can you stop stringing in the middle of a stringjob?

[samtheman981]

jw. I tied off the mains. Can i go back later and do the crosses??

~~~SRY WRONG FORUM

[Hewitt Aussie]

nooooo. Don't do that. Maybe for a minute or two, but if you leave it too long, it might warp the racquet.

[iradical18]

No, this is definitely a no-no. Leaving a racquet partly strung can damage a frame badly, even break it.

[lilxjohnyy]

^^ yea but it probably put ALOT of stress on the racket which may cause it to break later

[volusiano]

OK, common sense says that you shouldn't. But assuming that you HAVE to stop stringing due to an emergency. So the real question is whether to cut off the main you already tied off (and redo later), or to leave it there untouched for a while.

If you already have a good mounting system (6 point or 5 point or whatever) to help alleviate the stress from the racket, why would it be any different if you leave it there for a couple of minutes or 10 minutes? Or 30 minutes, or 2 hours? Everything is static regardless of whether it's 2 minutes or 2 hours, isn't it?

I can see if you only have a 2 point mounting system, you don't want to leave it like that for too long. But with a 6 or 5 point mounting system, I would think that the racket is pretty well supported, don't you?

[lethalfang]

Originally Posted by volusiano

OK, common sense says that you shouldn't. But assuming that you HAVE to stop stringing due to an emergency. So the real question is whether to cut off the main you already tied off (and redo later), or to leave it there untouched for a while.

If you already have a good mounting system (6 point or 5 point or whatever) to help alleviate the stress from the racket, why would it be any different if you leave it there for a couple of minutes or 10 minutes? Or 30 minutes, or 2 hours? Everything is static regardless of whether it's 2 minutes or 2 hours, isn't it?

I can see if you only have a 2 point mounting system, you don't want to leave it like that for too long. But with a 6 or 5 point mounting system, I would think that the racket is pretty well supported, don't you?

A 6-point mount merely has 4 extra support points comparing to the 2-point mount. When you compare that mounting system with a fully finished job: 20 cross strings would mean 40 support points to counter the pressure from the main (comparing to 6), and each support point is only about a cetimeter from each other. That means the stress is even.
6-point mount is better, but it is still under undue stress. Just because the material is holding shape, does not mean that it is not under stress.

[theace21]

You can do it, but is in not recommended. It could cause possible damage to the racket. If it is your racket, that is one thing...but if it is for a customer or friend, you are putting additional stress on their racket. If I saw my racket in a stringer partial strung for any length of time, I would be upset and not return to that place of business for stringing. Any stringer that makes a habit of this should be avoid at all costs.

[aussie]

Personally, I prefer to get a string job done as as soon as possible. Having said that, I used to be really good friends with a guy who ran a pro shop here in Brisbane, Australia. Many, many times he would begin a string job and leave it part way finished overnight and finish up the next day. Never saw, heard of or experienced any frame damage from this practice. This guy had been stringing for 40+ years and had strung many 1000's of racquets. But, not my recommended method.

[1012007]

I left the mains for 12 hours clamped and it lost all tension. No harm to racket though

[volusiano]

Originally Posted by 1012007

I left the mains for 12 hours clamped and it lost all tension. No harm to racket though

Clamp must have slipped then.

[1012007]

no they didnt slip. Flying clamps btw

[meh]

If you have to leave the racquet, then finish the mains and string several of the crosses. That way, at least there's tension going in both ways. I don't do it, but I know an MRT who leaves racquets half-strung this way to service customers or whatnot.

[Bud]

Originally Posted by samtheman981

jw. I tied off the mains. Can i go back later and do the crosses??

~~~SRY WRONG FORUM

When the racquet is mounted, the plastic collars or arms stop the stresses from warping the frame. It's fine to leave the mains strung for a little while if an emergency pops up. Don't cut the strings out unless it will be a day or more until you get back to it.

If you have a string break in the middle of a match and you finish your day of tennis... that broken-stringed racquet will sit for hours with uneven tension, in your bag. I've yet to see a racquet damaged from either of these scenarios.

