Unstring for Storage?

Discussion in 'Badminton String' started by Guillow, Aug 14, 2004.

  1. Guillow

    Guillow New Member

    Joined:
    May 12, 2003
    Messages:
    3
    Likes Received:
    0
    Location:
    Toronto, On, Canada
    Hi, i tried searching the archives for anything on storage and didn't find anything that clearly answered my questions, so i hope you all don't yell at me.

    I have two questions. First, should one unstring their racquet for storage for an extended period of time (e.g. 1 year+), to prevent damage to the racquet? Second, after such a long period of time, should i restring it before use?

    It cost a lot for me, and I really just want to keep my racquent in good shape so i can keep playing with it for a long time.

    I have a Ti-10, with bg-65ti string...tension i don't remember anymore, its been too long, 22? 24? just guessing.

    Thanks, Steven
     
  2. jug8man

    jug8man Regular Member

    Joined:
    Nov 7, 2003
    Messages:
    2,123
    Likes Received:
    6
    Occupation:
    MultiTasked guy, Stress Addict, Leisure Bum, mad c
    Location:
    Malaysia
    generally it wouldnt really matter if its strung or not when you keep it for storage. the more important thing is that you store it in a safe place away from heat and any other objects that might fall/squish it. i've seen racquets coming out of closets and stuff after years of abandonment looking fine with tension still good for playing so it shouldnt matter too much. unless it gets eaten by a rat i say :D

    but if it gives you the peace of mind, by all means snip off that string and hang it up some where high and safe.

    cheers
     
  3. bluejeff

    bluejeff Regular Member

    Joined:
    Jan 16, 2003
    Messages:
    3,949
    Likes Received:
    7
    Occupation:
    Developer
    Location:
    TW
    Besides to take out the strings, you should not just hang it up high. Hanging a racquet sometimes would wear/scratch the paint at the hanging point, also, racquet does have weights, and hanging them would probably cause it to deform a little bit after years.

    I personally would just put them into the thick Yonex cover and place them flat for a long time storage purpose.
     
  4. cooler

    cooler Regular Member

    Joined:
    Apr 25, 2002
    Messages:
    21,811
    Likes Received:
    23
    Occupation:
    Surfing, reading fan mails:D, Dilithium Crystal hu
    Location:
    Basement Boiler Room
    Hmmm, it does explain your WTB yonex cloth bags ;) :D
     
  5. jug8man

    jug8man Regular Member

    Joined:
    Nov 7, 2003
    Messages:
    2,123
    Likes Received:
    6
    Occupation:
    MultiTasked guy, Stress Addict, Leisure Bum, mad c
    Location:
    Malaysia

    fair enough reason/explanation. but then again what about all those retail shops that hang their racquets up for display? im sure there are 1 or 2 that been 'hanging around' for years with out any sign of deformity.
    dont mean to pick a bone with you or anything BJ. just wondering.

    and about laying it flat out is a great idea as long as (like i mention it earlier that theres nothing that might squish/step/fall on it and stuff. but then again i suppose this doesnt need saying right?
     
  6. bluejeff

    bluejeff Regular Member

    Joined:
    Jan 16, 2003
    Messages:
    3,949
    Likes Received:
    7
    Occupation:
    Developer
    Location:
    TW
    If you have seen the picture of my Badminton Cabinet, I put racquets staight up. On top of the frame, I use little plastic wires as a seat belt, and the racquets are actually standing by their handle butt (I didn't hang them, but just let them standing straight).

    I did this because I have too many racquets, and if I put them on the ground, they will take too much of space. If you have a badminton dedicated space/area (like my badminton cabinet), you won't step/fall on it accidentally. It's kinda like a restricted zone for badminton racquets :)
     
  7. LazyBuddy

    LazyBuddy Regular Member

    Joined:
    May 20, 2002
    Messages:
    10,096
    Likes Received:
    15
    Occupation:
    Engineer
    Location:
    New York, US
    For 2nd question, yes, as the string will be "dead" after such a long period of time. Therefore, 1st question will be yes, too. As you need to re-string it anyway, why not just further min. the risk? ;)
     
  8. Guillow

    Guillow New Member

    Joined:
    May 12, 2003
    Messages:
    3
    Likes Received:
    0
    Location:
    Toronto, On, Canada
    Thanks everyone for you response :D
    Very helpful. Next time i leave it alone for an extended amount of time i'll definitely think about snipping the strings (cost/time to go to restring shop+restring only iffy factor). Oh and i got a real good place for my resting racquet. SLeeping in a nice comfy soft yonex bag ontop of a fairly high bookshelf outta sun and everything hopefully :D

    The reason it's been sitting around for so long is because i broke my racquet pointing finger in a freak european handball accident. *sigh* so much for a badminton career :D

    Thanks again every1.
     
