String Tension For Old Woodies?

[AtTheNet]

Thought it would be fun to hit a few with some old wood racquets, so have acquired a Wilson Jack Kramer Autograph, and a Wilson Jack Kramer Pro Staff, both in like-new condition. Obviously they will need new strings, and I will probably go ahead and string them with Natural Gut.

What would be the right tension to have these strung at? Just looking to have some fun with them and enjoy hitting.

Thanks.

[pvw_tf]

Originally Posted by AtTheNet

What would be the right tension to have these strung at? Just looking to have some fun with them and enjoy hitting.

Thanks.

Try between 21 and 24 kg. That was the average range for a decent player. Take care for damages frame to and strings at the lengths near the racket center at the bottom. Use tubing if you can.


Peter

[Player#1]

^^ That sounds like a good range;

If the racquet is new or in very good condition, it will feel great at the lower end of that range.

If it has seen some heavy use, it will probably feel better at the upper end of that range.

I tend to prefer to string them tighter once they begin to wear out... I keep going up in tension every string job till the racket breaks.

[Frankc]

Great idea - often strung those frames at 55 or so with nylon. maybe at 60 with natural gut. The bad news is that recent natural gut , imho, shares little with the quality gut of that era. Due to the smaller head size and dense patterns, the gut was more fragile and more vibrant. The feel back then of a new wood frame and a tight gut stringing was a joy - hard to define... but long gone for sure...

[Steve Huff]

I used to string woodies in the 60s, but you have to remember, these are 35 yr old rackets. I would string 50 max. That's probably all you'll want to string them anyway. They'll have far less power than your average modern graphite.

[AtTheNet]

Originally Posted by Steve Huff

I used to string woodies in the 60s, but you have to remember, these are 35 yr old rackets. I would string 50 max. That's probably all you'll want to string them anyway. They'll have far less power than your average modern graphite.

Thanks, that sounds about right. I figured that since they generate less power than a modern racquet, going a bit looser would be the right path, but I appreciate the confirmation.