My first big Opps!

[Maui19]

I guess it was bound to happen. I'm a relatively new stringer (about a year, I guess) and thus far have avoided any big mistakes. In fact, I haven't even had a misweave yet. The worst that has happened was getting a slightly softer SBS than desired due to not checking my flying clamps enough during stringing.

Well that has all changed. One morning a couple weeks ago I got up, put on some coffee and went about stringing one of my frames. I was finishing up my mains, and noticed there was something funny about the tie-off holes. I checked my other racquet and it was somehow different but I couldn't quite figure out what it was. The tie-off hole wasn't where it was supposed to be. Did I string too many mains? Nope. Then I noticed I had mounted the racquet wrong--the top was one set of grommets off center. D'oh! Of course, I was stringing gut. Double d'oh!! Well at least I hadn't tied off the second main.

So I undid the whole thing and strung 'er up again, knowing I was abusing the gut pretty good by stringing it twice.

That was 3 weeks ago, and the job turned out just fine--in fact it lasted longer than usual!

Two lessons to be learned: always pay attention to every detail, and never string first thing in the morning (especially saturday morning!). ;)

[coachrick]

Ah, yes; we live and learn ;) . Glad the string job worked out for you. That late-night or early morning stringing does require a bit more attention to detail for most of us.

After seriously 'pre-stretching' your mains, many of us would have taken a shot at using a lower tension on those strings that had been previously installed. I doubt we could come up with an accurate number; but some lessening of the tension would be indicated with a string that had been stretched that much.

IMO, mistakes that are caught and corrected before the string job is finished warrant fewer 'lashes' as punishment :) . It's a bit like double-faulting once or twice in a game but still holding serve. ;)

[bcart1991]

That's nothing. I've strung frames where the Little Red Dot was actually painted in the wrong place, and lining it up according to the dot put me off-center. Took stringing the mains twice before I figured out what was wrong.

[dancraig]

That's nothing. I've strung frames where the Little Red Dot was actually painted in the wrong place, and lining it up according to the dot put me off-center. Took stringing the mains twice before I figured out what was wrong.

I saw a video of racquets being made in the factory. There was a man painting each little center dot with a tiny brush.

Making the mistake of starting off center is easy to do when there is no dot.

[jjs891]

That's nothing. I've strung frames where the Little Red Dot was actually painted in the wrong place, and lining it up according to the dot put me off-center. Took stringing the mains twice before I figured out what was wrong.

I wonder if it was a factory error or someone else put it there by mistake??

That would take me a long time to figure out what went wrong.

[Maui19]

I saw a video of racquets being made in the factory. There was a man painting each little center dot with a tiny brush.

Making the mistake of starting off center is easy to do when there is no dot.

I would love to tell you there was no dot, or that the dot was in the wrong place, but...

:oops:

(oh crap I even spelled oops wrong!)

[Steve Huff]

When you do something wrong to your own racket, it's not a mistake. It's an experiment. It's only a mistake if it's someone else's racket.

[Irvin]

I saw a video of racquets being made in the factory. There was a man painting each little center dot with a tiny brush.

Making the mistake of starting off center is easy to do when there is no dot.

I never look for the dot. I center the 6 o'clock support on the racket and turn in the two bottom outside supports. The 12 o'clock support is then centered on the racket.

[GlenK]

I've done the exact same thing with gut.. The good news is that's a mistake you only make once!!!! :grin:

[Irvin]

I've done the exact same thing with gut.. The good news is that's a mistake you only make once!!!! :grin:

I sure you mean, "The good news is that's a mistake you only want to make once!!!! :grin:"