VIDEO: conquering the shared hole

Discussion in 'Badminton Stringing Techniques & Tools' started by kwun, Apr 15, 2013.

  1. kwun

    kwun Administrator

    Joined:
    Apr 24, 2002
    Messages:
    41,041
    Likes Received:
    2,065
    Occupation:
    BC Janitor
    Location:
    Santa Clara, CA, USA
    I have been wanting to make a video of this for a long time. finally managed to do it. enjoy.

    [video=youtube_share;adD08zJTW1Q]http://youtu.be/adD08zJTW1Q[/video]
     
  2. Mark A

    Mark A Regular Member

    Joined:
    Sep 2, 2005
    Messages:
    7,170
    Likes Received:
    695
    Location:
    St Helens, UK
    You can also crush the end of the string with a starting clamp (and push it in flat side down).
     
  3. vienly

    vienly Regular Member

    Joined:
    Aug 24, 2004
    Messages:
    226
    Likes Received:
    1
    Occupation:
    Networking
    Location:
    London
    Great video, I try to avoid using the awl now... a painful experience when almost finished stringing a racket.
     
  4. Neffri

    Neffri Regular Member

    Joined:
    Apr 8, 2011
    Messages:
    36
    Likes Received:
    0
    Location:
    Sweden
    Really great video that will help a lot of people :) Do you have any good tips regarding the shared holes when its from inside the frame and out. As a new stringer (maybe 15 rackets done so far) they can really give me trouble and i feel like the stringmover can be really hard to use for some of those holes.
     
  5. aiexrlder

    aiexrlder Regular Member

    Joined:
    Mar 13, 2012
    Messages:
    123
    Likes Received:
    14
    Location:
    UK
    if i get deperate i will use a pair of cutters and cut lengthways of the string for maybe 2cm so making if half or just more than half thick. Then pass through the hole and pull it through. It's tricky and sometimes the cut bit will snap but works if the hole is really quite tight.
     
  6. KayakerSteve

    KayakerSteve Regular Member

    Joined:
    Sep 2, 2012
    Messages:
    17
    Likes Received:
    0
    Occupation:
    911 Dispatcher
    Location:
    Prince Rupert, B.C., Canada
    And if that doesn't work we tie it off and tell them that is the way the kids are doing it these days.

    I also had a bad experience with an awl, scared the crap out of me.
     
  7. DarthHowie

    DarthHowie Regular Member

    Joined:
    Sep 17, 2003
    Messages:
    1,159
    Likes Received:
    183
    Occupation:
    Software Developer & Assistant Coach @ GBC
    Location:
    Toronto & Vancouver, Canada
    maybe i should make a video to show the "tooth floss loop" method.

    Or you can do it kwun since i don't have a video setup quite like yours.
     
  8. kwun

    kwun Administrator

    Joined:
    Apr 24, 2002
    Messages:
    41,041
    Likes Received:
    2,065
    Occupation:
    BC Janitor
    Location:
    Santa Clara, CA, USA
    it is slightly more tricky as the string mover might be in the way. if i to resort to stringmover i will have the stringmover under the racket face and then i have more space to work with above.
     
  9. kwun

    kwun Administrator

    Joined:
    Apr 24, 2002
    Messages:
    41,041
    Likes Received:
    2,065
    Occupation:
    BC Janitor
    Location:
    Santa Clara, CA, USA
    these days the awl is what i end up using most of the time when i get to the stubborn ones. i hardly need to get to step 6 anymore.
     
  10. kwun

    kwun Administrator

    Joined:
    Apr 24, 2002
    Messages:
    41,041
    Likes Received:
    2,065
    Occupation:
    BC Janitor
    Location:
    Santa Clara, CA, USA
    sure. i will put that in the queue of future videos. :)
     
  11. yan.v

    yan.v Regular Member

    Joined:
    Mar 19, 2011
    Messages:
    1,544
    Likes Received:
    101
    Occupation:
    USRSA MRT & Certification Tester
    Location:
    Montreal, Canada
    I've never used an awl. Just seems too dangerous and the 1% risk of damaging the string if you're careful is too much for me :p. I prefer to use the string mover right away as it has less risk of damaging the string.

    My process is the following:
    1) Cut the tip
    2) Push with my fingers
    3) Push with pliers
    4) Use string mover (works 99,9% of the time)

    If all fails, I use a combo of string mover + pliers. And if even that fails, I try to cut the coating of the string to reveal the micro filaments and push the micro filaments through the grommet and pull them from the other side of the frame.

    But usually, my string mover is more than enough and unless I string at a lower tension, I'll just use it right away and save me some time and attempts.
     
  12. Alex82

    Alex82 Regular Member

    Joined:
    Nov 27, 2006
    Messages:
    298
    Likes Received:
    204
    Occupation:
    Linux-Sysadmin
    Location:
    Germany / Karlsruhe
    as yan.v i've never used an awl while a string was already in the grommet.

    normally i always use the string mover. i have too often the problem, that the string twist while i pull the string through the grommet. so i pull a little bit with the string mover and the string will not twist.
     