[Cup8489]

Originally Posted by Bud

When the racquet is mounted, the plastic collars or arms stop the stresses from warping the frame. It's fine to leave the mains strung for a little while if an emergency pops up. Don't cut the strings out unless it will be a day or more until you get back to it.

If you have a string break in the middle of a match and you finish your day of tennis... that broken-stringed racquet will sit for hours with uneven tension, in your bag. I've yet to see a racquet damaged from either of these scenarios.

but that's one string, and at most it changes the tension on 4 of the strings, most likely the mains in the center. if you leave it half done with all the mains and none of the crosses, you're askin for it.

i did that with my old Prince Thundercloud, and it was not pretty.

6 point mount too.

[Bud]

Originally Posted by Cup8489

but that's one string, and at most it changes the tension on 4 of the strings, most likely the mains in the center. if you leave it half done with all the mains and none of the crosses, you're askin for it.

i did that with my old Prince Thundercloud, and it was not pretty.

6 point mount too.

The mounting system is there to hold the racquet, prevent it from twisting AND keep the stresses in check and fairly balanced as the racquet is strung. I'd like to see a racquet that was broken while mounted properly in a stringing machine. I've left the mains strung many times without immediately starting on the crosses and have never had a problem... and that's with a 2-point mounting system.

[chrisplchs]

if you string the mains, stop for an extended amount of time and then come back to finish the crosses, you deserve to get kicked in the nuts.

Every time you tension a string, the racquet gets distorted because of the various forces acting upon it. While modern racquet are built to survive nuclear fallouts and Marat Safin's abuse (alright... most of his abuses), leaving a racquet with only the mains tensioned on the mount decreases the lifespan of the racquet significantly.

Will you or your customers notice? Possibly, depending on the racquet and the person. If it is a person who players once a month and strings their racquet once a year, then the racquet will never go through enough stringing and flexes to render the racquet "dead".

So basically, finish stringing what you started as soon as possible.

[Bud]

Originally Posted by chrisplchs

if you string the mains, stop for an extended amount of time and then come back to finish the crosses, you deserve to get kicked in the nuts.

Every time you tension a string, the racquet gets distorted because of the various forces acting upon it. While modern racquet are built to survive nuclear fallouts and Marat Safin's abuse (alright... most of his abuses), leaving a racquet with only the mains tensioned on the mount decreases the lifespan of the racquet significantly.

Will you or your customers notice? Possibly, depending on the racquet and the person. If it is a person who players once a month and strings their racquet once a year, then the racquet will never go through enough stringing and flexes to render the racquet "dead".

So basically, finish stringing what you started as soon as possible.

Oh, brother! Another person professing to know about the elusive dead racquet syndrome... and one who states that I deserve to be kicked in the nuts for leaving my personal racquets in the stringing machine with the mains strung only

I'd appreciate if you'd post a link to a legitimate scientific study concerning dead racquets. I think you, like a few others on the boards, simply repeat information because you're too lazy to research it

[Mansewerz]

You can take a quick break, I've left it for a little bit while I was looking over some YULitle vids. I did it for like 10-15 mins, but no more, and even I took way to long. I'd just start right away.

[Zach]

I've seen at least 15+ frames left with just the mains finished at our country club. The only time I've ever left a racket with just the mains finished was to look to look up the correct starting knot grommet, etc.

[prostaff18]

it's not a good practice but it's not going to break any racquets. I have never left a racquet for more than 10min, and I probably will never leave one more than that in my life.

I'm just saying that if any of you say that you have NEVER done anything that did danger to the frame you are full of it. If you never make mistakes then you never learn anything. Ask any tournament stringer and they say you need to string 10's of thousands of racquets to even think about going to a big tournament to string. You have to string that number of frames so that you have seen everything and know what to do in every situation presented to you.

I'm not saying that it is ok to leave the string job unfinished but I think that saying that the racquet will shatter is overkill! Now if you repeatedly do things that hurt the frame then you do run the risk of the frame becoming weak. The racquet will develop places where it bends during stringing and after a while these places can fail. But leaving a racquet once for a few minutes wont hurt anything. But just don't make it a common practice.

also about racquets becoming dead it does happen. If you check the flex you will be able to see the difference over time.