I recently went all the trouble to import this special soldering iron from China because it was advertised able to "expand" the share grommets. Got it, tried it, turned out just like my other normal soldering... this so called grommet-soldering melted the plastic grommets to liquid state. There is no heat control on it, just a normal soldering 30W. I regretted buying it because i could just get this normal soldering everywhere around the town. Hence my question, Is there any special trick of changing the shape of grommets without melting it to liquid state? Reason i need to do that is because replaced share-grommets, the end of the tip is quite sharp for 2 interlace strings and often cause string breakage.
I bought this Flare-It grommet tool a few years ago when i started stringing. But it looks like it can be easily made with a small C clamp and dowel pin accessories. No heat/melting required
A soldering iron at 30W full power will melt solder! I haven't used these grommet iron before. But i imagine a properly made one will have a temperate control to soften plastic grommets enough to shape it but not hot enough to melt/burn it. as for replacing shared grommets, I never have issue with a standard grommet, trimmed but not heat moulded. the key is to trim it at just the correct height.
Ok. Thank you for the advice. I'll try to trim the share grommets as low as possible. I guess i got tricked by chinese online shop where advertise and real item are 2 different things.
I find it easier to tie knot when grommet is "umbrella" shape. Safer and also saves grommets in the long run when ironing grommets proper way. If you don't want use soldering iron try bb and c-clamp or some marble. Flaring grommets with soldering iron is relatively slow. I rarely do it, but I'm also interested to hear how others have done this?
I have a temperature adjustable soldering iron. I find that to shape the grommets without melting them, ideal temperature is about 250-300 degrees Fahrenheit. Once you reach about 400 degrees, that's when it really start to melt the grommets to a liquid sticky state.
Just take your regular(i.e. too hot) soldering iron and hold the tip over the scented candle that you burn while stringing(aka "stringing candle"...it's a thing) for however long necessary to get it to the right temperature.
I am using an cheap, adjustable wood burning iron with different points. Like this one (sorry german site). The thin point (image: in the box, second row, third from the left) for example fit in most shared grommets an the wide bottom of this point forms the grommet. Like jsunsun said: 250-300 degrees Fahrenheit are ideal.
I use a home made variant of this, works perfectly. Trick is to get the grommet trimmed to the right length (always shorter than you think it's going to be). I also finish it off with the plastic handle of one of my Awls just to fully open it out.
I think I've found a cheap and easy way to flare shared grommets without using a soldering iron or any other electrically heated device. What you need is a so called center punch tool which you can find in any hardware store for a couple of bucks: Look for one with a pointy tip and the biggest available diameter. And here is what you do with it: 1) Install the new grommet and cut it at a length of 3-4 mm from the frame. 2) Take the center punch and heat the tip with a candle or lighter (10-20 seconds should be good). In case the tip turns black, then quickly remove the soot with a tissue before you touch the grommet. If you don't then expect some black residue on the string later on. Attention: Make sure not to overheat the tip to prevent the grommet from melting away. I found it pretty easy to get a feeling when it's hot enough to soften the plastic. 3) Hold the racket against a hard surface (aka tabletop), push the tool into the grommet and move it around to create the trumpet shape If the tool is hot enough, it doesn't need a lot of force. If you have to push really hard to make the grommet change its shape, it's most likely too cold. 4) Tadaaaaa.... I guess that an adjustable soldering iron with the right tip might deliver even better results, but so far I'm happy with my cordless 5 EUR solution. Feel free to give it a try and share possible optimizations.
A lot of good suggestions, I don't string a whole lot and haven't run across an flared out grommet that absolutely needed replacement but these are great tips.
S-mair's way is pretty much the way I do it, but I use rivet heads instead. One smaller one to flare out the hole, then a larger one to flatten/widen the opening. The trick is not to overheat the tip as the grommets don't need that much heat to melt.
Great tips! I recently started using Dowel Drill tips, and heat them with a lighter, seems to work well also! https://www.amazon.com/Milescraft-5...F8&qid=1486400251&sr=8-4&keywords=dowel+drill
This looks promising: https://www.alibaba.com/product-detail/2018-New-badminton-tools-hot-press_60743279027.html US$28.50 - US$35.00 minimum 2 pieces, would be good to do a group buy.... To buy one on its own @ aliexpress is ~ $70 USD https://www.aliexpress.com/item/Alp...ectric-Mouth-Tools-Alloy-for/32857744342.html There's also a cold press but not sure how well it will work ~ $30 USD: https://www.aliexpress.com/item/1pc-Cold-Press-Plier-For-Badminton-Racket-Grommet-Clamp-Pull-Pipe-Pressure-Bell-Tool-Racket-Threading/32883315395.html
That's exactly the tool that was developed and built by Dennis (@JJ0907) a while ago: https://www.badmintoncentral.com/fo...uare-head-grommets.157934/page-6#post-2618022 Definitely a great solution but still rather expensive. Sadly, the link to the cold-press-plier one is broken or the product was deleted from Aliexpress.
