style="font-size:15px;"> Spars (short lengthsof wood to use as splints)
FRAME
(also called the spars or bones)
By supporting the sail, the frame helps form and keep the kite's shape.
BASSWOOD or SPRUCE flat sticks make excellent kite spars because of their flexibility, strength, and weight. Basswood spars are available from craft and hobby shops.
BALSAWOOD can also be used, but best suits small kites, for which weight, and not strength, is critical.
BAMBOO is the spar material of choice for Asian kites because of its availability and high ratio of strength to weight. Bamboo is generally available whole, but most small kites require only split-bamboo sticks. Matchstick bamboo window shades can be dismantled to make kite spars for small kites. Bamboo and window shades are available from specialty stores.
DOWEL is an all-around spar material that is available at lumberyards and hardware and hobby shops.
SAIL
(also called the cover or skin)
The sail attaches to the frame, forming the surface that catches and deflects the wind so that the kite will fly.
PAPER is easy to work with and to decorate, but it does not hold up to rough treatment or moisture. If you find that you do not have a sheet of paper big enough to cover the whole kite, then it is possible to glue sections of paper together until they create the right size.
SILKSPAN is a tissue used by hobbyists to cover model aircraft. It is stronger than regular tissue, but will shrink if it becomes wet, which can be a negative or positive quality, depending on how it is used. For example, I painted the wings of my Lark kite, but left some parts of the wing alone, which created a three-dimensional effect. Silkspan comes in three weights—light, medium, and heavy—and is available from hobby shops.
TISSUE PAPER is excellent for making kites to fly in light wind. Tissue paper is available in different weights and colors from hobby and art supply stores, and is also available in the form of gift-wrapping paper.
JAPANESE MULBERRY (Washi or Kozo) AND CHINESE RICE PAPER are traditional kite-making papers. These specialty papers are often relatively expensive and are available from art supply stores in white and off-white, and man-made or machine-made. Mulberry paper is available in different weights. For kites, look for something in the weight range of bond paper (approximately 40 gm/sq m).
TYVEK® is a spun-bonded polyethylene (plasticlike) material made by DuPont (synthetic paper version is known as type #10; the soft cloth version is type #14). Tyvek® is almost indestructible and can take gluing, sewing, printing, and painting. The disadvantage of Tyvek® is its flight characteristics. The paper version tends to be stiff and not bend as well as paper does in the wind, and this can cause the kite to be unstable, a negative effect usually overcome with the addition of more tail. Tyvek® is available from kite material suppliers and building suppliers, since Tyvek® is also used to wrap insulate houses. For use in smaller kites, you may wish to use Tyvek® envelopes, available through the U.S. Postal Service.
CREPE PAPER best suits kite tails or decorative elements. You should be aware that the colors tend to "bleed" from crepe paper when it becomes wet. I once had a classroom full of rainbow-colored children after flying kites in a wet schoolyard!
WRAPPING PAPER, BROWN KRAFT PAPER, AND NEWSPAPER are all traditional covering material for kites in the West, but they also tend to be heavy (note that weight can cause a kite to spin) and tear easily.
KITELINE
(also called the cord or tether)
The kite line is held by the kite flier and attaches to the kite so it will fly. Early Asian kite fliers fashioned their lines from silk and other natural fibers. Even today, traditional Japanese kite flyers use line made from hemp or flax. Others use synthetic line, such as nylon or polyester, because of the cost and strength advantage over the traditional line material.
Your choice of line will directly influence how your kite flies. A heavy line tends to pull a kite down； a light line has the risk of breaking. Fuzzy-textured line, such as cotton and linen, will catch the wind, causing a kite to fly in one direction while the line pulls in another. To lessen this effect, known as drag, some fliers wax their line with beeswax. Avoid using clear fishing line and wire because they can be extremely dangerous. I recommend using #10 crochet thread or buttonhole thread for small kites.
Use a fishing swivel at the tow point, the point where the kite line attaches to the kite, to remove twists from your line and to make it easier to disconnect the kite line. However, use a swivel that is equal to the kite line's strength, because a heavy swivel will weigh a kite down.
LINE WINDER
(also called the reel)
The line winder holds the kite line. There is no best kind of winder. Traditional Indian, Japanese, and Korean kite winders are simple, but very effective, handheld reels. Some Japanese kite fliers use woven baskets to hold their line. Some people in the West use a stick or a short length of a broom handle around which to wind their line in a figure-eight fashion, or they use a rod and reel.
One of the most economical line winders is a soup can with one end removed. Electric or duct tape applied around the inside rim can protect your fingers from any sharp edges. In addition, a petfood resealing lid, sold in supermarkets and pet stores, will both protect fingers and can double as a container for a first aid kit for the flying field described earlier.
TAIL
The main purpose of the tail is to add drag, but not weight. A good tail should act as a stabilizer and not throw the kite off balance. Three materials recommended for a kite tail are strips of paper glued together, strips of cloth, or crepe paper. To attach a tail to your kite, simply glue or tape the tail end to the kite sail.
The kite tail is often an afterthought, but on many kites it can be an important component. If you are unsure of what length to make the tail, a simple rule of thumb is to use a tail seven times the length of the sail of the kite. Too much tail will create excessive drag, causing a kite to pull to one side or even refuse to fly. The drag factor of a tail can be increased or reduced by changing the tail length or by adding strips to the end of the tail, called a ponytail. Usually, the stronger the wind is, the more tail required. In addition, to increase drag, you can try a material with more wind resistance. I carry a roll of crepe paper for this purpose.
Attaching streamers to the sides of a kite can create extra stability, since they control any snaking, side-to-side motion, called yaw. If a kite is off balance and pulls to one side, add a piece of kite tail to the opposite side.
Instead of a tail, Japanese traditional kite fliers use rope as a stabilizer on larger kites. When the kite tries to veer off course, the line tends to lessen the motion.
BRIDLE
The bridle is the line or lines (called bridle legs) that sets the kite to the wind. It is located between the kite's sail and the kite line and attaches to the kite at the bridle points. The point where the kite line attaches to the bridle is called the tow point.
Because there is no standard
