PLEASE WAIT and read the third post in this series. There is a concern with this Kevlar that some might have trouble with.
I had known about emmakites.com for quite some time. They sell Kevlar line for kite flying.
They are much cheaper than thekevlarstore.com or thethreadexchange.com.
I was running low on the Kevlar I had bought from The Thread Exchange and this time ordered through Emma Kites.
On the left is 135 lb., #346 Kevlar from the Thread Exchange. I usually buy it in 4 oz. spools that are 264 yards for $37.00.
On the right is the Kevlar from Emma Kites. This is 150 lb. line, 1,000 feet for $23.00.
The Emma Kite line (top) is made up of finer lines twisted into three strands. Those three strands are twisted into the final line. The Emma Kites Kevlar is close to what you get from The Kevlar Store.
Contrary to what some believe, Kevlar line can burn and degrade after many ejection charge hits. It's fire resistant, not fireproof. I did a very unsophisticated test holding a burning match under each line. Repeated match burn tests had both catch fire at about the same time.
You've piqued my curiosity. I've bought three different spools of Kevlar from Emmakites.
ReplyDeleteMy rockets either don't fly often enough or get lost to quickly for me to have noticed an issue yet, but I'm curious what it is.
Hi Daniel,
DeleteCongrats on your wedding! I wish you both the best. -Now back to rockets-
The thin braided Kevlar seemed to burn through pretty quickly when FlisKits used it on their Micro Maxx rocket kits. Kevlar does degrade and could eventually break.
I think this 150 lb. Kevlar from Emma Kites should last about as long as the 135 lb. Kevlar I was using before. I'll have to install it in a few active fliers with the removable Kevlar mounts and keep track.
That "issue" will be covered in the third installment of the Kevlar blog posts.