Re using mains?

[BagelMe]

My friend who I string for uses a hybrid setup in which the multi in the cross breaks long before the poly shows any wear, so he is asking my to string the crosses only and re use the mains. Will this affect the way the strings play or feel?

BTW I don't think he really cares if it is bad for the racket.

[BobFL]

Originally Posted by BagelMe

My friend who I string for uses a hybrid setup in which the multi in the cross breaks long before the poly shows any wear, so he is asking my to string the crosses only and re use the mains. Will this affect the way the strings play or feel?

BTW I don't think he really cares if it is bad for the racket.

You are kidding right?
It is irrelevant how polys look. They go dead with time, aging process is inevitable regardless how much you play...

[number.432]

Originally Posted by BagelMe

My friend who I string for uses a hybrid setup in which the multi in the cross breaks long before the poly shows any wear, so he is asking my to string the crosses only and re use the mains. Will this affect the way the strings play or feel?

BTW I don't think he really cares if it is bad for the racket.

It's not good for the frame hence not recommended.

But since you've answered your own question. Why not go ahead and just replace the cross.

I don't know how it feels like since I've never done it.

[genius24]

Originally Posted by BobFL

You are kidding right?
It is irrelevant how polys look. They go dead with time, aging process is inevitable regardless how much you play...

yeah, i wouldnt recommend it either if possible for the same reason

[ODYSSEY Mk.4]

Just say no to re-using mains..

[rj.laroza]

hey bagelme,

i posted a video on youtube on doing this. i've gotten alot of crap for it from alot of different people. the main thing i would say if you do end up doing it, is to be as safe as possible. i have taken all the precaution i can whenever i do it.

i've been doing it for one client for a while now. i think the last count on how many times ive reused his mains is around 80 times. every 10th-15th hour of play of mains he will ask for me to cut it out and start fresh again.. he will give me the racket right before he thinks the crosses are about to pop... about 3 hours of play worth.

search the video on yt. once i get certified as MRT this summer i dont ever plan on doing it again. its something i do just because the client wants me to...

alot of people say its bad for the frame, or that it will warp it... but ive never in my life have experienced a warped, or cracked frame from any of the stringing i do... right now im at about 1700 rackets good. zero broken.

good luck. hope i helped.

[brownbearfalling]

rather than only replacing the crosses, if it is cost that your friend is worried about, find some cheaper string alternatives.

[Autodidactic player]

Originally Posted by rj.laroza

hey bagelme,

i posted a video on youtube on doing this. i've gotten alot of crap for it from alot of different people. the main thing i would say if you do end up doing it, is to be as safe as possible. i have taken all the precaution i can whenever i do it.

i've been doing it for one client for a while now. i think the last count on how many times ive reused his mains is around 80 times. every 10th-15th hour of play of mains he will ask for me to cut it out and start fresh again.. he will give me the racket right before he thinks the crosses are about to pop... about 3 hours of play worth.

search the video on yt. once i get certified as MRT this summer i dont ever plan on doing it again. its something i do just because the client wants me to...

alot of people say its bad for the frame, or that it will warp it... but ive never in my life have experienced a warped, or cracked frame from any of the stringing i do... right now im at about 1700 rackets good. zero broken.

good luck. hope i helped.

I'm with RJ on this one. I know lots of people who break their multi crosses about every third time they play - six hours or so. I have replaced only the crosses if that's what the customer wants and have never (knock on wood) had any problems. Of course, I clamp the racket in the machine and examine the frame for any damage prior to cutting the crosses.

I find that most players believe that their poly plays fine for 8-12 hours. This usually allows the crosses to be restrung one extra time before we cut the whole thing out. I know all the "experts" say don't do this and I'm not suggesting that you shouldn't follow their advice - just giving my experience stringing rackets since 1974.

[fgs]

in the wooden days we used to replace a single string and we didn't have the racquets warp or anything from this. so, if you clamp down the racquet prior to cutting out the crosses, the frame should basically take no damage whatsoever.
the question is if it's worth the while - since, as some posters before me pointed out - polys go dead after a while. even if you have the expensive luxes in the mains, a half set won't be more than 7 dollars taken from the reel, so i don't think that there are considerable savings to be made from this approach.

[JT_2eighty]

To start, in short, it's not the best idea, but... I've done it on a few of my sticks so it just depends.

For me, I've only done so when I had VS mains, and a less than desirable cross that I wanted to swap out, without cutting the expensive mains. With poly mains, well, the above posters have already covered the pros and cons of that idea.

Either way, if you do this, obviously clamp the racquet down first before cutting out the crosses. Also, when I did so, I cut the crosses out from bottom up, since you string top to bottom... so for the same reason you will have less stress on the frame cutting out the crosses as such.

Lastly, I would be less inclined to do so if the crosses have already snapped, as you may end up with some odd warping if you did not have the stick clamped in before any strings were cut.

But then again, I'd only do this if you had gut mains that needed fresh crosses, as any other string type is not going to make this endeavor cost effective, but it's up to him and you to weigh the pros and cons of doing so.

