Kevlar Tow

[Phoebusflyer]

Hey all, who can I get some 1/8" kevlar tow from cheap???

[LVsoaring]

Little Flyer here on RCG sells it. Do a search for "Little Flyer" or "kevlar tow" and you'll find him.

[kablair]

It's not tow, but for kevlar thread/yarn, these folks provide a good product at a very reasonable price. Even if you are looking for tow, there may be high denier thread that would serve equally well.

-Keith

www.thethreadexchange.com

[skipinhouston]

Along those lines, what size thread is recommended for wrapping spars.
Light size 23-45 or heavier?
Skip in Houston

[kablair]

The size and number of wraps per unit length is a function of the spar loading.

When I did my Genie spar, you can see that I used very tight spacing of many kevlar thread wraps ( http://www.rcgroups.com/forums/showpost.php?p=7631090&postcount=10 ).

This was because of the info Harley had on wraps using the CST tow. His tow appeared to be equivalent to a size 195/200 thread. Using the tensile strength comparisons published by www.thethreadexchange.com for the Size 200 and the stuff I bought ( # KEV060NATL02SRT ), I used about 5 times as many wraps.

This was a fair trade since I now have a lifetime, or two, worth of kevlar thread for the sum total of $18. FWIW - I did do some unscientific tensile strength testing and mine came out around 15#'s. That's why I used 5x as many wraps as what Harley had.

Bottom line - the number of wraps and size material just need to match the design. A lower size/strength mateial can be used as long as there are more wraps.

-Keith

[Wazmo]

Any particular reason you chose right twist?

[kablair]

Right twist is cheaper.

For our purposes, the twist doesn't matter. But for textile production the twist makes a difference and this one is less desirable in most cases. Okay by me if it makes it cheaper!

-Keith

[Mark Miller]

BTW...Little Flyer mentioned above as a source just won a place on our F3J National Junior team going to Turkey next summer. Jeff is a great kid and a great flyer. He and the rest of the team will represent us well.

Mark Miller
Isthmus MOdels

[StevenatorLTFO]

That is how he helps fund some of his equipment purchases, he's a good kid, give him a shot :D

[John Walter]

Mark and Steve: thanks for your posts. The sale of Kevlar was how Little Flyer funded his first open class ship in August 2006. Now he needs to upgrade his quiver of planes in preparation for the F3J world championship in Turkey in only 10 months for now.

For those interested in Kevlar tow, please see the thread at http://www.rcgroups.com/forums/showthread.php?t=587629&highlight=kevlar+tow for more details of Kevlar available from Little Flyer. That thread is closed, but he still has Kevlar and carbon tow available.

[Wazmo]

Anyone know how to contact Little Flyer? I've tried a PM and email through this site before, but no response.

[little flyer]

Im still, must not have got them. How much would you like?

Thanks, Jeff

PS. Thanks for the kind words.

[Wazmo]

How much do I need for a 3M wing? 300'? If you PM your current price and email, I'll send you a PayPal.

[Phoebusflyer]

Little Flyer, I need some 1/8" tow, about 50'. Please PM me and let me know how much and all the other essentials.
Thanks

[prodjx]

Phoebusflyer, kevlar 49 roving, 7100 denier comprised of 5 strands of 1420 denier. 300ft. roll p/n 968 $33.00. from Aircraft Spruice West, Corona, Ca. 877 4 spruce, get a catalog for free while your at it, it's about the size of a medium sized phone book. The composits section is 24pgs. I've used 80lb. test to wrap my spars and have'nt lost a wing yet, so far. It's Gorilla fishing line from Wal-Mart. Good luck.

[John Walter]

I would suggest more wraps with lower denier (weight) tow to minimize a bump on the wing surface. the 1500 denier that LF sells lies very flat on the top of the spar. See photos at: http://www.rcgroups.com/forums/showthread.php?t=587629

For reference, the model shown in the first post on theat thread is a 1/10th scale TG-2. The ribs are 1/16th inch, and the wrapping is overkill.