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Kite nozzle repair

Posted: Mon Oct 04, 2010 6:30 pm
by yojimbo
I have a slice on one of my nozzles on my kite. I would like to avoid removing the bladder and replacing that bladder and all the nozzles. Is it possible to melt the plastic at the cut so that it bonds, or is there a glue that works for this sort of damage

Re: Kite nozzle repair

Posted: Mon Oct 04, 2010 7:23 pm
by Sonny

Re: Kite nozzle repair

Posted: Mon Oct 04, 2010 8:20 pm
by yojimbo
thanks Sonny. I figure I need to replace the valve.

Re: Kite nozzle repair

Posted: Tue Oct 05, 2010 8:30 am
by fearlu
I've made the same repair with AquaSeal. Be sure the inside of the upright portion gets a dab before you apply it to the outside and the crack itself. Wait a generous 24 hours before use. Still working for me.

Re: Kite nozzle repair

Posted: Tue Oct 05, 2010 8:57 am
by lieutenantglorp
Actually, if that's a one pump nozzle, you need one of these:

http://shop.airtimekite.com/index.php/a ... x-kit.html

or these:

http://fixmykite.com/proddetail.asp?prod=onepumpvalve

Re: Kite nozzle repair

Posted: Tue Oct 05, 2010 11:27 am
by cleepa
I've used Performix VLP for the same sort of thing before. It is specifically for bonding that type of material. When you apply several layers over the course of a couple of days, you get a nice strong repair.

Re: Kite nozzle repair

Posted: Tue Oct 05, 2010 5:46 pm
by yojimbo
Thanks for the input. I am gonna try to glue up first and if that fails, I will swap out the valve.

Re: Kite nozzle repair

Posted: Tue Oct 05, 2010 11:00 pm
by soupdumpling
I have the same tear on my naish cult, and so far krazy glue is holding up. However, I want to replace the valve at some point but the original valve is securely sealed on the bladder (with a ridged grid on top so I can't just stick the replacement valve over it after cutting the nozzle off). Does anyone know how to separate the base of the original valve from the bladder cleanly, or perhaps another workaround so that the new valve has a smooth surface on which to stick?

Re: Kite nozzle repair

Posted: Wed Oct 06, 2010 8:25 am
by Sonny
on some brands, it will peel off when you soak in hot water. But, the fix it valve is much large than the original valve, so you can cut out the original valve.

Re: Kite nozzle repair

Posted: Wed Oct 06, 2010 9:51 am
by wjb
Dealing with the bladder is not that hard when compared with a long swim if your fix fails. Especially if you have company on your long swim in :character-jaws: :mrgreen: