Become the next best kite runner
Since April is Fly a Kite Month, Review thought it fit to teach those who don't know (or don't remember) how to, the basic steps to building a kite.
POLOKWANE – Anyone who has ever flown a kite knows half the fun is getting together with your friends or family and making your own.
Since April is Fly a Kite Month, Review thought it fit to teach those who don’t know (or don’t remember) how to, the basic steps to building a kite.
Step 1: Gather your supplies
You will need:
• A heavy-duty plastic bag, such as the kind designed for garden rubbish.
• A roll of electrical tape. Pick a colour that goes well with your bag!
• Two lengths of thin hardwood dowel, at least as long as your plastic bag. Aim for around 5mm in diameter. These can be found at most DIY shops.
• A line. A roll of fine nylon knitting yarn will do the job here, or some other light but strong synthetic thread, such as a fishing line.
• A piece of wood or cardboard for the winder (you can also buy line and a plastic winder online from specialist kite shops but these tend to be expensive).
Step 2: Gather your tools
You will need:
A ruler, a pair of scissors, black marker pen and a small wood saw or a carving knife. Be sure to ask an adult who knows how to work with these tools to help or supervise the building process.
Step 3: Sketch your kite sail
• Lay your plastic bag smoothly down on a flat surface, with the opening at the bottom. Mark three dots on the bag: one in the very top-left corner (closed end), a second on the left edge 100 cm down from the first dot, and a third dot 25 cm down from the top and 50 cm in from the left edge.
• Using a ruler, draw a straight line from dot one across to dot three, then back down and across to dot two. The dots should form an uneven triangle.
• Flip the bag over, and on the reverse side trace over the original marked line to make a matching triangle shape.
• Carefully cut along the top and left hand edge of the bag. Open it to a form a large flat sheet which will now have a recognisable diamond kite shape marked out.
Step 4: Cut out your kite sail
• Using a pair of scissors, carefully cut out your diamond. Don’t throw away the scrap pieces.
Step 5: Build your kite structure
• Take a length of dowel and lay it down the centre of your diamond, from the top of the diamond to the bottom. Saw it so it is exactly the length of the kite.
• Cut a roughly 5 cm piece of tape to tape each end of the dowel to the plastic. Tape along the length of the wood and fold the tape over a little at the top and bottom to firmly secure it.
• Take a second piece of the dowel and lay it from the left to right corners of the diamond, to form a T with the first piece. Saw and tape this dowel to the diamond exactly as you did before.
Step 6: Attach your line
• Turn the kite over and, using the end of the scissors, poke a small hole in the plastic where the two dowels cross.
• Thread one end of your line through the hole and firmly tie it to both pieces of wood, add some tape to the middle over the knot to make sure it is firmly in place.
• Tie the other end of the line to a small wooden block or piece of board that you can hold comfortably.
• To make this handle, use a strip of cardboard long enough to hold with both hands and slice a slit in the middle on both sides. Stick the end of the thread in one of the slits so that it doesn’t move as you wind the thread around it.
Step 7: Make a tail
• From the remaining pieces of plastic, fashion a long, narrow tail for your kite. The tail should be around 5 cm wide and about twice as long as your kite (you might need to tape pieces together and may need to use a second bag if you don’t have enough left over).
• Tie the tail to the bottom of the longer length of dowel, just above where it is taped to the plastic.
Step 8: Fly your kite!
Check out this descriptive video:
