Natural Gut and the ERT 300

[levy1]

I buy two matched Pure Drives from TW and have them install Babalot Addiction monofilliment at 60 and 58lbs. I play with them for 6 sets. They feel perfect. TW uses a lock out. I want to use Gut so I measure the Strings with my ERT 300 and it says DT 35. I have a wise head so I string both rackets at 62 and 60 and the DT is 38. 24 hours later it is 37. I play 6 sets with both rackets and the DT is then 34. I play with both again tonight 3 sets and the DT is 32 and I am hitting long. A friend of mine says I am stringing the gut too tight and that is why it is loosing so much tension. I have a match this weekend and need to get the rackets right. Should I string the gut around 65 to end up with a DT of 35? Maybe I should buy some addiction but what number to string it at?

[jxrojas]

You could go with Addiction (which is what you have used and according to your words worked pretty well) strung at 60 and 58 using the lock-out pulling mode on your Wise head.

Personally, I would string Natural Gut in the low 50's.

[Torres]

You make no mention of pre-stretch.

[scotus]

I have never used an ERT machine and don't have a good understanding of DT, but wouldn't natural gut still be far more powerful than Addiction at the same DT, which would result in your hitting long?

I string my VS at least 5 lbs higher than synthetic/multis. What brand & model of gut are you using?

[levy1]

Originally Posted by Torres

You make no mention of pre-stretch.

I have never pre streched gut.

[Torres]

Originally Posted by levy1

I have never pre streched gut.

There's your problem.

[souledge]

Torres, you use machine pre-stretch or manual?

[Torres]

Originally Posted by souledge

Torres, you use machine pre-stretch or manual?

I just use a starting clamp and then just lean backwards a bit with the other end tied to a door knob. With a half set, you can easily see (and feel) the amount of elongation. Some people loop it around a post.

With a machine stretch, it doesn't pull the string over the entire length in the same way. Some people say it doesn't matter, some people say it does etc

[jim e]

Originally Posted by Torres

I just use a starting clamp and then just lean backwards a bit with the other end tied to a door knob. With a half set, you can easily see (and feel) the amount of elongation. Some people loop it around a post.

With a machine stretch, it doesn't pull the string over the entire length in the same way. Some people say it doesn't matter, some people say it does etc

I typically use a manual prestretch as well, not to over do it, just enough to get rid of some of the coil memory not all of it, as it makes stringing gut easier. I string a lot of nat. gut and with a manual light prestretch you are not changing the characteristics of the string and with the string not so coiled up it makes stringing it easier so less chance of kinking the string as it is so delicate and last thing needed are kinks.
With a machine prestretch how do you know that the string relaxes back to the set tension, as the machine prestretch pulls a % set over the reference tension, and with all the friction of the cross strings against the mains, just how would you actually know that the entire lenght of the cross string relaxed back to the reference tension?? Seems the machine prestretch can give a higher tension as with the friction of crosses against the mains with each cross string being a little different depending on friction holding some of the tension higher than reference.