Do you wax your strings???

Discussion in 'Badminton Stringing Techniques & Tools' started by Kelvin, Mar 20, 2001.

  1. K4mu1

    K4mu1 Regular Member

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    At an angle --a? I don't get it T_T... I never string my own racket, and... Well, I'm still at an intermediate level xD... So I haven't understand all the basics you experts have xD lol.
     
  2. K4mu1

    K4mu1 Regular Member

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    @PeteLSD
    This is the comment of taneepak from the 4knot thread... I believe this is the hole I'm talking about. The horizontal string is moving around, and not coming back. So... It's better to let my string alone, and not waxing it? (Since it'll be more slippery?)

    Now I'm confuse T_T...
    Questions:

    If they keep moving does it affect the sweet spot?

    If they don't come back, is it possible to cause certain wound on the string?

    If they are more grippy does it mean the string is in better quality?

    I'm sorry, since I never did my own stringing job. Tq for the answer :D:D:D:D
     
  3. taneepak

    taneepak Regular Member

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    The sweet spot has nothing to do with string movement. The sweet spot is a point somewhere slightly above the center of the frame. You will know that your racquet's sweet spot is spot on when you can clear or smash with ease and power with almost no vibrations. But many racquets surprisingly do not have their sweet spot spot on.
    When a string has moved, you should move it back. If you don't straighten the moved string you will lose playability and power.
    Strings that are grippy are the best but it is very difficult to make such strings because it is hard to make the string surface with to have friction or grip. A grippy Yonex string would be BG85 and an even more grippy one is the Ashaway PG66 Neon. Both BG68Ti and NBG98 are slippery.
     
  4. K4mu1

    K4mu1 Regular Member

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    Ahh... Sorry >.< Not so good in these theories... I thought Sweet Spot is affected by those stupid string movement... xD... But confirming, since I'm still young in this forum :D and when I was here first time can be called know nothing xD...

    Is sweet spot is located at the center of the frame (+) <--- imagine those bracket as the frame, and sweet spot is located in the middle of the plus ?

    If my string was slippery, isn't it easier to control ? but reducing my power ?

    Sorry for the poor word choices xD... I'm not an expert who faced so many things like you guys :D Tq for the explanation xD...
     
  5. modious

    modious Regular Member

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    I thought BG88Ti was extremely grippy as well. I wonder why it isn't popular though.
     
  6. taneepak

    taneepak Regular Member

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    The sweet spot is actually a point that is best located somewhere in the middle of the frame or slightly above it. Because a badminton racquet is unlike a tennis racquet or a cricket bat, the latter do not flex or bend at the shaft because they don't have a shaft, its sweet spot location is more difficult to optimize. There is no guarantee that a new badminton racquet has its sweet spot optimized, as seen by owners who use leadtape to change the location of the sweet spot for more effortless power. If your racquet can hit a clear with effortless power and with no stress or vibrations then you have probably got the sweet spot right.
    Contrary to what many seem to believe, an iso frame does not enlarge the sweet spot, because the sweet spot is not an area but a point. An iso frame feels like it has a bigger "sweet spot" because it has a bigger stringbed and the shots hit are at locations that are bouncy. Remember, almost the whole area of the stringbed with the exception of the area at the tip is bouncy. But it doesn't mean the bouncy areas deliver the most powerful shots, especially in areas that are too far away from the tip.
    Slipper strings are not as good in control as grippy strings, because at impact with the shuttle cork the strings that come into contact do not have a good grip on the kid leather surface of the cork of the shuttle.
     
  7. K4mu1

    K4mu1 Regular Member

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    Ahhh... I see, so I was having a misconception xD... Well, thanks for the answer.

    Anyway how bout the question of modious, and NBG98 is also very popular. (I myself using BG68Ti). And just imagining this part about
    I imagine this way, the shuttle would be slower :confused: since they're gripped on the string bed. While using the slipper strings, they will easier to slide, and the speed loss is negated :confused: ?
     
