broken my ankle. (I thought it was sprained and have been walking and stuff and today it got x-rayed and its busted - s h i t , its been this way for 4 weeks.... weird). I might drop down anyway. Anyway, any of you wanna buy a blade 4.9 or 7.8 ? I want an ozone frenzy!

Please put up a post on here if you will be flying.

schmik

[mattyw]

That sucks that you broke your ankle. I broke mine 14 weeks ago and also my leg in two places out on the water. Was in cast for 10 weeks!!! No kitesurfing or atb for me for months, so brought myself a buggy and have been cruisin' around in that instead! Just sit in the buggy sideways and you can fly with one hand and steer the buggy with the other! It is quite hard to turn though!!! :lol: I'm just at the stage now where I can ride with my feet on the pegs and dodge potholes, without much pain.

I'll pop a post up on Sunday morning saying whether we'll be there or not, I'd say we'll almost certainly go unless there's no wind or it's pouring with rain!

[mattyw]

Oh, and as for the blades, you'll probebly have a hard time selling them to us... we all want a frenzy too!!! :lol:

[Azza]

G'day,

I've used Nikwax "Tech Wash" on a PL Waterfoil before. It did the job well. It wasn't an engine oil stain though.

Check their website http://www.nikwax.co.uk for more info; they recomend different products for different uses... sails, packs, etc..

They also have a waterbased water proofing treatment. That might sound a bit odd but, it doesn't dissolve glued/taped seams which is what some other products will do. Worked well on Chickara.

I don't work for their marketting dept', I just liked the stuff. It isn't cheap but neither is a bought kite. I got it at "Rays Outdoors".

[mattyw]

Hi schmik, not too sure what's happening this arvo, no one seems to have woken up yet!!!!! Might be best if you give me a ring on my mobile at about lunch time and I should know what's happening then. We are definitely flying, just not sure when and where! Sorry about the disorganisation. Had a great fly yesterday at Wanda, it was the steadiest 16 knot ESE. Great conditions! I'll talk to you this arvo.

Azza, thakyou for the "tech wash" sugestion, I will mention it to him.