Author Topic: Wing Bladder Repair?  (Read 4697 times)

FoilColorado

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Wing Bladder Repair?
« on: May 31, 2021, 07:54:05 AM »
Hello friends,

Has anyone here attempted to and/or succeeded in patching/repairing a burst wingding bladder? Thank you in advance for any ideas!
« Last Edit: May 31, 2021, 08:09:37 AM by FoilColorado »

surfcowboy

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Re: Wing Bladder Repair?
« Reply #1 on: May 31, 2021, 08:06:12 AM »
You might search some kite forums if not. I’ll bet there are tons of stories. I’ll be watching this one. 😉

PonoBill

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Re: Wing Bladder Repair?
« Reply #2 on: May 31, 2021, 04:13:31 PM »
Sure, there are various repair tapes, most wings come with some for small punctures. Larger ones you need to buy patches or tape. Tear-aid is popular--google it.
Foote 10'4X34", SIC 17.5 V1 hollow and an EPS one in Hood River. Foote 9'0" x 31", L41 8'8", 18' Speedboard, etc. etc.

Hdip

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Re: Wing Bladder Repair?
« Reply #3 on: May 31, 2021, 10:01:11 PM »
I kited for a season and repaired a bladder. I used tear aid. It’s important to not let it stick anywhere it’s not supposed to. Not terribly hard. Just time consuming.

https://www.instagram.com/p/CPkHhE5ry0B/?utm_medium=copy_link

The second panel here seems appropriate.

gyre

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Re: Wing Bladder Repair?
« Reply #4 on: May 31, 2021, 11:01:02 PM »
Blue Planet has a detailed video on wing bladder repair that I found really useful - https://youtu.be/RYBy7MfLtAo?t=1355
Tearaid Type-A : https://www.blueplanetsurf.com/inflatable-wing-bladder-repair-material-3-inches-x.html

Wingingtanuki

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Re: Wing Bladder Repair?
« Reply #5 on: June 01, 2021, 05:44:04 AM »
I helped a friend with a couple of repairs last week.  Easy to do, especially if you have a second set of hands to help you hold things in place while you lay the tape down.  Saved the session.

It is important to put the bladder back in the correct orientation.

For safety's sake,  I would use tape as a temporary fix while a new bladder is sourced.

FedorBOS

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Re: Wing Bladder Repair?
« Reply #6 on: June 01, 2021, 06:28:51 AM »
Not sure what wing it was, but I blew out the leading edge on my Ozone Wasp v1, and while it probably could have been repaired it they now offer a full bladder set for v1s but with a larger one pump connection, which is huge since it takes FOREVER to deflate the strut with the standard one. Made the $$ for a full replacement set much easier to spend. They got them to me in under a week.

VB_Foil

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Re: Wing Bladder Repair?
« Reply #7 on: June 01, 2021, 08:37:52 AM »
I just used tear-aide to fix a small leak on my cloud's strut bladder.  There was a small leak on the seam that faces the leading edge.  I just put a good size patch on it, overlapping to the other side of the seam for good measure.  Blew it up and it held just fine. 

I like this vid for instructions.  It is for kite repair, but the same principles apply to the wing.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s2e3FhcW9zA
I’m a 5’9” 65kg rider:

Boards:
   4' 27L Armstrong FG Wing/Surf
   4’5” 34L Armstrong FG Wing/Surf
   4'11" 60L Armstrong Wing/Sup
  
  

Foils: Armstrong HA525, HS625, HA725, HA925, HS1050, HA1125, HS1250, HA1325
Wings: BRM 2M & 3M, FreeWing Nitro 4M, OR 5M & 7M Glide