  8. taneepak

    taneepak Regular Member

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    It is difficult for me to answer all your questions on strings. Strings, like racquets, are subject to personal preferences.
    You can try to visualize the interface between the strings and the shuttlecock by imaginging the enlarged "footprint" the strings make on the shuttle. The strings are round or almost round, but at impact they flatten. How flat or evenly flat they flatten determines control and also power. If your strings are more round, meaning their footprint is smaller and less even then the shuttle will not go in one co-ordinated direction. Visualize walking barefoot on strings the size of one inch rope, with each rope having say a hundred filaments inside. If you have 6 such ropes lined together you can walk on them. Upon contact with your feet the ropes will flatten to give you a more comfortable feel and some springiness. If you can get another set of 6 ropes of the same diameter and same material but with 3,000 filaments inside, the feel of your walk will be even more comfortable and your feet will have a larger "footprint".
     
  9. K4mu1

    K4mu1 Regular Member

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    Yes... sorry for making a personal opinion xD...

    Back to the filaments xD... If I we're to land above those filaments, I will get slower... And being launched from them (Since we all believe that we're using trampoline effect on string beds theory) more slippery surface should provide a better speed compared to surface with better grip (in this case filaments). Since the friction from the string bed (returning to normal condition) would slow the shuttlecock down. That's from my view xD...

    I won't say very slippery one would be wonderful, since... It will be very hard to hit it on time. Just like high tensions. It will be too fast, since the shuttlecock is not having a friction, which is also important. So, my opinion is, waxing our string is another preference. I use BG68Ti... And I like the slippery part of it (I believe it's getting rough by dust in Indonesia xD). And I have to clean it out and wax it so that it'll be back to slippery condition.

    Or perhaps my theory is wrong :confused:
     
  10. taneepak

    taneepak Regular Member

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    In my opinion your theory is wrong, but if you prefer slippery string then you should do what you like.
    About 4 months ago, I landed on a recently waxed floor after a jump smash and slipped, injuring my right knee. This is one intance a slippery thing doesn't work for me.
    I am sure in Indonesia you may come across certain extremely high humidity conditions that leave a film of water on the court surface. I challenge you to play on such a surface.
     
  11. BadFever

    BadFever Regular Member

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    Instead of daring someone to play on a dangerous situation, why not explain why Yonex still manutacture slippery strings as you stated above. So Yonex is wrong then. If not, K4mu1 is not wrong for stating his preference on string. ;)
     
  12. K4mu1

    K4mu1 Regular Member

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    That's what I mean :), in slippery floor, we can't stop right. It's because we got no friction. Friction is something that actually is holding us on our ground, stopping our car from crashing. Friction is slowing us down, and helping us to grip. Meanwhile, if we slide the cock, in theory it should run faster than it should. If we can control this, we can use less energy, conduct shot faster, but not sure about the power. The calculation about this is really really complicating. It's my opinion up there :). I'll fix it so it would be clearer.
     
  13. K4mu1

    K4mu1 Regular Member

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    No Longer Editable -_-x... I guess that's all the important points.
     
  14. taneepak

    taneepak Regular Member

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    K4mu1, if you have a slippery surface, of course you will slip and fall very fast. But we are not trying to find out what type of surface makes people fall all over the floor faster. You have taken a wrong turn. The objective is to jump up as high as you can, and floors which are not slippery are better. Slippery floor is the winner if you want to fall all over the place, but you will not be able to jump even 1 foot on a slippery floor. Hitting a shuttle is having two objects collide, not to slide off from each other.
     
  15. K4mu1

    K4mu1 Regular Member

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    Yes.. that's also true. Well... let's fix my view. How do we call something slippery? If we're using a certain footwear, with bad bad bad outsole, we're definitely going to slide even in a good floor. Instead an outsole with a good grip will be fine. So slippery is also preference. I'm not saying a very slippery String will be wonderful.

    Let's treat the outsole as the surface of the cock, and the floor as the string bed, we'll be concluding, the point of how good a grip is and how bad a slide is, is based on the cock we're playing with.

    Surface of cock will have certain texture, this texture will provide a good grip. This is why, I'm saying that waxing is another preference, because some people might like the slipper surface (wax is not so slippery, actually they also provide certain different gripping feeling) rather than the gripper surface.

    My point is, wax will also slightly increases durability due to their more slipper surface, and they're acting as the damper between the main and the crosses. The feeling is different based on the amount of wax applied. They're just like oil to the engine. Giving certain level of protection. But, not everyone will enjoy the effect, so if you're waxing your string, you will have to do it right, in a right amount, and if you dislike it, you will have to know how to clean them away.

    This is my opinion xD.
     
