By Dan Beard
How to Make the Knives.
The "cutters" of an Armed Kite to be attached to the tail are made of sharp pieces of broken glass called knives.
From a thick glass bottle, broken off below the neck, chip off pieces. This can be done with the back of a heavy knife blade or a light hammer. The workman cannot be too careful or cautious in breaking or handling the glass, as the least carelessness is sure to result in bad cuts and bloody fingers.
From the slivers or chips of glass select pieces thick on the outside curve, but with a keen sharp inside edge. It may take time, experience, and several bottles to get knives to exactly suit you.
Fig. 30.
Cutters.
How to Make Cutters.
Fasten three knives together with wax (Fig. 30) so that each shall point in a different direction, bind on this three slips of thin wood lengthwise to hold the wax and glass firmly, and cover it neatly with cloth or kid.
A piece of twine looped at each end should pass through the apparatus lengthwise. This, of course, to be put in the before the slips are bound together. Excellent cutters can be made of blades from an old penknife.
A much simpler weapon is made with a piece of stout twine one foot long, dipped in glue and rolled in pounded glass until thickly coated with a glistening armor of sharp points. Two of these incorporated in the lower half of the kite's tail will be found to be effective cutters.
Boys participating in this war of kites should always bear mind the fact that it requires but little skill to cut an unarmed kit, and that there is no honor or glory to be gained in vanquishing a foe who is unable to defend himself.
There are many other attachments, improvements, and amusing appliances that suggest themselves to an enthusiastic kite-flyer.