sflinux

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Re: Wing Bladder Repair?
« Reply #8 on: June 01, 2021, 09:04:52 AM »
The intent I usually have is to get a flat repair.  If the bladder stretched when blown, sometimes it helps to trim off that thin stretched out part to get the bladder flat again.
1) Next I clean the bladder with rubbing alcohol.
2) Next I apply scotch tape on the outside of the bladder to get the seam straight and where I want it.  The purpose of the tape is to get the bladder lined up where you want it.
3) Then I cut a small piece of Tear-aid (smaller is easier to apply than bigger), cool Tear-aid on ice, peal half of the backing and while still cool, apply to the inside of the bladder.  Repeat with small pieces until the seam is secure.  The purpose of the ice is to give you more working time.  Once the Tear-aid is near room temperature, it is extremely difficult to remove.  The purpose of the tape on the inside is to line up the bladder from when you apply Tear-aid to the outside of the bladder.
4) Next I remove the scotch tape from the outside of the bladder.  Then I cut a large piece of Tear-aid, cool Tear-Aid on ice, peal half of the backing, and while still cool, carefully apply to the outside of the bladder being careful to avoid creases.  You want the bladder to be nice and flat to avoid any pathways for air to leak through.  Repeat until all of the outside of the hole in the bladder is covered. 
5) Next I fold a piece of paper in half, and apply a clothes iron on a low setting to the Tear-Aid for about 20 sec.  I usually have the bladder on my leg, and stop once it feels warm.  The paper is to prevent the bladder from melting to the iron.  The purpose of the Iron is the Tear-aid will form an optimized connection when heated.
6)  Next I pump up the bladder to a low pressure and submerge it in a bucket of water.  If you do not have air bubbles, then it was a successful repair.  If not successful, mark the leak with a sharpie and repeat the repair.
7) Carefully reseat the bladder.  Pump up the bladder slowly and make sure it is seating properly.  If it is not, remove the bladder and start over.  Once the bladder is seated properly, pump it up firmly.  I like to leave the bladder inflated overnight, if it is firm the next day (or several hours later), then the repair was successful.
In my experience, a repair properly done with Tear-aid is permanent in average weather conditions.  I am skeptical about it's reliability in subfreezing environments.
« Last Edit: June 01, 2021, 09:06:39 AM by sflinux »
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jondrums

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Re: Wing Bladder Repair?
« Reply #9 on: June 01, 2021, 03:52:19 PM »
When my tail pierced the leading edge, I was super pleased with the repair I got from https://www.airtimekite.com/
They are totally set up for internet based repairs - ticket system with daily updates and all the shipping labels are created for you, etc.  It was pretty fast too.

Man, I wish I knew about the upgraded Wasp bladder - deflating the boom is seriously annoying.

FedorBOS

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Re: Wing Bladder Repair?
« Reply #10 on: June 01, 2021, 04:37:31 PM »
I was all set up to send it out to airtime when I came across the upgraded bladders for V1. I called airtime and asked if they had them, and it was clear they had not heard of them, so I just had the leading edge repaired by a local sail maker and ordered the bladders. Another consideration was time. I put everything in motion last Wednesday, and I have the bladders at home and I'm picking up the wing tonight. I figured with shipping and repair airtime would be 2 weeks or more.

My all in cost is $210, which might be a touch higher than airtime, but to not have to deal with the eternity it took to deflate that boom/strut it is definitely worth it.

FedorBOS

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Re: Wing Bladder Repair?
« Reply #11 on: June 02, 2021, 09:00:14 AM »
WOW. I could not be happier. Picked up my wing from sailmaker last night and he did an incredible job. Not only did he use the patch piece that came with the wing to perfectly match the leading edge, he also did an underlayment of Dacron to reinforce it. Since I never like to make things simple, I had also asked him, if it worked, to slap some velcro over the repaired area. I had seen some cool videos where the GoPro was mounted on the outer wing, and the available mounts looked clunky and like a pain (not to mention fairly expensive) so I figured if I had a big velcro patch I could make my own that might be a little sleeker. Velcro looks amazing... and he thought to include a little loop for a leash in case the camera was knocked off in a fall. Amazing. If anyone in the Boston area is looking to repair or modify a wing, kite, sail etc. I'm more than happy to share his info. I expect I will be using him regularly.

Bladder replacement was fairly smooth. The WASP V1 does not have an access zipper on the strut, so had to do the whole thing through the one pump hole, which was a bit of a pain, but worked out. It was my first time replacing bladders, and I found that what looked like they could be twists one the first soft pump tended to work their way out with a couple cycles of pumping and deflating.

The new one pump hose is WORLDS better than the old one. See the size comparison in the pics including cross sections of the hoses.

QUESTION: Does anyone know an effective and non-damaging way to get the little retainer washers all the way in place? I spent a decent amount of time working them down with my fingernails and hard to tell how much progress I'm actually making.

 

PonoBill

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Re: Wing Bladder Repair?
« Reply #12 on: June 03, 2021, 08:45:25 AM »
You can use zip ties instead of the washers, and they'll be tighter and stay in place better.
Foote 10'4X34", SIC 17.5 V1 hollow and an EPS one in Hood River. Foote 9'0" x 31", L41 8'8", 18' Speedboard, etc. etc.

FedorBOS

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Re: Wing Bladder Repair?
« Reply #13 on: June 03, 2021, 02:59:05 PM »
Brilliant. Thanks Bill. I can't believe I didn't think of that considering they litter every corner of my shop.

 


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