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The Leading edge and strut casing is made of Dacron. Dacron is a condensation polymer obtained from ethylene glycol and terephthalic acid. Its properties include high tensile strength, high resistance to stretching, both wet and dry, and good resistance to degradation by chemical bleaches and to abrasion. The continuous filament yarn is used in curtains, dress fabrics, high-pressure fire hoses, men's shirts, and threat. Dacron is used because of these characteristics.
Most leading edge and strut damage is from being drug on something or be crashed very hard. Leading edge and strut casing are harder to repair because the bladders put pressure on the Dacron. The best way to repair this kind of damage is to get it repaired by a professional repair center.
One of the best ways to repair leading edge and strut if you don’t have any access to a professional repair center is using Kitefix Fiberfix and sticky back Dacron. Combining the two will hold the load of the bladder.
Bladders also need repairs time to time either having a pin hole or major blowout. If the bladder can be patched the best way is to use tear-aid type A. TEAR-AID® repair patch is made from an exceptionally tough, matte finish, abrasion resistant, elastomer that resists puncture and tearing. It is combined with an aggressive adhesive formulated for high bond strength to a variety of surfaces such as canvas, leather, rubber, nylon, most plastics, paints, aluminum, stainless steel, fiberglass, polyurethane, polyethylene, polypropylene, vinyl and vinyl coated. TEAR-AID® provides a simple and easy method of patching holes and tears, as well as an excellent protective film solution. Tear-aid has many different uses. When using tear-aid you want to make sure that the area is clean of salt and dirt and completely dry. You want to make sure that the bladder is completely flat. Once you put the tear-aid you want to make sure that there are no wrinkles going to the edge of the tear-aid patch to leak out of.
If the bladder is too damaged to repair fixmykite.com has all the bladder blanks and valves you would need to build a replacement bladder. We use PU (polyurethane) bladders which are in every kite out there on the market. PU is used because it stretches and forms to the kites casing. Other companies out there use plastic bladder blanks which are harder to install and do not form well to the kites casing.