Crack while Stringing

Discussion in 'Badminton Stringing Techniques & Tools' started by NoIso4Me, Aug 19, 2004.

  1. NoIso4Me

    NoIso4Me Regular Member

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    After installing leather pads on the mounts and clamping down as tightly as possible, the frame still slips slightly. After tensioning the mains at 22pds I went ahead and started to tension the crosses starting from the throat. After tensioning 2 crosses I noticed CRACKS at the 3 and 9 O'clock positions. :eek: Machine has weak 2 point mount. The racket was very round after stringing mains. I don't know when the cracks occured exactly (After mains, during mains, beginning of crosses) I immediately cut the strings but the damage is done. Only a 50 dolar racket but still dissapointed. Obviously, I am looking for help on how to prevent cracking at these points. PLEASE SEND ADVICE THIS WAY! Should I start some crosses before finishing mains??? Should I start Crosses at the middle instead of bottom and work semetrically (If indeed it broke during crosses tensioning) Any suggestions welcome:(
     
  2. Pete LSD

    Pete LSD Regular Member

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    Most likely it's a racquet issue. Is the graphite really soft and fragile? My stringer uses a five point drop weight machine without problems. He strings my racquets (CAB 23, MP-90, Ti-10) from 26 to 28 lbs constant tension using the Yonex (Japan)'s sringing pattern.

     
    #2 Pete LSD, Aug 19, 2004
    Last edited: Aug 19, 2004
  3. NoIso4Me

    NoIso4Me Regular Member

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    Racket is a yonex Powerpoint 1400. One Piece Super Light construction with Titanium frame. Like I said. Cheap racket but was strung above 20 lbs before
     
  4. kwun

    kwun Administrator

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    why should the frame slip? there should be two metal poles sitting in the inside of the frame and the frame will be stop dead by the two poles and won't slip at all.
     
  5. NoIso4Me

    NoIso4Me Regular Member

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    Sort of. There are plastic walls that the throat and head rest against on the inside of the frame. The throat mount screws down from the inside, and the head from the outside.
     
  6. kwun

    kwun Administrator

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    what machine are you using?

    can you post pics of how you mounted the racket?

    the frame at the mounting points should never slip. if it slips, there is something wrong with the way it was mounted or something wrong with the machine itself.
     
  7. NoIso4Me

    NoIso4Me Regular Member

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    I will post pics in a bit....
    It slips at the throat but not at the head. It will sort of shift horizontally, as if piviting from the head. Example. The head stays at 12 O'clock and the throat shifts to the 5:30/6:30 position where x:30 is a slight exageration. Probably more like 5:45/6:15.
    :eek: I just noticed the horizontal adjustment actually shifted while tensioning. This is more than likely the reason for the exagerated roundness after the mains and ultimately the cracks at 3 and 9. I better overtighten this adjustment next time
     
  8. kwun

    kwun Administrator

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    are you tensioning the mains from the center out?
     
  9. kwun

    kwun Administrator

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    FYI, you don't need to tighten the mount point very very tight. there really isn't a need to do that. it needs to be somewhat tight but if you are saying you will "overtighten" it, then something else must be wrong.

    the problem with extreme tightness is that your racket frame can be cracked by the force of the screw.
     
  10. NoIso4Me

    NoIso4Me Regular Member

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    Yes. Tensioning mains centre out. The horizontal adjustment was also pulled inward at the throat. This allowed for the frame to become too round. I will overtighten this adjustment so that it will not shift inward again and I will try something other than leather, perhaps rubber pads at the mounts to prevent my piviting problem. I'll post again after trying these fixes.
     
