Lead customization

[Sundan]

Hi,i have a few questions about adding weight to a racquet ;

The racquet im about to experiment with is a 289g strung,3pts head heavy "beginners" racquet.(Babolat Xs 105)

Goal; Headlight,but stable.

So,i was thinking of opening the buttcap and see if its possible to inject some silicone,and then add some lead at 3 and 9,perhaps 5g per side ?

If its not possible to add silicone,should i just wrap some leadtape around the handle near the buttcap underneath the overgrip ?

Any thoughts about this suggestion ? I have never experimented before so im not so sure if im thinking right here ?

[Sundan]

A second thought,if i only add weight to the handle,would i still improve stability,or just chance the balance ?

Since the racquet is 3pts head heavy i guess it would take some to get it around 6pts head light,and maybe the total weight then would be too much if i also leaded up at 3 and 9,with the 6 pts head ligth balance remaining.

This experiment is only for getting me a soft racquet with big sweetspot while i heal my elbow,i have 2 Xs 105 laying around so thats why.

[TennisCJC]

I am amatuer customizer doing my own rackets for about 6+ years.

I don't inject weight into the butt capp opening. Instead I remove all grips and add lead tape to the pallet under the grips. You can wrap it around the grip or apply strips parallel to the grip. Adding lower - just above where the butt capp ends - will shift balance more toward HL than adding at 7" from butt. Remove ALL grips including the overgrip and the original grip and apply the strips directly to the pallet. You can actually experiment by adding the tape over the grip and beneath the overgrip to experiment to see how the handle weight works with the head tape you have added. But once you have it right, take off all grips and apply it to the pallet and re-grip.

It will take approximately 4 grams on the handle to move 1 point HL. Moving from 3 HH balance to 6 HL will take roughly 36 grams. That's a lot and you might want to use silocone instead. Or, target 4 HL instead of 6 HL.

Adding handle weight does nearly nothing for stability or power. Head weight adds stability and power.

I suggest you get the SW up to around 320 g or a bit more, and balance 4 HL to assist with elbow pain.

[Sundan]

Originally Posted by TennisCJC

I am amatuer customizer doing my own rackets for about 6+ years.

I don't inject weight into the butt capp opening. Instead I remove all grips and add lead tape to the pallet under the grips. You can wrap it around the grip or apply strips parallel to the grip. Adding lower - just above where the butt capp ends - will shift balance more toward HL than adding at 7" from butt. Remove ALL grips including the overgrip and the original grip and apply the strips directly to the pallet. You can actually experiment by adding the tape over the grip and beneath the overgrip to experiment to see how the handle weight works with the head tape you have added. But once you have it right, take off all grips and apply it to the pallet and re-grip.

It will take approximately 4 grams on the handle to move 1 point HL. Moving from 3 HH balance to 6 HL will take roughly 36 grams. That's a lot and you might want to use silocone instead. Or, target 4 HL instead of 6 HL.

Adding handle weight does nearly nothing for stability or power. Head weight adds stability and power.

I suggest you get the SW up to around 320 g or a bit more, and balance 4 HL to assist with elbow pain.

The racquet has 324 sw in stockform,despite the low static weight,so it could work with just adding up counterweight ?

[TennisCJC]

Originally Posted by Sundan

The racquet has 324 sw in stockform,despite the low static weight,so it could work with just adding up counterweight ?

Yes, that's a decent SW so you could just move the balance to more HL. You might want to experiment with a little lead at 3/9 o'c anyhow to see if you like it. For a 104, a little lead at 3/9 o'c will improve torsional stability - less twist on off center hits. I would target 4 HL initially but you could go more.

[Sundan]

I think you are right,perhaps i should add abit at 3 and 9 right away and then try to balance up to about 4pts.

How much lead is needed at 3 and 9 to notice a difference,in general ?
Do i need 5+5 or 2+2 or what ? I suppose its best to try out,but i want a hint of where to start.

[Sundan]

Forgot to say,im now used to the Blade 93, it has 341 static and 333 SW.

[cknobman]

The answer to any and all of your customization questions lies here: http://twu.tennis-warehouse.com/lear...tomization.php

This tool will provide you real statistics and suggestions on how and where to place lead to achieve the type of racquet characteristics you desire.

If you add lead at the handle and cannot put it in the buttcap I suggest wrapping it in a single layer around the base of the handle directly against the frame and underneath all grips.

[TennisCJC]

2 grams at 3 o'c and 2 g at 9 o'c and should make a significant difference.

[Sundan]

That little,doesnt sound much,but the better for me,less weight to counter

Thanks !

[Sundan]

Just played around with the comparison tools,my Blade 93 2013 has 13.96 in twistweight and i read somewhere on the forum that above 13 is desired.

The racquet im about to fiddle with has almost 17,so i will try to just change the balance

Funny though the 93 has a bigger sweetspot than my old Vcore 100s .

[Sundan]

I demo:ed the Wilson 104 yesterday since i noticed it had a flex rating of 60,and my local shop happens to have them in stock.

It actually played great,and was soft on my arm,but its a bit light,so i fiddled with the TW customization tool to get and indication of how much lead to add.

I set both static and SW to 325 as a start,up from 303/308,that should add enough stability yet keeping it easy to swing.

However,the tool suggest lead at 10 and 2,if i look for stability shouldnt 3 and 9 be better ? Or since the amount suggested is ~8 grams in the head,maybe add 2 grams each spot 10/2 and 4/8?
The sweetspot is huge so its really stability thats prio 1.

Also ~14 grams into handle,i got this simple idea,an overgrip and a coin glued to buttcap,i found that we have a coin here that weighs 10 grams,and should fit in the cap,so that would be ~15 grams,should work atleast for trying out,then i could open up and insert silicone cubes instead when im sure of how much i want.