Contact   Imprint   Advertising   Guidelines

Stick for a DIY Bar

Here you can exchange your experience and datas about your home build boards
tmcfarla
Frequent Poster
Posts: 447
Joined: Sun Apr 16, 2006 6:35 am
Has thanked: 9 times
Been thanked: 54 times

Re: Stick for a DIY Bar

Postby tmcfarla » Sun Apr 03, 2022 3:29 pm

I’ve been using a “roll wrapped carbon fiber tube” I bought on Amazon for pretty cheap. 21mm outer diameter, 19mm inner. I wish it was a bit bigger but that is what had fast shipping. It weighs nothing and can hold my weight. Heat shrink fishing rod wrap for grip is nice. No inner hole though, I tied a metal ring to the center.

Only thing I’ll warn is that I get more tangles with it than I do with regular bar, because there is no shape to wrap lines around. I haven’t yet figured out a good solution for bar ends, short of learning cad and 3d printing.

Obvisouly I can’t promise that yours won’t snap in half if you try it, so use sense on first few sessions.

supachip1
Medium Poster
Posts: 169
Joined: Sat Apr 09, 2011 1:33 pm
Local Beach: south coast uk
Brand Affiliation: None
Has thanked: 21 times
Been thanked: 15 times

Re: Stick for a DIY Bar

Postby supachip1 » Mon Apr 04, 2022 2:37 am

tmcfarla wrote:
Sun Apr 03, 2022 3:29 pm
I’ve been using a “roll wrapped carbon fiber tube” I bought on Amazon for pretty cheap. 21mm outer diameter, 19mm inner. I wish it was a bit bigger but that is what had fast shipping. It weighs nothing and can hold my weight. Heat shrink fishing rod wrap for grip is nice. No inner hole though, I tied a metal ring to the center.

Only thing I’ll warn is that I get more tangles with it than I do with regular bar, because there is no shape to wrap lines around. I haven’t yet figured out a good solution for bar ends, short of learning cad and 3d printing.

Obvisouly I can’t promise that yours won’t snap in half if you try it, so use sense on first few sessions.
i was looking. at the heat shrink fishing rod grip, is it any good, got any photos of it fitted, is it very thin? i was thinking if bicycle bar tape for cushion, then that stuff over the top.

tmcfarla
Frequent Poster
Posts: 447
Joined: Sun Apr 16, 2006 6:35 am
Has thanked: 9 times
Been thanked: 54 times

Re: Stick for a DIY Bar

Postby tmcfarla » Mon Apr 04, 2022 4:40 pm

It is quite thin (1 mm or so), feels good, and looks good, but I haven’t had it on long enough to say whether it will last long or not. It is much less padding than professional bars I have, not really any padding to speak of, mostly just grip.

merl
Very Frequent Poster
Posts: 760
Joined: Tue May 15, 2007 8:43 pm
Kiting since: 1999
Gear: HF
Brand Affiliation: None
Location: Sweden
Has thanked: 108 times
Been thanked: 113 times

Re: Stick for a DIY Bar

Postby merl » Tue Apr 05, 2022 9:35 am

Bike grip is fine as long as you start with a tube which is thin enough (20mm). For carbon tubes I always go for 2mm wall thickness which is harder to find - e.g. 22 outer, 18 inner (note: 4mm difference between inner and outer). The commercial carbon bars seem to be around 1.5mm wall thickness (Infexion, Kaupter).

User avatar
daspi
Frequent Poster
Posts: 230
Joined: Fri Jun 11, 2010 1:55 am
Kiting since: 2010
Local Beach: Lynn - Nahant Long Beach, Revere Beach, Dog Beach
Favorite Beaches: The beach I can get to within 10-15 minutes
Gear: Neo 9/7m, Eleveight FS 12m, 9m and Core XR5 7m, Core Section 8,10,12m
and lots of other junk kites in the shed
Cabrinha Custom, Duotone Jamie Textreme
Surfboards: F-ONE Mitu 5'6", Tomo Vader, Kiteloose Nirvana, Cabrinha Skillit
Foil: F-ONE Pocket with Cloud 9 mast and wing
Brand Affiliation: None
Has thanked: 14 times
Been thanked: 24 times

