15% loss

This is roughly accurate, actually - the racket is normally stabilized after 24 hours; if you pat the bed on your hand this may help it get there quicker (the variations in the tensions of each string need to be distributed evenly over the whole racket head). Nothing can be done about this; string deforms plastically as well as elastically.

The number of knots, if they're well tied, doesn't seem to have a large impact, as most of the strings are held in place by friction with other strings, but 2 knots will lose marginally less tension than 4 knots.

If you literally take your racket off the machine and play with it straight away, you'll find that the tension is 10% higher than if you'd left it to stand for a while, but if you ask for 30lbs EVERY time and give the racket 24 hours EVERY time then you should stick with 30.

M.

 

Depend on stringer method and the machine he/she uses.
I just want to add a few point on what Mark says.
1) If the machine is a ECP with pre stretch, 5% loss after 24hr. If you have a constant pull with out pre stretch function, 10% at the most. If you have a crank machine with fly clamp. 15% loss is a possibility.
2) Assume nothing and be cautious on what the stringer say. you have human factor and machine factor and a combination of the two. So what 1 person told you might not be true for the other.
3) Once you find a good stringer, work with him/her and get the tension you like. once you reach that point, you 2 are on the same page. The tension you tell a stringer is just a reference point. There is always an adjustment period when you go to a new stringer because of different method, machine style.

 

Well, if every stringingjob that's done has 15% loss, then what's the point? Just don't use your racket the first 24h and you have nothign to worry about...

It's only usefull to tell the difference between a perfectly fresh, 2min old set and a day old set...
Just don't use your racket the first 24h and you have nothign to worry about...

Which, by the way, has a difference in pitch, even if you string a racket just an hour after the first one the pitch on the two is different (and I have ECP...)

 

Also, some string drop less than other. So, just like Dr. j says. Don't worry and use as however you see fit.

 

The problem is here, you got used to "27lb", which actually means you are used to "24lbs", if you stick with the same stringer. Therefore, if you go "30lbs" with another person, you might hurt your joints, as his job might be really 30lbs or just a lil bit less based on master SH's reasons.

The key is, stick with the same stringer, if s/he has been done a good job for you. Depend on each machine's setup and workmanship, the # can vary. Don't not trust the number too much, rely on your hand to tell you the answer. If you have to switch a stringer, the best bet on the 1st order is to have the same string, and same "number".

 

Ah, yes - prestretching. As SH says, prestretching will remove some of the plasticity from the string, leaving mostly elastic properties. I prestretch everything nowadays before putting it in a frame (even monofil tennis string) without thinking, so I forgot to mention it. The CP vs crank issue is also very important, but IMO more to the "perceived" tension than tension loss.

If you mention such things as "prestretch" and "two-knot vs four-knot" and the stringer a) knows what you're on about and b) will accomodate your wishes, you know you've got a good one.

 

Mark,
Geeeeee? What other string do you pre stretch?
No Comment...

 

Depends on who does the pre stretching . . . no comments . . .

 

Pete, SH... such infantile minds! This was a trap for SH - he dived in on my previous mention of dipping AWLS in Vaseline.

Back to lubrication (door's open again), YULitle of Youtube recommends chapstick for awls, as do I.

 

Did i miss something?.. what vaseline and chapstick does to awl?

 

Sorry, I'm gonna have to disagree here. Assuming the only change is the string tensioner, crank is going to lose at least 2lbs. vs. CP if you clamp off right away and even more if you do not.

I've used both crank and CP in detail and CP always pulls noticeably tighter and more consistent.

Anyway, it's not a big deal as long as you are happy with your string job.

 

Here is my question to you guys. This is sort of related to the over all crank vs cp issue.
I recently calibrated a crank tension head. It is a good brand and not Eagnas. While I was calibrating it. The instruction ask to adjust the screw (or bolt) till the tension release at 60 lb (it is a tennis machine) However, as I worked on the release point. I find the head break at x lb (close to 60 lb) in the next 10 sec the tension drop to x-3 lb. The tension drop slower after 20~30 sec. However, the over all tension drop about 4.5 lb after break applied. So I was curious and set the tension at 24 lb after the calibration is all done. Sure enough, I lost ~1.5lb in 10 sec and it end up at 22lb after 30 sec. I did the same test on both my drop weight and ECP in pro-shop. the tension stay at the set tension over the duration while the string was tensioned. So Dinkie the Panda has a point. More over, the tension drop over the initial 24 hr is also something worth talk about too. I do feel the tension (and I stress feel because I have no way to test the exact tension after 24 hr) is lower by the tone of the string bed. I would guess it is about 1 lb.

 

Per the Great Panda & Greatest GrandMaster SH, I would add that, at sixty seconds after lock out (LO), the resulting tension is about three pounds lower than the reference tension. I have used an electronic tension calibrator that can stay on for sixty seconds at a time to measure changes in string tension.

 

thanks Pete for the information.

 

Dink,

Should have clarified: I was referring to tension loss after stringing, not during; obviously those pounds are going to fall off a crank the longer you take to clamp off. (I know now exactly how long it takes me to move the clamp, so I've calibrated my crank to land exactly on the true tension the moment I reclamp - works great for badders tensions but tennis rackets tend to gain a couple of pounds, but since I don't play tennis... who cares.)

 

Another issue I want to bring up is the type/model of string. If you use BG85,80,70 pro, the initial tension drop is actually pretty small vs BG65ti (the worse) 65 and 66 is actually close to the 15% depend on the stringer's skill.
But anyway, I am guessing 90% chance by the time you get your racquet back from stringer (unless you string your own racquets) and hit the first shuttle, it has more than 24 hr already. Given that is the case, stringbed is settled and make not too much difference between today and the next day.