  13. bsmith

    bsmith Regular Member

    Joined:
    Nov 30, 2010
    Messages:
    96
    Likes Received:
    2
    Occupation:
    Engineering software developer www.elitesoft.com
    Location:
    College Station, Texas USA
    Many prospective stringers read about the technicalities involved with different kinds of knots and think that might be the hardest part of stringing. But dealing with shared holes is definitely the hardest thing about stringing. I have no doubt that Kwun's video specifically on shared holes will be of great help to new stringers.

    But like yan.v and I suspect many others, I almost never use an awl, but am very quick to use a string mover. As Kwun recommends, one should always try up/down and down/up approaches to find which route provides the easiest string path.

    But sometimes, both paths react equally impenetrable. In those cases, I use a small flash light and look through the grommet hole to see exactly what route is most promising. When you do that, you get to see not only whether an upward or downward angle would be easier but also whether some other lateral angle adjustment of the string would help. You can also see exactly how the string mover should be applied for best effect.

    Pushing a string through a tight grommet hole already occupied by another string is a three dimensional problem. Inspecting it closely, assuming you have good enough eye sight (use a magnifying glass if you don't), is my last resort to keep from being defeated by the hardest shared holes.
     
  14. _Rav_

    _Rav_ Regular Member

    Joined:
    Oct 26, 2010
    Messages:
    209
    Likes Received:
    10
    Occupation:
    Gofer
    Location:
    UK
    I rarely have a problem with shared grommets going outside in (unless i was careless and positioned the side supports in position to block that grommet) but i have sometimes spent upwards of 30 minutes trying to thread a shared grommet going from the inside out. It's almost always on a yonex racket, and usually the last shared from the top down, where main 11 goes up. I've taken to stringing top down just recently, preweaving the crosses the to the problem grommet before tensioning the last mains.
     
  15. yan.v

    yan.v Regular Member

    Joined:
    Mar 19, 2011
    Messages:
    1,544
    Likes Received:
    101
    Occupation:
    USRSA MRT & Certification Tester
    Location:
    Montreal, Canada
    I still use the string mover in that case.

    It was also a huge problem for me when I started stringing, but with time and experience I've been able to figure out how to do it easily with the string mover. Same technique really, just takes some practice.
     
  16. kwun

    kwun Administrator

    Joined:
    Apr 24, 2002
    Messages:
    41,041
    Likes Received:
    2,065
    Occupation:
    BC Janitor
    Location:
    Santa Clara, CA, USA
    for the hole blocked by 11th main, i used to use the string mover, in fact, one of my older video showed how it was done:

    [video=youtube;P0VlOigXEgY]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P0VlOigXEgY[/video]

    what always irks me with it is that the string comes in at a really low angle, a lot of displacement is needed to straighten it and add to that it is a short string segment, i always fear that it will pop a string. esp for thinner strings under high tension.

    as you see with my videos, i mostly use the awl for this hole and haven't had much problem with it. once in a while there are the more stubborn ones, and most of those are more to do with the quality or the condition of the grommet.
     
  17. ant01

    ant01 Regular Member

    Joined:
    Mar 31, 2012
    Messages:
    653
    Likes Received:
    288
    Location:
    England
    Nice video, I never though too much about the angle of attack before, although using the awl in the grommet scares me because I've seen my brother snap a string trying that before.

    Recently I've been poking the shared holes with an awl before stringing to make sure they are fully opened up (both sides of the grommets) and my life has been a lot easier since then. I'm not sure if this is a good practice but it works well for me. What do you guys think about doing this?
     
  18. tcliang

    tcliang Regular Member

    Joined:
    Jan 24, 2013
    Messages:
    21
    Likes Received:
    5
    Occupation:
    University Professor
    Location:
    Taiwan
    You are doing the most correct way. Only when we forgot to or lazy to enlarge the shared holes before we start to string, we have to find some way to conquer the shared holes problem. Or just leave the shared hole problem to be an unexpected challenge for fun.
     
  19. RedShuttle

    RedShuttle Regular Member

    Joined:
    Oct 18, 2008
    Messages:
    1,811
    Likes Received:
    441
    Location:
    Western Hemisphere
  20. llpjlau

    llpjlau Regular Member

    Joined:
    Apr 6, 2006
    Messages:
    2,035
    Likes Received:
    7
    Location:
    Where else?
    I never can make any progress with a string mover, I don't know if I'm just not pulling the string in the right direction. The best (and worst) for me is using an awl to create a gap in the shared hole (I've broken strings a few times from this), but when I reach those really stubborn holes, nothing else seems to work!

    I've just ordered a Yonex badminton awl, which may be better than the cheap (and nasty) Pro's Pro one.
     

Share This Page