When Bad Valves Need to be Cut Off (bladder repair)
When repairing your kite you can usually use heat to remove valves from bladders. If heat doesn't work you're left asking, "how do I remove a bad valve from a bladder?". This is when you need to cut the damaged valve off. The problem is that you're then left with a hole larger than normal so when the new replacement valve is attached it will stick to the other side of the bladder (no bueno).
The easiest way to work around this is to put something inside the bladder so that the new 'peel and stick' valve doesn't stick to the opposite side. Here's a pictorial on how to do it with plastic from a supermarket bag.
1) cut as tight to the valve as possible
2) use a thin plastic and cut it just larger than the hole left by the valve
3) cut a hole in the center of protective plastic
4) put the protective plastic inside the bladder and center the hole
5) stick the valve on the bladder aligning the valve to the hole in the protective plastic
No need to worry about removing the protective plastic, it will have a rich rewarding life living inside your kite.
If you think you can do it better let us know.
