Make Your Own Kite

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Have ever wanted to build a kite? Well, here is a simple kite you can make your self!

A kite consists of these basic parts:
The Spine. The up-and-down, or vertical stick that you build your kite around.
The Spar. The support stick(s), that are placed crossways or at a slant over the spine. Sometimes they are curved or bowed.
The Frame. The joined spine and spars, usually with a string connecting their ends, that form the shape of the kite and make a support for the cover.
The Cover. The paper, plastic, or cloth, that cover the frame to make a kite.
The Bridle. One or more strings attached to the spine or spars, which help control the kite in the air.
The Flying Line. The string running from the kites’ bridle, where you hold to fly the kite.
The Tail. A long strip of paper or plastic of ribbon that helps to balance the kite in flight. Not all kites need tails.
The Reel. The object you use to wind your flying line, to keep it form getting tangled or flying away.

DIAMOND KITE

Materials:
- butcher cord or thin garden twine
- scotch tape or glue
- 1 sheet of strong paper (102cm x 102cm)
- 2 strong, straight wooden sticks of bamboo or wooden doweling 90cm and 102cm
- markers, paint or crayons to decorate you kite.

1. Make a cross with the two sticks, with the shorter stick placed horizontally across the longer stick. Make sure that both sides of the cross piece is equal in width.

2. Tie the two sticks together with the string in such a way as to make sure that they are at right angles to each other. A good way to ensure that the joint is strong to put a dab of glue to stick it in place.

3. Cut a notch at each end of both sticks. Make it deep enough for the type of string you are using to fit in to. Cut a piece of string long enough to stretch all around the kite frame. Make a loop in the top notch and fasten it by wrapping the string around the stick. Stretch the string through the notch at one end of the cross-piece, and make another loop at the bottom. Stretch the string through the notch at one end of the loop at the bottom. Stretch the string through the notch at the other end of the cross-piece. Finish by wrapping the string a few times around the top of the stick and cutting off what you don't need. This string frame must be taut, but not so tight as to warp the sticks.

4. Lay the sail material flat and place the stick frame face down on top. Cut around it, leaving about 2-3cm for a margin. Fold these edges over the string frame and tape or glue it down so that the material is tight.

5. Cut a piece of string about 122 cm long. and tie one end to the loop at the other end of the string to the loop at the bottom. Tie another small loop in the string just above the intersection of the two cross pieces. This will be the kite's bridle, the string to which the flying line is attached.

6. Make a tail by tying a small ribbon roughly every 10cm along the length of string. Attach the tail to the loop at the bottom of the kite.

7. Decorate!

Tips:
- A properly located pivot point is generally located slightly ahead of the centre of gravity.
- Cut away from you!
- Spray can glue is really good for patching up paper kites.
- Stability is improved by the use of an effective bow and a flexible tail.
- Hold your kite up by the string when you are finished to see if it is balanced. You can balance it by putting more paper on one side.
- Kites are different each time you make one, so slight adjustments might need to be made for each kite.

Make Your Own Kite (Sled, Diamond, Delta, Box, Parafoil, Dragon). How to guide.

Surprise-Link: Body Art for Cats! :-)

Sparkasse Dresden
Sparkasse Magdeburg

How To Make A Boomerang

Part 1

A simple boomerang that is safe to fly indoors can be made with balsa wood, a rubber band, some blutack and a matchstick.

The only tools that are required are some sandpaper and a sharp knife. A true-blue boomerang is boomerang-shaped because bent bits of wood are easy to find in outback Australia, but the aerodynamic and gyrodynamic efficiency of such a shape is not good. You need wide open spaces to fly them. Small cross-shaped boomerangs have such good gyroscopic and aerodynamic properties that they can fly indoors.

You will need:
- two bits of balsa wood, 200 x 25 x 3 mm approx;
- some sand paper (not too coarse);
- a match stick;
- some blutack;
- a small rubber band.

Figure 1: A right handed boomerang

Step 1:

Decide if you want a right- or left-handed boomerang. They're each as easy to throw with either hand. Instructions here are for right-handers. Use the mirror image of all constructions to make a left-hander.

Step 2:

Figure 2: Mark sanding lines

Mark the centre of the two pieces of balsa and draw two lines in pencil near one edge of each piece as shown (about 1|6 the width from one edge). These lines must never be touched with sand paper!

Step 3:

Figure 3: Sand to this section

With sandpaper wrapped around a sanding block (a ruler will do), create airfoil shapes as shown leaving the bottom absolutely flat. Use the edge of a plank of wood as a firm base to get a good angle on the trailing edge. Don't make the trailing edge too `sharp' as it will be easily damaged in flight. When you have finished sanding the four airfoils, the pencil lines should still be visible.

Step 4:

Figure 4: Fasten together

Carefully press a matchstick through the centre of the two wings and join them together. Secure with a rubber band as shown.

Step 5:

Figure 5: Add weights

Add four small blobs of blutack (each about the size of a pea) to the flat side of each wing at about 3/4 the radius from the centre. This should roughly double the weight of the boomerang. You are now ready for a test flight!

The Test Flight

You will notice that good flight can only be obtained if the boomerang has just the right spin and just the right forward velocity. In fact the ratio of these two parameters is what counts and this comes from boomerang theory too. For a cross-shaped boomerang, we find that the `flick-of-the-wrist' needed is aw = Ö2V. You can experiment with different values of velocity and spin to verify that this is true.

Make Your Own Kite (Sled, Diamond, Delta, Box, Parafoil, Dragon). How to guide.