  9. taneepak

    taneepak Regular Member

    Joined:
    Jan 5, 2004
    Messages:
    6,526
    Likes Received:
    25
    Occupation:
    Designing and producing quality feather shuttlecoc
    Location:
    Hong Kong
    The best way to store your racquet is to put it in its original bag and hang it up, and not horizontally.
     
  10. Feng_MP-100

    Feng_MP-100 Regular Member

    Joined:
    Apr 4, 2004
    Messages:
    293
    Likes Received:
    0
    Occupation:
    Student
    Location:
    Sunnyvale, CA United States
    why not horizontally?:confused:
     
  11. bluejeff

    bluejeff Regular Member

    Joined:
    Jan 16, 2003
    Messages:
    3,949
    Likes Received:
    7
    Occupation:
    Developer
    Location:
    TW
    His point is probably based on no racquet is flat, however I have to disagree a little (because I tried it already).

    If you have enough padding on the racquet, say, if you put it in a bag. Then, since the bag is flat, it should have roughly equal forces at every point when you put it flat on the ground. So, if you have enough padding, you should be able to put it on the ground horizontally without any problem with forces.

    Hanging it up is the ideal way, however, racquet + bag is heavy when you have 10 racquets. So, it's kind of hard to find something that is able to take that much of weight in a long run. Plus, you will be taking a bit of risk on the device of hanging. What if it falls? ;)
     
  12. kwun

    kwun Administrator

    Joined:
    Apr 24, 2002
    Messages:
    41,045
    Likes Received:
    2,066
    Occupation:
    BC Janitor
    Location:
    Santa Clara, CA, USA
    honestly guys, i think the difference is so insignificant, unless you have weights sitting on the racket, the racket own weight will not deform the racket even if you let it sit there for 20 yrs.

    however, to taneepak's point. i think it is not practical to store rackets horizontally without anything on top for a long stretch of time because they do take up a lot of surface area! thus, the most pratical solution is to store them vertically.
     
  13. Cheung

    Cheung Moderator

    Joined:
    Apr 25, 2002
    Messages:
    23,818
    Likes Received:
    4,791
    Occupation:
    wannabe badminton phototaker
    Location:
    Outside the box
    Mine are stored in a cupboard, in the cover, standing vertically.

    No problems yet after a few years (Yes, I have checked):)
     
  14. jug8man

    jug8man Regular Member

    Joined:
    Nov 7, 2003
    Messages:
    2,123
    Likes Received:
    6
    Occupation:
    MultiTasked guy, Stress Addict, Leisure Bum, mad c
    Location:
    Malaysia
    i dono if there is another thread for this discusion but since its been said already what the heck.

    dont mean to argue. just want to share something.

    more than 2 years ago i received a racquet (aluminium carbonex 8) to be strung. after 2 years the guy never showed up and the contact number he left didnt work. he didnt pay a single cent either. he wasnt local and i am assuming he's working illegaly (illegal immigrant worker) and was somewhat deported to his homeland sometime in between.
    so after 2 years of waiting to get my money back for the cost of string and sevice, it was pretty much decided that he wasnt coming back. so i started to use the racquet for social games. and i must say that the tension didnt feel dead after 2 years (bg66) and was pretty alright to play with.
    so LB im not sure if this 2 years + hanging for 2 years constitute a "long period of time" but it sure didnt feel 'dead'.

    LOL
     
  15. jug8man

    jug8man Regular Member

    Joined:
    Nov 7, 2003
    Messages:
    2,123
    Likes Received:
    6
    Occupation:
    MultiTasked guy, Stress Addict, Leisure Bum, mad c
    Location:
    Malaysia
    but then again why am i arguing. this 'snip the string when ya feel like it' mentality is good for the likes of me (commercial stringers) :D
     

Share This Page