  16. taneepak

    taneepak Regular Member

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    Yes, you are absolutely right in saying waxing strings will prolong their life. As a matter of fact, strings may even last more than a year. This is ok if this is what you are looking for. As for me, I like strings to have grip for control purposes, and wear and tear is of no concern to me. As a matter of fact, I almost never wait for my strings to wear out, because I cut them and restring with new ones at least once every 2 months. To me strings that are two months old have lost too much of their playability.
    I recently strung (just three weeks) an NBG98 at 29/31lbs and I am ready to call it a day and switch over to a new ML67 string (5,000 microfilaments), because I have a similar racquet strung with this new thin ML string that plays better and for longer.
     
  17. K4mu1

    K4mu1 Regular Member

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    Well... No >.< I'm not after the durability, It's just another benefit point xD... I just like the way BG68Ti going with the wax. It feels... Nice (For me). Well it's everyone preference right xD. Just reading this article through, and lots of people is saying different opinion about this xD. And since I do this thing, I provide my own argument.

    Anyway, it's an honor to debate with you Master taneepak xD. Thanks for your opinion, it provide me another view xD. And... why did you cut the string after 2 mths anyway...:confused:?
     
  18. taneepak

    taneepak Regular Member

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    Ideally, one should restring after every two to three weeks. This is because overtime stretching of the strings from so many hours of play does funny things to their elasticity. You may want to try to test the elasticity of your BG68Ti. Just get a new 12" piece of BG68Ti, stretch it to 12.25" and leave it for a few weeks, after that release the stretched string and re-measure its length. It will be longer than 12". Have you noticed the difference in the ride comfort of a car with new suspension versus one that has drive 200,000 miles with the same suspension? Strings and car suspensions have something in common.
    Now, just imagine your BG68Ti probably has about 100 multifilaments whereas another string of similar diameter has 4,000 to 5,000 microfilaments. Which string will lose elasticity faster? Micro means finer, multi less so.
     
  19. K4mu1

    K4mu1 Regular Member

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    Welll... my BG68Ti is not even reaching 2mths old xD... The Arc10 is a gift, and it's about nearly 2 months old. So does the string, it's about. I forgot the date, and since I'm sending the racket to my hometown, can't peek the date xD...

    Well... about the filaments now. I know about those theory. But, the length is based upon the length. There's even some way to calculate that, which I'm not interested xD... since I'm not really into physics T_T... I'm from IT xD... Only have the logic. And I know, if they're getting too long already, they're going to lose tension fast. It's based on the materials used too. Certain materials are going to hold out long. I believe dinkalot has reviewed a lot of those string. I forgot BG68Ti is categorized as losing tension fast or not. One thing for sure, he don't like the feeling :rolleyes:...

    Well, that explains the 2 months time. But, actually how fast are they losing tension? (I'm pretty confident my string will be "dead" already before the time). I heard there's someone testing string "tension hold" in this forum, and I haven't reading bout those again xD...
     
  20. tomat_dog

    tomat_dog New Member

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    Hi everyone, I just join badmintoncentral after reading this thread and I want to contribute an answer.
    I'm Indonesian, yes we do waxing strings with the back of soft candle even when it was freshly strung by the racket seller. In here, the sports equipment store usually have stringing machine although not all of them have the digital or more modern one.

    To the question, the waxing was practiced in the early days when strings tension is not so strong (nowadays many rackets manufacturers recommended above 25 lbs). Since I played badminton in my early years so I took noticed that the wax make the strings get back (line) easily whenever we miss hit. I've seen professional athletes often see the racket string after a rally to see if the string has a bigger "hole" and align them with their fingers. Of course if the string is well align it will make the string's life more prolong because the tension of the string hitting the shuttle is divide in equal spaces.

    But nowadays when racket string use more than 25lbs, I'd say that it does not have much effect to it. As the tension is higher makes the "grip" of the string weaving each other is strong. I think most good string manufacturers already wax or lubricated their strings, and more often you play the lubricate will soon wear off. So, then you need to re-wax them.

    My last string (25lbs - Yonex Aerobyte) was broken after only 4 months and I played only twice a week. It was waxed by the sport dealer/seller after freshly strung and I never waxed them again ever since I bought them. Before it was broken, the string has a light "hair" (wear off) in a couple of spots and it make the tension more loose so I need to get it back in line so often during a match, but yeah.. it does help to prolong the life of the string.

    Let me know what you think this "theory".
     

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