HELP! Keep snapping string at the same spot

Discussion in 'Badminton Stringing Techniques & Tools' started by PopsiclePete, Dec 14, 2010.

  1. PopsiclePete

    PopsiclePete Regular Member

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    will be testing tonight, pray for me :D :D :D
     
  2. CovinaStringer

    CovinaStringer Regular Member

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    You may also try a little more durable string. Good Luck!
     
  3. johnlowe88

    johnlowe88 Regular Member

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    Hi, do you always lock down the same side when you start stringing? Is this the side that is locked down first that is breaking? Or it might be the other side.

    You can try doing this, but after tensioning one string, then switch sides and tension two strings, then swap again - this is the way I do this, to avoid excessive one-sided stress on the frame. I.e You are tensioning three strings on the other side, but the clamped side has no tensioned strings. I would tension one string, then switch back, so that we only have one extra tensioned string at any one time. I do know that others do it differently so this is still your choice, but trying a change may help your situation until you know how the frames respond.
     
  4. taneepak

    taneepak Regular Member

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    Well, here is one test to find out if it is miss hit that breaks your string prematurely. Try to string two rackets, your current 2--cross string racket and another with the standard 22-cross string pattern, with identical string and tension.
    I am quite certain that it is miss hit that is the problem, not grommets, pre-stretch, or stringing technique.
     
  5. PopsiclePete

    PopsiclePete Regular Member

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    I've strung two racquets today and I noticed something interesting, as I string the mains and continue outward from the centre, the first two mains from the centre tend to lose tension, ie they are easier to push down, further, "picking" the strings, I notice a higher pitch to the end and a lower pitch to the middle.

    I'm guessing the difference in tension between strings, along with what taneepak is saying with mishits is contributing to this.
     
  6. Andy05

    Andy05 Regular Member

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    The mains are longer, so the pitch of the string will be lower. the closer to the side you get the higher the pitch should be. Only if all the strings sound the same do you have a problem.
    I don't think it's mishits either, and it doesn't look like you have the room for an extra cross at the top.
    Are all the breaks on the same side that you tie your knots? You may be accidentally catching the string on a watch of something as you tie off. (It's a long shot I know, but maybe?)

    I hope you find the cause, it's soo annoying to string a racquet and have it last only one session
     
  7. PopsiclePete

    PopsiclePete Regular Member

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    Thanks Andy for that piece of knowledge...it seems to be continuously the same position for the snap. I don't think it's getting caught on anything as my work area is neat and tidy and I don't wear watches (worth a shot hahaha :D :D)

    *sigh* I'll just slooooooooooooooow down, I've gotten to 45 min a racquet and then this started happening, like you said, so annoying
     
  8. PopsiclePete

    PopsiclePete Regular Member

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    Alright, so here's a video of a racquet I just did the mains for, you'll notice that the middle strings are quite loose. I strung the mains at 30lbs, and I know from reading posts essentially I have the opposite of progressive stringing, the ends are tight, the middle is loose.

    I understand that as lengths get longer there is more "give," but does this look right to you?

    [video=youtube;sjGKKNHX8IQ]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sjGKKNHX8IQ[/video]
     
  9. johnlowe88

    johnlowe88 Regular Member

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    Hi, the center mains will usually have a little more give than the others, because it is longer. I see that your supports are too close to the center - I usually set my supports to be around the 12th grommet, i.e. A12 and B12 or near abouts. I wonder if this is allowing the racquet to flex too much causing the tension in those strings to be much higher than usual after stringing the crosses. To do this I would move the towers apart, but allow the top and bottom support to wind out a lot further. Alternatively your supports can go into the closer positions. Maybe someone who uses the 6 point supports a lot more can give further advice, as I have only started using a 6-point machine.

    -John
     
  10. Sentinel604

    Sentinel604 Regular Member

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    I have a 6 point machine and I place the supports closest to the 12th grommet

    I try to have equal spacing between each support

    I don't know if I'm doing it right so please inform me if I'm wrong
     
  11. Alexccs

    Alexccs Regular Member

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    I am agree with taneepak, it is simple case of miss hit.
    first, your string is Bg85,
    second, you strung at 26/28,
    third, now still winter time,
    forth, the player him self sure know where he hit it, don't tell me you hit at center of the sweet point and got it snap on the top,
    fifth, yonex AT series and Z slash series does has big cap on the top, so player should take care not hit on it.
    sixth, when a new string snap at the court, the first thing should ask is where did I hit it and not what the stringer did to it.


