It Finally Died... Sort of :P

Discussion in 'Broken Rackets' started by xXAceecAXx, Jan 25, 2013.

  1. xXAceecAXx

    xXAceecAXx Regular Member

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    The time has finally come and the handle has given up on my N90... It happened while I was warming with some clears. Everything felt normal until about a few hits in when I noticed that the last hit had not only gone way wide and out, but also felt spongy.

    I immediately looked at my racket only to notice that the handle was twisted and looked like it had been pulled out a few mm's.
    View attachment 136761 View attachment 136762

    When I got home, I proceeded to disassemble/unwrap the grip. This revealed a loose cone and underneath it, the wood had cracked and split.
    View attachment 136763 View attachment 136764

    After I separated the racket from the racket by pulling it out. But before I even started to pull, the screw fell out from its hole... I immediately now that the screw had broken. As I was pulling it out there was an abnormal amount resistance.
    View attachment 136766

    I separated the two parts and looked at the shaft only to see that now I have to deal with this.......................... :
    View attachment 136765 DSC_0072.jpg DSC_0075.jpg

    Any suggestions on how I can get it out? And no, there is NO way I'm going to drill it!
    How ever i was thinking maybe I can take a small punch and "punch" in a hole or multiple holes to make a slit and take a really small flat head to try and screw it out?

    I know I can just glue it back together without the screw but I won't be as confident about its durability if do : P
     
  2. wlachan

    wlachan Regular Member

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  3. kwun

    kwun Administrator

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    any sign that there were glue on the shaft?

    Yonex rackets have glue there. i would be very surprised if LN rackets relies solely on the screw for structural integrity.
     
  4. xXAceecAXx

    xXAceecAXx Regular Member

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    @wlachan, that tool seems like its only effective if the screw head is still attached which mine has broken off...

    @kwun, there was glue but it was in the shaft's cavity
     
  5. wlachan

    wlachan Regular Member

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    Maybe you can leave it there and drill another hole higher up for a new screw? I must say the shaft looks remarkably free of glue. Perhaps that's the reason the screw would break off like this.
     
    #5 wlachan, Jan 25, 2013
    Last edited: Jan 25, 2013
  6. xXAceecAXx

    xXAceecAXx Regular Member

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    I would, but Im not too fond about the idea of putting a drill to it S:
    I agree and there was also a great deal of dark dust that was all over the shaft when i took it out. maybe the pre-glue preparation wasnt done so well or even at all?
     
  7. wlachan

    wlachan Regular Member

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    It's hard to tell w/o seeing the actual item but checking the wood might give you an idea. To reglue it, I would clean off the shaft with lacquer thinner first (don't use alcohol), then apply slow cure epoxy (less brittle ones would be better) on both the wood and the shaft before putting together. Apply more and squeeze it out. Do the same to the plastic cone but better to roughen the inside with 320 sand paper first. As to drilling, I would hand drill it carefully all the way through and use a longer screw. Squeezed out epoxy can be cleaned off nicely with alcohol so long as it's not cured. Set it aside for a week before playing.
     
    #7 wlachan, Jan 25, 2013
    Last edited: Jan 25, 2013
  8. Mark A

    Mark A Regular Member

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    There's no need to use a screw at all - Gorilla Glue is strong enough on its own. It's what I use when changing handles.
     
  9. paulierand

    paulierand Regular Member

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    use a sewing needle to tap it out? maybe something from a fabric store thats more blunt...
    jeweler's hammer is lighter...
     
  10. R20190

    R20190 Regular Member

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    You've got to be a bit careful with Gorilla Glue, it's strong but it expands a lot and could split the wood. Best to use something like epoxy resin in my opinion. Much stronger than gorilla glue and you don't need to wet the surface.

    If you want to remove the screw, you're going to have to drill it out, don't push it out! You could break the carbon.

    If you are to drill it out, you need to use a highspeed hardened drill bit as the drill bit can catch some of the carbon fibre and tear it if at slow speed. Best to use high speed but low force.

    However if you don't want to use a retaining screw, and simply rely on the glue to hold it in place, you will need to give the glue/resin a good keying surface to bind to. To do this, use some coarse sand paper and rub the carbon to roughen the surface then clean off the dust before using the glue/resin.
     
  11. xXAceecAXx

    xXAceecAXx Regular Member

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    Im fairly convinced that there is/was glue used to bond the shaft and handle together because the cavity of the shaft is filled with some hard yellow stuff.

    Gorilla glue has been out of the question to start with.

    No, I am NOT going to tap it out but I have found something much stronger than a sowing need that i can use to punch holes in the broken screw. It's sort of like a pick used for sowing to pull out/loosen stitches in clothing.

    I'm still not too fond about the drilling though.....
     
  12. wlachan

    wlachan Regular Member

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    Is the screw loose? If so, there is another trick you can try. Apply some quick drying glue on a toothpick and set it on the broken screw, then unscrew it once cured. If that doesn't work, just drill the damn thing. :D
     
  13. xXAceecAXx

    xXAceecAXx Regular Member

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    The screw is a little loose on one side to the point where I am able slightly wiggle it around. I've thought of your idea earlier but didn't give it a try because I thought it wouldn't work for some reason...
     
  14. vajrasattva

    vajrasattva Regular Member

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    good suggestion.. if not just one of those rapid cure epoxies are good too.. just a tiny dab on the end of a stick just to adhere to the broken screw and when it cures you can use it to turn the screw out
     
  15. R20190

    R20190 Regular Member

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    I don't think this is a good suggestion for such as small screw. If you dab a bit of glue/resin on the screw, it may run around the screw and may bind the screw to the carbon - last thing you want!

    There are screw remover tools you can buy, I have a few sets which work really well. They basically look like a drill bit but have a reverse cutting head. So as you turn the tool, it digs into the screw head to allow you to turn it out. I would try that first if you can borrow one from somebody.
     
  16. xXAceecAXx

    xXAceecAXx Regular Member

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    I know it has been a while but I FINALLY got the screw out! And all it took was a pair of pointy ended tweezers... Updates on how it performs will come tomorrow. :D

    View attachment 138818
     

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