Ok I have just finished stringing an old Iso Slim 10 of mine, and found that it has broken in a very strange way and wondered if any of you could explain. The racket is in quite bad condition with many paint chips and there is evidence of 'high noon disease' (paint chip at 12 o'clock) but there are no visible breakages or cracks. However after removing the racket from the machine i found that the frame was bent in such a way that the stringbed is no longer flat. When looking at the racket from above the racket looks fine, but from the side it is visibly warped. What's more, the frame has become incredibly flexible, and it is possible to bend the head into different shapes very easily. This is the strangest thing as the racket is made from graphite and i have never known graphite to flex so much so easily without springing back into shape or cracking, especially under tension. Nevertheless, there are still no visible cracks despite having been strung at 24x25lbs. The racket had been left unstrung for a few months so this might have contributed to the damage. However I'm puzzled by the breakage as I have never seen anything like it before. Any ideas??
As the name calls, Slim 10 has very slim head frame. Therefore, high tension like 25lb with bad condition to begin with, is a no no for this racket. I assume internal damage was already formed even before the process. Also, what do you mean by "unstrung for several months"? Do you mean that you did not cut the string, after the previous string snaps? If that's the case, that might be one of the leading factor that kills the racket.
no, the strings were cut out. My other slim 10s were fine with 25lbs, although i was aware of the risk especially with an old racket (has old yonex logo) that is as slim as it is. anyway, I am not too bothered that it is broken as I don't use these rackets anymore,but I'm more intrigued as to why the racket did not crack but instead became incredibly flexible around the head. Also with hindsight, it's probably true that there was previous internal damage due to the nature of the breakage, but I can't be sure
Older racquets have been known to go flimsy after X amount of years. Things ranging from overuse, or exposure to relatively high amounts of heat, can also cause the structure of the frame to weaken. You see the racquet isn't entirely made of graphite, it uses types of plastics to help bond everything together... once the plastics breakdown, the racquet goes flimsy while still maintaining a shape reminiscent of old due to the graphite fibres. I've had that happen to a few graphite shafts on racquets after periods of heavy use, the shaft can go flimsy. and actually become... for lack of a better term.. limp. you can see the racquet just kind of slump over.
Not if they are stored properly, in a cool dry place. If left to face the elements, a graphite racquet will inevitably breakdown, and succumb to the forces that act on them... eg they can even melt in the backseat or trunk of your car on a hot day!! same goes for wooden racquets... the old ones came with a wooden press, you could store them in, to prevent any moisture that had been absorbed by the racquet from causing the frame to warp. I have an old YY boron 200 sitting in storage, just checked on it a couple weeks ago, still holding up really well, though I'm sure if i strung it up, i'd get a similar problem that the OP has just found
