Have you seen this, main tie off on the outside

tennisbike · Nov 23, 2019

These are found on a rescued Dunlop Fort Maxply in beautiful condition. A couple of observation: First the power pads were missing. I expected 4, 2 on each side but found only a pair for first 2 mains. The tie off is on the outside and went to where the missing power pad was supposed to be. The sting went under, loop back under again, then the tag end goes through the first loop.

I wonder why or how they were able to go under the other string, i.e. go between the string and wooden frame, without scratching the paint/frame. Seems that they like doing that when they came out of last main. Does that practice holds the tension better instead of a loose long strand outside the frame. When I string these old wooden frames I just went around instead of threading it under another string. Clearly I am not worrying about loosing tension on small frame and dense pattern.

Silly, I wonder if I can do that on a modern frame. I remember a couple of frames that I came across that did not have many tie-off holes. But perhaps I would need a hook or something to lift the string to allow the other string to slip through the channel. Anyway.

1HBHfanatic · Nov 25, 2019

cool picture, tnx for sharing
back in those days, the tensions where also much lower, sometimes higher also,,
I don't know how this knot would hold up in 70lb range, but at 20-40lbs seems to be ok
this is a recent stringing, stringer got creative,,

did you hit with the racquet?

tennisbike · Nov 25, 2019

I string my woodies 25lb to 40 lbs. No idea how tight the woodies were strung.

I picked this one up from a local recycle center some months ago. Doubt it was a recent string job. Notice the little blue string thingie.

This one, I probably have not hit with it. I have a few Maxply. My favorite of all, among similar size stick, is a Yonex YY8500 with SG strung at 25 lbs and in 16x18. Sweet sweet frame, swing fast.. I love it. Though not a woodie.

1HBHfanatic · Nov 26, 2019

@tennisbike the smaller twine looking blue string inside the string bed is just twine,,
it was called "trebling", or something like that,, no real purpose, from what I understand,,
it was mainly to see who would serve first!!, it has no real tension, so it cant be used to hold strings in place because its too low in the string bed to affect the center of the string bed itself,, that's my deduction anyway
about trebling: they would ask you as they spun the racquet, rough or smooth!? ( one side because of the way its weaved created a soft smooth surface and the other a rough/elevated surface)
I got this info from @jim e and some other old timers around here,, good to have these guys around to pass their insight into these things,,
maybe they can look at this and give you some better info

btw the dunlop maxply is one of my all time favorite wood racquets, solid!!

tennishabit · Dec 12, 2019

tennisbike said:
These are found on a rescued Dunlop Fort Maxply in beautiful condition. A couple of observation: First the power pads were missing. I expected 4, 2 on each side but found only a pair for first 2 mains. The tie off is on the outside and went to where the missing power pad was supposed to be. The sting went under, loop back under again, then the tag end goes through the first loop.

I wonder why or how they were able to go under the other string, i.e. go between the string and wooden frame, without scratching the paint/frame. Seems that they like doing that when they came out of last main. Does that practice holds the tension better instead of a loose long strand outside the frame. When I string these old wooden frames I just went around instead of threading it under another string. Clearly I am not worrying about loosing tension on small frame and dense pattern.

Silly, I wonder if I can do that on a modern frame. I remember a couple of frames that I came across that did not have many tie-off holes. But perhaps I would need a hook or something to lift the string to allow the other string to slip through the channel. Anyway.

lololololololol man, my rkts are tied off inside/outside/everywhere as I only replace the broken 1s n a couple nearby near-brk 1s. i've been restringing this way for yrs n no negative impact on ball striking at all. it usually only takes me a few min to get the string job done instead of 30 min doing the whole new string bed

.......................

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Znak · Dec 12, 2019

MAX PLY · Dec 12, 2019

Wow, what an abomination of a string job (kudos for creativity and grit though). I wonder if any two of those racquets play the same---I also strongly suspect that the knots in the middle of the hitting pattern render the result an illegal string job. But, I am glad I have seen it (in sort of a train wreck manner).

tennisbike · Dec 12, 2019

tennishabit said:
lololololololol man, my rkts are tied off inside/outside/everywhere as I only replace the broken 1s n a couple nearby near-brk 1s. i've been restringing this way for yrs n no negative impact on ball striking at all. it usually only takes me a few min to get the string job done instead of 30 min doing the whole new string bed.......................

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Isn't it fun to stir the pot and see something different from time to time. Thank you for sharing.

I sometimes gets asked to "repair" rackets used in PE class in my high school. No, ALL of these rackets are all way past due on their used by date. Aluminum sticks with different shapes and many non-existing grommets.... If I am not paying out of my pocket to replace them, I simply trying to put enough strings on them so that they look like a complete racket. And it is true it takes creativity and some tinkering to get those strings in place. I do wish I know more knots to be able to do those job. The only thing that I think makes it easier is using stretchy string. If I want to tie it outside, I need to clamp it on the inside with enough stretch to keep the knot tight. But in any case, I do not string tight at all, so that the strings does not get cut on the bare aluminum holes.

