knead risers ?

[jean123 0]

i just got my first rig, an atom legend r, and just love it;) while reading the users manual, it said that I have to release my risers every 50 jumps and kneat them. Does anybody know what this is for and how this should be done? I have never heard of this before.
thanks for your explanations!

[rigger_john 0]

it's a por translation from thr french, it means knead or flex your risers. Try to get hold of a RW manual for one of thier containers and read the section on 3 ring maintanance, or ask an instructor or rigger at your DZ.

Congrats on your 1st rig

_________________________________________

Nullius in Verba

[Chris-Ottawa 0]

If I understand correctly, this is done to prevent them from setting in the position they are always in. If they hang up on cutaway, that would be a bad thing.

Basically from what I understand, you just release them, bend them back and forth, basically just to stop the fabric from getting "set" in it's rigged position.

Does that makes sense?

Best to ask your instructors for help, and a demo!

"When once you have tasted flight..."

[riggerrob 558]

Yes, and the grimier the environment (i.e. desert), the more important it is to disconnect and flex the risers once a month. Dirty risers may require up to 20 pounds of tension to release - after the cutaway handle is removed - while clean, flexible risers require almost no tension to release from the harness rings.
While you have the cutaway handle out, clean it with light oil and wipe it dry.
This process is not unique to Parachutes de France. You should flex risers from every manufacturer every month.

[JohnRich 4]

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the users manual, it said that I have to release my risers every 50 jumps and knead them. Does anybody know what this is for and how this should be done?

Dirt, moisture and sweat get into the risers and make them stiff. Stiff risers may not release in an emergency as cleanly as those which are soft and flexible. So every once in a while you should twist and flex them to keep them pliable.

[popsjumper 2]

Assuming that you are in the US AND assuming that at 93 jumps you have an A license....your training was apparently woefully deficient.

You should know this already as part of the A license proficiency card where you need to demonstrate equipment knowledge. It is part of owner maintenance and should have been taught to you before you were signed off for A license. Go back to your instructors or S&TA.

My reality and yours are quite different.
I think we're all Bozos on this bus.
Falcon5232, SCS8170, SCSA353, POPS9398, DS239

[monkycndo 0]

I would guess this is on the other side of the pond since the poster is jumping an Atom container.

50 donations so far. Give it a try.

You know you want to spank it
Jump an Infinity

[RMURRAY 1]

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Yes, and the grimier the environment (i.e. desert), the more important it is to disconnect and flex the risers once a month. Dirty risers may require up to 20 pounds of tension to release - after the cutaway handle is removed - while clean, flexible risers require almost no tension to release from the harness rings.
While you have the cutaway handle out, clean it with light oil and wipe it dry.
This process is not unique to Parachutes de France. You should flex risers from every manufacturer every month.

didn't bill booth say this was a myth - that 3 rings need to be flexed often and that the rings need to be rotated. in any case I do it whenever I remove the canopy from the rig - once a year....

rm

[Ronaldo 0]

Actually I think he said that rotating the rings is useless and does nothing to improve releasing. It serves only to move oil and dirty from your hands to the webbing. Bending and flexing is what really improves the mechanism. I guess washing the risers helps too.
Safe skies!

Engineering Law #5: The most vital dimension on any plan drawing stands the most chance of being omitted

[Maxim 0]

i recall bill also saying that modern risers dont get set in position either. and dont need to be flexed.

I could be totally wrong my brain just thinks i read that sometime somewhere from him.

Life is Great. Even Greater what we do with it.

[Squeak 17]

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Actually I think he said that rotating the rings is useless and does nothing to improve releasing. It serves only to move oil and dirty from your hands to the webbing. Bending and flexing is what really improves the mechanism. I guess washing the risers helps too.
Safe skies!

3 ring flexing also and probably more importantly, allows the cutaway cables to be inspected and the hard housings cleaned if needs be. It also encourages people to LOOK at their gear, and hopfully spot potential problems early.

You are not now, nor will you ever be, good enough to not die in this sport (Sparky)
My Life ROCKS!
How's yours doing?

[Ronaldo 0]

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i recall bill also saying that modern risers dont get set in position either. and dont need to be flexed.

I do remember reading a post about this but it could have been written by someone else. If he really said that then I can stop my monthly maintenance with no worries.
Blue skies!

