Page:Kitecraft and kite tournaments (1914).djvu/21

Rh Stringing. Symmetry is so necessary in the making of a good kite, that the stringing becomes an important factor; for if two opposite sides are made unequal, there will be more pressure on one side of center than the other, the kite will be pulling off to one side or darting down and perhaps will refuse to fly at all. A small hard twisted cotton cord is good for stringing as it does not stretch.

On kites where the string passes around the entire frame, Fig. 8, it is best to fasten at the end of one stick only, as at a, then pass in the notches of the ends of the other sticks at b, c, d, and tie again at a. We must assume that the horizontal stick in Fig. 8 has been measured accurately for center as that is a part of the framing process. The sticks can be notched with a knife, Fig. 9, or a saw-cut can be made in the end, Fig. 10. The latter is less liable to split out, but the first is more convenient, for every boy is likely to have a knife or can borrow one.

After the string is secured around the entire figure, adjustment between points is made. If a tailless kite is being strung up, the two upper portions are shifted until the right and left sides are equal. The ends are then