     
  12. johnlowe88

    johnlowe88 Regular Member

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    There is not enough evidence to conclude that it is due to mishit. For example, it is not just Pete that is breaking the strings at the same point, but also someone else that he strung a racquet for. If Pete is mis-hitting, he would surely know, but then he did not have this problem when he was getting his racquets strung by someone else. Hence, something has changed - maybe the tension, if Pete has increased the tension accidentally or the machine calibration is out - either is unlikely as he would feel the difference in tension, and the machine is not likely to be out.

    Could it be the 6-point supports? The video shows that both supports are too close to the 9 and 3 o'clock positions - maybe the main strings are getting increased tension when the crosses are strung - such that it gets close to the breaking limit of the string when playing a firm stroke?
     
  13. johnlowe88

    johnlowe88 Regular Member

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  14. PopsiclePete

    PopsiclePete Regular Member

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    Hey John,
    Thanks for that suggestion, I will rotate the supports to align better with the position you suggested. Further, I fully agree that it cannot be the mishits as I am not the only person experiencing the snapping of the strings at the same spot. With the frame being pulled in all directions, it could be likely that once I release the clamps there is a bit of extra tension loss that can create the slack and thus the snapping. We'll see soon enough!

    Pete
     
  15. johnlowe88

    johnlowe88 Regular Member

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    Pete,

    I was thinking about this last night. It may be that the supports are too close to the center. This allows the top of the racquet to be pulled inwards and the sides go outwards at the 10 & 2 o'clock points when pulling the main strings, then when you do the crosses, the racquet is being pushed back into shape by the cross tension, resulting in much higher tension in the mains because of racquet deformation. It could also mean that any strong hit in that area, not necessarily a mishit could result in string breakage. By moving the supports, you should be reducing this deformation and correction, hopefully resulting in a better or consistent string tension.

    -John
     
  16. taneepak

    taneepak Regular Member

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    I still think it is miss hits that cause he problem. Of course others who miss hit will also break the strings at the top end of the racket.
    Now, let me ask you this question. Have you had the same problem with rackets with the standard 22 cross string pattern and with the same breakage frequency? Try to align your 21-cross string racket with one that has a 2-cross pattern and you will clearly see the huge difference between the gap at the top. It is here that is the problem.
    Supports and other improper tying of the knots do not cause any premature breakage. Blaming them is a wild goose chase, in my opinion.
     
  17. taneepak

    taneepak Regular Member

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    This is the corrected version.
     
  18. PopsiclePete

    PopsiclePete Regular Member

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    Taneepak, while the strings may have snapped due to a mishit and I see what you're saying there, there has to be another variable as within two days, five different racquets that I strung for other people snapped the exact same way. While we could take say, yup, they were all mishit, but what is the possibility that all five players mishit at the exact same spot and snap the exact same string in the exact same way? Statistically speaking that is low, with the exception of one common variable, the way I string.

    I will however see how I can introduce your 22-cross pattern after I do a few of my own racquets with the readjusted mounts.

    thanks
     
  19. DoubleDstyle

    DoubleDstyle Regular Member

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    There's another factor that many stringers didn't think about, it's the age of the strings.
    Combine that with mishits and the 21 cross pattern, thin string, high tension the chance of string snapping is very high.
    I've have this exact problem before.
    To correct this problem, I've dumped all my old brittle strings, switched to a thicker string and do the 22 cross pattern when ever possible, I've modified my T mounts to make this possible. This drastically reduced string breakage as I can't ask all the mishitters not to mishit. All of a sudden no more broken strings and I look good in front of my customers.



     
  20. coachgary

    coachgary Regular Member

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    Looking at the picture it appears that Main No.2 left has snapped and looks somewhat too short to have snapped at the grommet. Main 2 left is part of the starting/tensioning loop, you lock down Main 1 left side say, and tension Main 1 right side followed by 2nd right side for example. Somehow I reckon the string is getting slightly crimped when you go back to tension the first leftside main. Do you re-pull the this first main again? Run the string through your fingers before tensioning and again afterwards. You might be able to feel something. Also make sure that you don't pull a twisted/loop through the grommet causing the outer sheath to be damaged/crimped.
     

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