[Lambsscroll]

You can do it. A lot of guys do this with kevlar. It wont play the same but maybe you can come close by tweaking the tension on the cross.

[Autodidactic player]

Originally Posted by fgs

in the wooden days we used to replace a single string and we didn't have the racquets warp or anything from this ...

I too remember doing this. The biggest concern back then was finding an appropriate groove to thread the tie-off through so that it wouldn't protrude from the frame and pop when the racket scraped the ground. Our juniors considered the “patch” to be a badge of honor back then (breaking 15 gauge tournament nylon isn’t easy with 1970’s era flat strokes). Imagine how much they would have complained if we told them that the “patch” screwed the tension up and the older strings had gone dead and that they were risking warping the racket!

P.S. We charged $4.00 for a patch and parents were much happier paying that than $10.00 for new tournament nylon. The “rich” kids used “Blue Star,” I can’t remember the manufacturer, which was about $12.00 strung. Some of the parents used Imperial gut.

[fgs]

in romania we used to have some dunlop nylon. the "upscale" players used africord of babolat maillot witt (now babolat) which was in blue or red. when nothing else was at hand you'd put in a patch of nylon in the natty gut - nobody really cared that much. vs or victor imperial was not for the "mortals" - you could buy some two sets for a normal monthly salary!
well, it looks like we've come a long way from those times ...

[ronninmaster]

As I've posted before: NOOO!!! NEVER replace just the crosses or the mains. Here's why: You string a racket @ say 60 lbs. After the first 24 hrs, the strings will settle in and will have an actual tension of around 50-55 lbs. and will continue stretching. So when you eventually do break a string you don't truly know the tension of the mains and/or crosses. because the strings you hit with the most get stretched more than the ones near them. So the tension is not consistent. So you can try to string it again, but the tension balance will be so off, you can truly damage the racket. It may not be obvious at first. There is a high percentage of the racket collapsing in on itself.
If a customer or you yourself would like to save a little be reusing a string than by all means. I too am going for my MRT exam in a bit. RJ: Good luck and you better study hard for that written portion.

[rj.laroza]

thanks dave for agreeing.

to the topic of $: when it comes down to saving money, some clients would not like to suffer in quality. they are just trying to find a loop hole to get the best out of the best.

hey ronninmaster! thanks for the good luck. when do you plan on taking your exam? im planning on going with 2-5 other stringers in the area and taking a road trip to the nearest testing pro shop. the closest one is about 3 hours away, but the more scenic trip is about 5 hours away. do you have any experience or knowledge about the exam. ive read the study guide and everything so i know how it is going to be given... but i would love to hear how it went from some one that knows more then just the study guide.

[ronninmaster]

Originally Posted by rj.laroza

thanks dave for agreeing.

to the topic of $: when it comes down to saving money, some clients would not like to suffer in quality. they are just trying to find a loop hole to get the best out of the best.

hey ronninmaster! thanks for the good luck. when do you plan on taking your exam? im planning on going with 2-5 other stringers in the area and taking a road trip to the nearest testing pro shop. the closest one is about 3 hours away, but the more scenic trip is about 5 hours away. do you have any experience or knowledge about the exam. ive read the study guide and everything so i know how it is going to be given... but i would love to hear how it went from some one that knows more then just the study guide.

I'm actually studying under one of the testers, I can't mention who though. Just be ready to be given a stange racket to string. One time a person was given a Wilson T2000. Another thing is make sure you string your crosses straight, they test this by placing a paper on top and checking every single string. They'll also be looking for little mistakes like tangling the coil in the beginning, stepping on the string, or putting on a worm dampener incorrectly ( yes, there is a proper way of putting it in). Also they sometimes throw in questions about dimensions of the court. My last advise to you is get used to as many rackets as possible.

most people will tell you not to do it because they heard from a friend of a friend of a friend that it isn't good.

[Tennis_Man]

It will definitely affect the racket and how it plays. The main strings will feel dead on ur racket especially since it is a poly. The frame will also be stressed and reduce the lifetime of your racket.

[rj.laroza]

Originally Posted by ronninmaster

I'm actually studying under one of the testers, I can't mention who though. Just be ready to be given a stange racket to string. One time a person was given a Wilson T2000. Another thing is make sure you string your crosses straight, they test this by placing a paper on top and checking every single string. They'll also be looking for little mistakes like tangling the coil in the beginning, stepping on the string, or putting on a worm dampener incorrectly ( yes, there is a proper way of putting it in). Also they sometimes throw in questions about dimensions of the court. My last advise to you is get used to as many rackets as possible.

from what i thought i understood is that the person taking the exam brings in their own racket with a set of grommets. as long as the racket is not more than 2 generations old is its fine to use for the exam. am i wrong?

[Irvin]

I would try to talk your friend out of using a multi to hybrid with a poly. Not going to make a big difference with poly in the mains between a multi or syn gut in the crosses. Go with a string that holds up better in the crosses.

Irvin