  11. cooler

    cooler Regular Member

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    My opinion FWIW.

    doing 2 crosses at 22 lbs won't crack a racket at 3 and 9 oclock
    Only 2 possibilities,
    1. cracks were there before u start stringing.
    2. It's a really really really cheapo racket that got damaged from transport. Lets get real, i dunno any REAL and new 50$ yonex racket where yonex is seriously generous enough to give u real titanium/alloy LOL. Yonex dont make Powerpoint. Only Microsoft Office and Tecno Pro (Powerpoint 500Ti) have PowerPoint. LOL
    (sorry for LOL :eek: ) Bet that racket of your was made in china. :p
     
  12. kwun

    kwun Administrator

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  13. NoIso4Me

    NoIso4Me Regular Member

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    Its my brothers racket;) I told him it was fake and cheap but It was SUPPOSEDLY strung at 22 before. I don't think so myself. Giving the stringer the benefit of the doubt and that it is only the 3rd racket I've strung, I'll take the blame. I should be able to string this racket again at 20 lbs but the frame is definately weaker from this experience. Wish me luck in the future. 66% success rating..... even I wouldn't give me a racket to string:D
     
  14. taneepak

    taneepak Regular Member

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    If your machine is a 2-point machine, then it must be a hold-down or screw-down system. Where and why did you install leather pads on the mounts? The fact that the racquet ended up being round after stringing the mains is a sign that the head and throat mounts were not doing their job. You have in fact overly stressed your racquet. Why did you start the crosses from the bottom or throat end?
    The cracks probably happened following a series of bad stringing practices: racquet not mounted properly (it should never, ever move), the mains causing the frame to go round and stressing it severely, and then the "the last straw that broke the camel's back" when you started stringing the crosses from the throat end.
    Suggest you pay close attention to:
    1. Mount the racquet properly. After mounting, test if it is securely mounted by pulling the racquet.
    1. Start the mains from the middle, alternating on the left and right on every string. With each string pulled, test for any looseness of the head and throat screw-down knobs. Tighten if loose.
    2. Start the crosses at the head, first string at grommet 7, tie-off knot at grommet 6. Periodically test if the screw-down knobs at the head and throat are loose; tighten if necessary.
    3. Better still, but slower, start the crosses from the middle, at grommets 17, 18. Tighten the screw-down knobs if necessary.:D
     
  15. jug8man

    jug8man Regular Member

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    hi. just want to add you got to be alot more alert and observant when stringing your racquets. being aware of whats happening after every string is pulled and having a sharp ear for 'suggestive cracking' sounds are essential for racquet survival. i cant really understand all that shifting in your racquet during stringing as most of us will prob need to be there when it happens to find the flaw. the description is too limited, especially if you could not detect the moment of the cracking.

    dont worry tho, all these awareness/observant/alertness will come when you are more accustomed to the stringing trade. as some one else put it in another thread be "thankfull this is a 'cheap lesson' as the cost was 'small' but the experience is great". we (stringers) all broke racquets on our own fault when starting the trade and is just part of the learning process (cost).

    just keep practicing as i have told you before and you will get better and understand more for experience is the greatest teacher and knowledge cant be absorbed by osmosis (save a rare few :D ).
     
  16. jug8man

    jug8man Regular Member

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    im just really glad that this happened using the center out method. God knows what kind of blind bashing end to end technique would have taken given the herd/mob economics humans practice :rolleyes:
     
  17. Gilly23

    Gilly23 Regular Member

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    my friend has a 6 point and a racquet cracked around the 5:30 area. What could be the problem. It was a brand new ARM800OFF
     
  18. silentheart

    silentheart Regular Member

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    Did you tighten the bolts where the vertical holding bars connect to the turn bar? It might have sliped. Also, was the pad thick unough that it is almost level to the holding mount? Could you give us the machine brand and model number? We might help you more if we know which one you use.
     
  19. LazyBuddy

    LazyBuddy Regular Member

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    It could have 1,000 possibilities, and the common ones could be:

    1. The racket is a fake one, which is bad in quality to start with.

    2. The racket is already damaged due to possible manufacture defect, mis-handling / storage / shipping, clashes, etc.

    3. The racket was not mounted (tightened) properly.

    4. The tension is way beyond the max rec. tension.

    5. Mis-usage of string machine / tools during the process, etc.
     
  20. Pete LSD

    Pete LSD Regular Member

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    My goodness :D . . . LB beated me to it!
     

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