Page:Kitecraft and kite tournaments (1914).djvu/83



Most of the moving devices on kites are operated best by means of windmills. The windmill can be placed back of the kite out of sight. Various movements can be devised such as opening and shutting of eyes and mouth and moving of ears. Feet and hands can be made to dangle without any device. The windmill can also be used for decorative purposes.

Windmills. There are two general kinds of windmills. Those turning from left to right and vice versa, and those turning fore and back. The last named type is used for eyes that turn. The eyes are set in little rims of some stiff material, a thin piece of bamboo, shaving, or stiff cardboard. Holes are cut in the covering of the kite and these rims are pasted in so as to stand edgewise. These rims prevent the interference of any obstruction to the revolving eyes. The eye may be set in place by means of a wire running thru each side of the rim and thru the eye. The eye has a smaller rim on which two half circles of paper are pasted, see Fig. 148. A little paper wound into a little ball would be made by the Chinese boys, but a glass bead will answer to keep the eye away from the rim of the opening. The two semicircles of paper are on the two halves of the eye. In Fig. 148, a is on the upper half of the front side while the other semicircle, b, is on the lower half of the back. Sometimes little mirrors are pasted to the eyes, as at m, to reflect the light as they spin around, which they certainly do, if nicely set in their places. Some use considerable black on one half and white on the other, giving a blinking effect. This same kind of revolving disk is sometimes used on wires or cord to the outside of the kite, see Fig. 134.

The revolving device, while not as familiar as our little windmills, is more easily secured in position but it is not impossible and in fact is not a very difficult task to fasten the windmills. The windmills can be made of stiff paper, any stiff cover paper will do; they spin