My Family of Kites

I make kites, and try to give each a personality. They are made from any material that is handy. I have used shower curtains, tablecloths, trash bags, shopping bags and rolls of polyethylene or other plastic. I mostly use dowels for spars and spines, but my small paper kites use folds in the paper for rigidity. I hope this video inspires you to build kites of your own and to teach a child to fly a kite.

Category:

People & Blogs

Tags:

• kites
• family
• tattler100
• delta
• sled
• shopping bag
• tablecloth
• trash bag
• plastic

[Tattler100]

The center straw is 11 inches long. The kite has been distorted by flights and tape that loosened, then grabbed where it shouldn't have in storage. All I did was reduce the size of a kite I found in the book Kites To Touch The Sky by using proportion. In other words, if I wanted it to be half as large I just divided all dimensions by 2.

[Tattler100]

The Predator is ten feet tall and eight feet wide.

[Thekrega]

How do you seal your trash bag kites? Heat, glue, or tape? If you use glue, what kind?

[Tattler100]

@Thekrega I use tape for most all of them. Sometimes I weld pieces together with a soldering iron. I have a power controler for the iron and I place waxed paper between the iron and the kite material and between the kite material and the base it is resting on. Practice on scraps.

[MAG315]

I once had the pleasure of meeting Mr. H. B. Alexander at a kite meet in Flat Rock, NC. He was one of the original charter members of the AKA and extremely interesting to talk with. Like you, one of the things he stressed was making your kites out of inexpensive, everyday things you already had around the house. We walked over to his car and he proceeded to pull out about 40 to 50 handmade kites to show us. He told us he had never owned a "store bought" kite.

[Tattler100]

@MAG315 Thanks for the comment. There is a thrill in seeing and feeling a home-built kite fly. I made an unusual sled today and flew it this evening. I thought I might have gone too far with some changes. The wind was gusty and a little high for sled kites, and I was flying it with no tail. I was pleased with the flying performance and brought home some photos and video clips. I am a retired engineer, but there is no engineering in my kites, just trial and error.

[pecfree]

nice pipas(kites) but the song is so depressing bro! lol

[taos55]

I find this video so inspiring for some reason I can't explain. Thank you so much for sharing.

[Austin9978com]

can i know the measurements for the small delta kite thats made of trash bags and drinking straws

[1aideo]

check out my video (how to make a paper kite 1aideo)

[Thekrega]

Love the Predator. What are it's dimensions?

How do you seal your trash bag kites? Heat, glue, or tape? If you use glue, what kind?