Engineering Law #5: The most vital dimension on any plan drawing stands the most chance of being omitted

[Squeak 17]

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i recall bill also saying that modern risers dont get set in position either. and dont need to be flexed.

I do remember reading a post about this but it could have been written by someone else. If he really said that then I can stop my monthly maintenance with no worries.
Blue skies!

I too recall Bill saying it, but he also added that it's not a bad thing to do because of the reasons I mentioned before

You are not now, nor will you ever be, good enough to not die in this sport (Sparky)
My Life ROCKS!
How's yours doing?

[riggerrob 558]

Kneading or massaging makes little difference on clean risers, but it makes a big difference on dirty risers that have in desert dust deeply embedded in the nylon fibers.

[jean123 0]

thanks everybody for your explanations. now it is clear to me what this means! but i must confess that i'm really surprise of not heaving heart of this before. i did my aff and almost all further jumps in empuriabrava spain and jumped rented gear til now. wasn't allowed to pack myself on rented gear so I decided to do the packing course when I get my own gear, just that I don't forget something in the meanwhile ;)
I will defenitly ask for this when I'm back there next week.

[RMURRAY 1]

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thanks everybody for your explanations. know it is clear to me waht tis means! but i must confess that i'm really surprise to heaving heart of this before. i did my aff and almost all further jumps in empuriabrava spain and jumped rented gear til now. wasn't allowed to pack myself on renteg gear so I decided to do the packing course when I get my own gear, just that I don't forget something in the meanwhile ;)
I will defenitly ask for this when I'm back there next week.

I have another rule and that is I get new risers at 500 jumps on them. here is that comment from Bill Booth......

The only part of a correctly made Type 17 mini 3-ring riser (with 5/8" webbing holding the small riser ring) that might need flexing is the white closing loop. This "flexing the webbing" business comes from 20 years ago when we used 1 3/4" Type 12 webbing to hold the small riser ring on Type 8 risers. This webbing, because it was so wide in relation to the small ring, and because there is so much mechanical advantage in the "large" 3-ring system, could cause a problem if it got "stiff". Just clean and lube the yellow cable every month with silicone, and you should never have a problem.

[riggerrob 558]

That may be true in - relatively - dustless Ontario or Florida, but my experience has been that desert dust can stiffen Type 17 (one inch wide) risers.

[kevinwhelan 0]

Just looked at your profile

Container: Atom Legend
Main Canopy: Safire 2 169 ft² (1.12 lbs/ft²)
Reserve Canopy: PD Reserve 145 ft² (1.31 lbs/ft²)
AAD: Cypres 2

And at under 100 jumps you are a braver person than me to be jumping that reserve

"be honest with yourself. Why do I want to go smaller? It is not going to make my penis longer." ~Brian Germain, on downsizing

[jean123 0]

you are right about the reserve size.
but making my choice, there where 3 factores that lead me to that decision:
- i already had the experience of jumping this reserve size (unfortunatly) not o this one, on a rented atom of same size.
- my instructors gave me the ok
- the guy in the shop who sold it to me, has the reputation of beeing really severe in respecting any rules or standards for canopy sizes he sells (i think this is due to liability issues). he said that the effectif size of a pd reserve is always a bit bigger than stated, sothat a 145 is in real somthing like a 155.

these factores make me feel conftable with my choice, even though i don't hope to need the reserve again in the near future.

[Kernel_Panic 0]

Knead risers? Of course you knead risers! How else would you hook up your main?......sry

I wonder if you need to take into account your specific riser's webbing properties? Here's my two cents.... Up until a few years ago webbing purchased from either Bally or Narricot (or Elizabeth for that matter) was very consistent. Mil-Spec webbing gave assurances that the webbing was built to a specific standard. This is not the case today. It is common now to see big differences in webbing from one manufacturer to the other, and even inconsistencies in webbing from one lot to another from the same manufacturer. Some webbing is so stiff that an 8" piece when held at the end horizontally will not flex down hardly at all. Other webbing ordered under the same spec will be very soft and hang down at a sharp angle. All that to say this.... I could see a very stiff webbing take a set far more easily than the softer stuff. Will it take a set? I don’t know, never seen it happen but I’m still a noob.

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