Good Parachute Material/How to make it

[Alex]

Well, the tittle says it all....What's a good material for a parachute? and how can I make one without it looking like some peice of junk?

[chriswaterrockets]

Well, the tittle says it all....What's a good material for a parachute? and how can I make one without it looking like some peice of junk?

Hey Alex,

I make my parachutes out of garbage bags.

Here's how I make them.

Unbenannt.jpg

Cut the bag open, so that you have a big rectangular piece of plastic.
Then just fold along the dotted lines. And in the end cut along the red line.
You can also repeat the folding a few times more. That'll give you a "better" circle.

[dongfang]

Hi,

People here discard their umbrellas everywhere when the wind (which is rare here) damages them. Then, I - eh - recover one of them, cut the canopy off the frame with an X-acto knife, and cut a hole in the middle.

I use synthetic sewing twine (polyester I think it is) as lines. Just get some twine tougher than cotton - and some that does not tangle all the time. You can tie the twine around each corner of the canopy - if you use the right knot, and do it tightly enough, it will not come off (you can additionally secure the knot with a little super glue).

The umbrella frame is, by the way, also a goldmine of little rods, hinges, springs and what not, perfect for making air flap releases etc.

Regards
Soren

[andicirk]

Hi,

People here discard their umbrellas everywhere when the wind (which is rare here) damages them. Then, I - eh - recover one of them, cut the canopy off the frame with an X-acto knife, and cut a hole in the middle.

I use synthetic sewing twine (polyester I think it is) as lines. Just get some twine tougher than cotton - and some that does not tangle all the time. You can tie the twine around each corner of the canopy - if you use the right knot, and do it tightly enough, it will not come off (you can additionally secure the knot with a little super glue).

The umbrella frame is, by the way, also a goldmine of little rods, hinges, springs and what not, perfect for making air flap releases etc.

Regards
Soren

thats excallent

and its recycling which is even better

[Alex]

Thanks you guys

[Alex]

Well, the tittle says it all....What's a good material for a parachute? and how can I make one without it looking like some peice of junk?

Hey Alex,

I make my parachutes out of garbage bags.

Here's how I make them.

Unbenannt.jpg

Cut the bag open, so that you have a big rectangular piece of plastic.
Then just fold along the dotted lines. And in the end cut along the red line.
You can also repeat the folding a few times more. That'll give you a "better" circle.

Hah, i'm amazed, this works...I just did this with a peice of paper...Did the fold then cut about 7 times, then got a good....half circle...or Quarter......But it works....I think i'll do this when I have the time.....Though I am worried....Will the bah be able to hold and not rip when it un firls? it'll go through a big ''jolt'' when it un firls...suddenly catching air and slowing down....oh well....

[monboy10]

put some tape where ever you are going to put the strings for it then put a hole through the tape to renforce it

[Team Seneca]

put some tape where ever you are going to put the strings for it then put a hole through the tape to renforce it

I use these little round adhesive circles that are intended for repairing 3-ring notebook pages that get torn out. I stick one of them on each side of the trash bag parachute and then punch out the hole. It works great as a strain relief!

[monboy10]

yep those work good to

[Graveyard]

Go somewhere like Hobby Lobby and get a yard of Ripstop nylon. It's easy to work with...same deal as the garbage bag. I had my daughter to hem the edges and sew on loops. While She was hemming, I cut strips of the nylon and folded them or rolled them like a straw, flattened them and She sewed down the length of it. After that, I cut them into 2 or 3 inch pieces, folded the ends together and She then sewed those onto six corners on the parachute.
I then use twine that I wax. The wax keep the string from tangling. I use Gulf wax for canning. You can get it at the grocery in the canning section. Just drag the strings over the block of wax 3 or 4 times...works good!

I actually got this info from another site but I don't have the addy any longer. Just google building parachutes using ripstop nylon or something like that. I kinda stumbled on it.

Later

[Alex]

Or, just buy some parachute from ahobby shop :lazy:

[reno1]

Go somewhere like Hobby Lobby and get a yard of Ripstop nylon. It's easy to work with...same deal as the garbage bag. I had my daughter to hem the edges and sew on loops. While She was hemming, I cut strips of the nylon and folded them or rolled them like a straw, flattened them and She sewed down the length of it. After that, I cut them into 2 or 3 inch pieces, folded the ends together and She then sewed those onto six corners on the parachute.
I then use twine that I wax. The wax keep the string from tangling. I use Gulf wax for canning. You can get it at the grocery in the canning section. Just drag the strings over the block of wax 3 or 4 times...works good!

I actually got this info from another site but I don't have the addy any longer. Just google building parachutes using ripstop nylon or something like that. I kinda stumbled on it.

Later

Old tents work great also.

[Alex]

That works, a wee bit big though? unless you get a smal one and cut...

[sleepililgirl]

How are you sure that they will deploy once it reaches the maximum height?

[A5Ben]

I've been using a trash bag, but, I did it the hard way by measuring out a circle and cutting. NEVER again! I'll be using this folding trick.

Ben in SC