Bladder Blather

4Stringer/KipWinger · Since 27 Apr 2005 541 Posts Hood River Addicted

Last year my 06' Liquid Force M80s middle strut bladder literally blew-up in my face. The center strut had shown signs of seam stress for a few sessions...I neglected it; which (in the voice of the dude from Frontline) "ended in cataclysmic bladder failure and a sandbar embarrassment." The bladder is definitely toast. It's ripped for about 8 inches.

If there was a kite boneyard, I'd go grab a cheap replacement. I've got plenty of old bladders from vintage Wipika & Gaastra kites, but there isn't a 30 degree bend near the front of the bladder.

If anyone has a Sanford & Son-style replacement suggestions, please post or lob me a message. Thanks.

Here's a crap photo of the bladder;

Reaper356 · Since 10 Dec 2006 781 Posts Salem / LC Oregon Opinionated

I totally blew up a bladder once & repaired it. 8 in hole + 2 foot seam separation.

I repaired the hole by getting a 2 big patches, using the bladder glue to glue one on the inside & outside. You can't do this, but I slipped a board through my blown seam and ironed the two patches together w/ the iron separated by newspaper.

Finally, if you blow the seam you can just use the iron technique to melt the seam back together. Worked great, many learning sessions, never broke.

Then I put about 20 pins holes in the same bladder in E. Oregon - recommend holding you kite down in the river, remember where bubbles are, drive home & fix, repeat! Never fly kite near sage brush!

Good luck!

Sol-flyer · Fri Feb 22, 08 9:33 am

http://kitesurfingschool.org/bladderrepair.htm

but you might check out the bladder repair guy (jim) in FL. He fixed an old cabrinha bladder of mine that was a antique relic, If he cant fix it, he'll send ya a new one.
www.kitebladder.com

note: a seal-a-meal will work for the tips blowing out, just be sure not to make it too short Wink

NateDogg · Fri Feb 22, 08 9:41 am **Nice rug**

Dude...buzz kill. I would just use an over sized bladder from one of your old kites. The dacron strut (assuming you've fixed it) will house any bladder exactly equal to or larger than a stock bladder. It's actually better to use a larger bladder...takes the stress off the fragile zip lock bag material and puts it on the stronger dacron strut

Dude...nice rug. Really pulls the room together.

chanson · Since 31 Jan 2006 1873 Posts WISCONSIN Chimey

Gman · Since 11 Feb 2006 4910 Posts Portland Unstrapped

Don't pee on the Dude's rug!

pacifichigh · Since 11 May 2005 1004 Posts ATX Texan

This isn't Nam Donny-- There are rules

chanson · Since 31 Jan 2006 1873 Posts WISCONSIN Chimey

"That had not occured to us Dude" Rolling Eyes

NateDogg · Fri Feb 22, 08 1:50 pm

"Let me explain something to you. Um, I am not "Mr. Lebowski". You're Mr. Lebowski. I'm the Dude. So that's what you call me. You know, that or, uh, His Dudeness, or uh, Duder, or El Duderino if you're not into the whole brevity thing."

Mark · Fri Feb 22, 08 2:15 pm

Hope this helps with the bladder issues....

http://www.urologychannel.com/bladdercontrol/index.shtml

pdxmonkeyboy · Fri Feb 22, 08 2:59 pm

I would try these.. although you won't be able to deflate it.

http://www4.mailordercentral.com/tmyersmagic/prodinfo.asp?number=524SA

4Stringer/KipWinger · Since 27 Apr 2005 541 Posts Hood River Addicted

Thanks for the tips. I'm gonna cram an old oversized strut bladder in-there. If it wasn't Shabbos, I'd have already done it.

kitezilla · Since 22 Jun 2006 453 Posts gorge Obsessed

Here is a link to a post I put on Kiteforum a couple of years ago, summarizing almost everything that had been posted reguarding bladder repair, up until then. I posted it on page one of the thread.

http://kiteforum.com/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=2328287&start=0&st=0&sk=t&sd=a&hilit=bladder

You should learn to do bladder repairs yourself for 2 reasons. To help yourself when you bust a bladder and to make friends by teaching them how easy it is to fix their busted bladder.

Just get a tube of Aquaseal for maybe $9. and some old bladder material to be used for patches, rubbing alcohol, some boards, clamps, paper towels, a magic marker. After using the Aquaseal, put it in a little closed up baggie and keep it in your freezer to preserve the life of the unused glue.

The repair on your bladder is not a hard one to do. Sometimes, the bigger the hole, the easier it is to fix. I would rather do a huge repair than deal with a bunch of tiny thorn holes.

Here is picture of a double repair I did over a year ago, and the kite has been in use ever since. Don't be discouraged by the size of a needed repair.

kitezilla · Since 22 Jun 2006 453 Posts gorge Obsessed

Here are some more pictures to give you an idea of what you are in for.

Note how most of the bladder is stuffed into a stuff sack to keep it out of the way.

Another trick is to put saran wrap on the inside of the bladder before glueing on the patch, so that any excess glue ends up on the saran wrap and does not end up gluing the top of the bladder or the patch to the back of the bladder. With a hemostat or paper clip, you can pull the saran wrap out through a valve later, or just leave it inside the bladder, by working it down into the tip of the bladder away from the valve. You can also take it out by cutting a little slit in the bladder later and patching the tiny hole with a patch.

You can press the patch, by putting saran wrap over the patch, then putting another board over that and then buckets, which you fill with water. four gallons of water weighs about 32 pounds which is plenty of weight. Books work good also.

Use a magic marker to outline both the hole and the patch, because everything disappears when it is put together. Mark "top" on the patch, so that you put it on right. Clean all areas to be glued with alcohol. Think it out ahead of time and mark the black line on the side of the bladder material that you won't need to clean with alcohol, or else it will smear or wipe off. Do a trial run before you open up the aquaseal, placing the patch, and the saran wrap and the cover board and buckets, so that everything will be checked out and go smoothly in the final assembly.

Try to keep your hands from getting sticky with the glue, and also keep paper towels handy with alcohol to clean your fingers, as you work.

Leave everything alone for 8 hours, and then do a trial inflation, to a very low pressure, where the bladder takes shape, but where the skin is not too tensioned, and leave it for a half hour. If it feels like the bladder has the same pressure in it after a half hour, then it is ready to be inserted into the kite, for a final full pressure test.

Kataku2k3 · Since 14 Aug 2005 3753 Posts Los Angeles, CA Videographer

O.T.

NateDogg · Sat Feb 23, 08 10:10 am

Spike · Since 13 May 2007 1414 Posts Alameda Spelling Expert

kitezilla, how did you manage to keep the patch from curling up after applying the glue. I repaired one of my kite bladders and as soon as I applied the glue, the entire patch shriveled up (it was the glue supplied with the kite too), it was a complete nightmare to fix that hole. The glue was polyurethane dissolved in MEK, so I'm sure that had something to do with it. What kind of stuff is aquaseal? does it glue the two pieces together or fuse them together?