Iso SP900 SX broken! Fixable ?

Discussion in 'Broken Rackets' started by twg, Jul 2, 2004.

  1. twg

    twg Regular Member

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    Hi All,
    Man, it's been awhile since I've been here.

    The other day, I was playing in a tournament, and I realized my shots where not very accurate. I was using my Yonex Iso SP900 SX racket. I later realized that the head of of the racket was loose.. I can move it a little bit and it moves relative to the handle. I took the original grip apart, and realized that the top part of the handle, which looks like a cone, that piece of wood has crack in it. I'm not sure if that's what's causing the looseness... there's a screw in the wooden grip, I think that probably screws the shaft of the racket into the handle...

    Can this problem be fixed ? I thought of using glue, but I think the glue won't be strong enough to prevent the wood from cracking again...

    I really like my ISO900 SX racket.. very powerful! If I can't fix this, what's a good replacement ? I have a TI-SP SR racket which I like for doubles, is the SX similar to the iso900 sx ?
     
  2. Sliced Drop

    Sliced Drop Regular Member

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    Use epoxy to glue it. You'll want to somehow clamp the cone whilst the epoxy sets, this might be easiest done by tightly wrapping it with something - although you'll possibly need to prevent the epoxy that escapes from the crack from sticking to it, I'd suggest vaseline might be useful there. Epoxy is the 'glue' part of most strong composite materials, eg fibre glass, carbon fibre, kevlar etc. You should be able to get epoxy glue from your local hardware store. I'd suggest the 1 hour cure epoxy glue for this.

    If you're really worried about the wood cracking again, then make the wrap permanent. After epoxying the break and putting the cone together, brush a thin layer of epoxy all around the cone. Then tightly wrap the cone with a single layer of cotton thread. Finally brush the top of the thread with another thin layer of epoxy.

    Keeping the epoxy thin will prevent drips and weight balance problems. It will also result in a stronger joint. If you want to go really high tech then obtain some glass or carbon thread to use instead of cotton.

    BTW, epoxy is messy stuff. Assume that any brush you use is trashed. You might want to rub some vaseline on the areas of your racket that might get dripped on (shaft and lower handle). I mix epoxy glue on a piece of glossy junk mail with a wooden lolly stick (or toothpick for really small amounts.) Don't use any of your girlfriend's/wife's/mother's pots or tools to mix or apply it! You might also want to consider wearing disposable gloves.
     
  3. twg

    twg Regular Member

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    Great reply!!! I guess you're talking from personal experience here! I'll be attempting this tmw and let you guys know how this works out!
     
  4. Sliced Drop

    Sliced Drop Regular Member

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    Heck no. But 'glue and wrap' is an old technique for strengthening spars. Ever see an old cane fishing rod?
     
  5. Joseph

    Joseph Regular Member

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    And there were a couple threads about this. I think the threads had pictures in them so you might want to do a search and take a look. Not sure what you would put in the search engine though.
     

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