Re: Stick for a DIY Bar

Postby daspi » Mon May 30, 2022 5:21 pm

It was asked earlier, but not answered. How did you make the center hole nice and smooth? Did you drill, then fill with epoxy? Any other good methods? I would think just drill a hole would leave sharp edges to fray the spectra running through it.

jyka
Frequent Poster
Posts: 366
Joined: Sat Aug 10, 2013 7:38 pm
Kiting since: 2012
Weight: 85
Local Beach: laru
Style: freestyle
Gear: mixed set
Has thanked: 19 times
Been thanked: 56 times

Re: Stick for a DIY Bar

Postby jyka » Mon May 30, 2022 6:31 pm

In my opinion the center hole through the bar tube isn't necessary. You can put a ring outside of the bar and lines through it. It makes the bar design much simpler, stronger and lighter when the bar tube itself can be solid.
Maybe it isn't as beautiful and factory made look but who cares.. :)
I have this kind of thing, I bet you can find something prettier. And a plastic one might be better - lighter and doesn't eat the rope so much
Image

Breze
Frequent Poster
Posts: 347
Joined: Sun Sep 23, 2018 5:53 pm
Kiting since: 2003
Weight: 90kg
Style: Foiling
Gear: Foils&Tubes
Brand Affiliation: None
Has thanked: 93 times
Been thanked: 103 times

Re: Stick for a DIY Bar

Postby Breze » Mon May 30, 2022 6:46 pm

If you want to fill the hole, fill the 10cm around the middle with a mix of epoxy and graphit, then drill the hole and dremel it out, smooth, polish and it will not destroy the rope.
To fill only the middle 10cm, you have to make a barrier deep inside ,on one side with styrodur, cork etc. Fix the bar in a upright position and fill in the graphit-epoxy mix

Trent hink
Very Frequent Poster
Posts: 996
Joined: Mon Jan 07, 2019 4:59 am
Kiting since: 1998
Weight: 83 kg.
Local Beach: Nokomis beach, Turtle beach, Venice inlet, lido key
Style: Creepy old man
Gear: Peak4, LF, solo, Moses 633 hydrofoil, couple of surfboards, a twintip I made in 2008.
Brand Affiliation: once made an attempt to manufacture and market "Anomaly" twin-tip boards.
Has thanked: 296 times
Been thanked: 250 times

Re: Stick for a DIY Bar

Postby Trent hink » Mon May 30, 2022 10:57 pm

Around when 4 line inflatable kites first came out, Naish had a bar that was very thin-walled aluminum tubing and very light weight, and about a year later you could get one brand-new for very cheap.

A friend of mine got one and tried to use it on his two-line kite, with a fixed harness line, and it bent very quickly.

My point is that if you plan to never unhook from the center line, the bar does not have to be particularly strong to still work reasonably well.

.... Because in that case it only has to handle the steering forces, which are not very much at all, comparatively speaking.

When I have made homemade bars, I liked to coat them with a thin layer of epoxy where I wanted the grip, and then wrap scraps of peel-ply (or any 100 percent nylon or polyester fabric) around those areas. Pull the peel-ply off after the epoxy cures, and it leaves a nice light grippy texture that can't wear or tear off...
These users thanked the author Trent hink for the post (total 2):
merl (Tue May 31, 2022 8:38 am) • Sceotend (Tue May 31, 2022 9:20 am)
Rating: 6.06%

merl
Very Frequent Poster
Posts: 760
Joined: Tue May 15, 2007 8:43 pm
Kiting since: 1999
Gear: HF
Brand Affiliation: None
Location: Sweden
Has thanked: 108 times
Been thanked: 113 times

Re: Stick for a DIY Bar

Postby merl » Tue May 31, 2022 8:40 am

Trent hink wrote:
Mon May 30, 2022 10:57 pm
When I have made homemade bars, I liked to coat them with a thin layer of epoxy where I wanted the grip, and then wrap scraps of peel-ply (or any 100 percent nylon or polyester fabric) around those areas. Pull the peel-ply off after the epoxy cures, and it leaves a nice light grippy texture that can't wear or tear off...
I'm a fan of peelply finish for strapless boards, just didn't think of this (plain carbon bars can be too slippy in the hands - especially with gloves that are starting to get old) - nice one!


Return to “Gear Builders”

Who is online

Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 125 guests