No I do not play with these. I have too many sticks that still had not been experimented with.

tennishabit · Dec 12, 2019

tennisbike said:
Isn't it fun to stir the pot and see something different from time to time. Thank you for sharing.

I sometimes gets asked to "repair" rackets used in PE class in my high school. No, ALL of these rackets are all way past due on their used by date. Aluminum sticks with different shapes and many non-existing grommets.... If I am not paying out of my pocket to replace them, I simply trying to put enough strings on them so that they look like a complete racket. And it is true it takes creativity and some tinkering to get those strings in place. I do wish I know more knots to be able to do those job. The only thing that I think makes it easier is using stretchy string. If I want to tie it outside, I need to clamp it on the inside with enough stretch to keep the knot tight. But in any case, I do not string tight at all, so that the strings does not get cut on the bare aluminum holes.

No I do not play with these. I have too many sticks that still had not been experimented with.

lolololololol man, i always eat n enjoy what i cooked..........>90% chance much better than those from restaurants n much much healthier. if occasionally some didn't taste good i'll throw them to birds n possums or ants etc in the reserve/park across street n kept quiet abt it, wouldn't tell any1

...............

I've been using my 'doggy patching up' string setup for >5yrs since i got my own stringing machine n enjoy it, man. the reason others tried my rkts couldn't control their shots was due to they're not used to low string tension like ~30lb something n also not producing enough top spin which's essential to control the shots

........................

Rabbit · Dec 13, 2019

A buddy of mine who grew up in Chile in the 50s said his dad wouldn't pay for a complete restring. If a string broke, they'd replace that string. He also played junior Davis Cup for Chile, the Orange Bowl (where he lost to Tony Roche). At the Orange Bowl, he was offered 3 college scholarships. How did he decide? He accepted the closest one to Miami because he had just enough money for bus fare to get to the closest one (3 states away by bus).

And there are those who fret over 1/2 pound dynamic tension..... pashaw!

jxs653 · Dec 13, 2019

Some old racquets allow only one piece stringing (i.e., there are not enough larger grommet holes) and I tie off outside of the frame when stringing hybrid with those racquets. Some may call it poor practice I guess.

tennisbike · Dec 13, 2019

jxs653 said:
Some old racquets allow only one piece stringing (i.e., there are not enough larger grommet holes) and I tie off outside of the frame when stringing hybrid with those racquets. Some may call it poor practice I guess.

Or some cheap racket only has 2 large grommet holes on top and 2 on the bottom. I did 2 piece. I do want to see your knots outside the frame.

tennisbike · Dec 13, 2019

Rabbit said:
A buddy of mine who grew up in Chile in the 50s said his dad wouldn't pay for a complete restring. If a string broke, they'd replace that string. He also played junior Davis Cup for Chile, the Orange Bowl (where he lost to Tony Roche). At the Orange Bowl, he was offered 3 college scholarships. How did he decide? He accepted the closest one to Miami because he had just enough money for bus fare to get to the closest one (3 states away by bus).

And there are those who fret over 1/2 pound dynamic tension..... pashaw!

Off topic: Thanks for sharing. There are lots of forgotten stories behind those players.. My dad played in Asian Cup. Back in his days he had to work three months to afford a pair of tennis shoes. Tennis was a very expensive sports back then. And everyone was very poor after the war. When it comes to having money and number of sticks available, I feel so spoiled.

jxs653 · Dec 13, 2019

jxs653 said:
Some old racquets allow only one piece stringing (i.e., there are not enough larger grommet holes) and I tie off outside of the frame when stringing hybrid with those racquets. Some may call it poor practice I guess.

tennisbike said:
Or some cheap racket only has 2 large grommet holes on top and 2 on the bottom. I did 2 piece. I do want to see your knots outside the frame.

Oh yeah some cheap racquets are like that too. My tying off outside of the frame is nothing like you described in your original post. Just make the entanglement big enough to block the grommet hole. Works although looks sloppy.

Rabbit · Dec 13, 2019

tennisbike said:
Off topic: Thanks for sharing. There are lots of forgotten stories behind those players.. My dad played in Asian Cup. Back in his days he had to work three months to afford a pair of tennis shoes. Tennis was a very expensive sports back then. And everyone was very poor after the war. When it comes to having money and number of sticks available, I feel so spoiled.

To further the story, this chap stayed in Miami with some nice people from Chile. They spoke Spanish and English, he spoke no English only Spanish. When he started college in the Deep South, he spoke no English. Back then, you had to be in the top 3 on your team to get a scholarship. So, he had to stay in the top 3, learn English (thankfully his roommate taught him), work in the cafeteria, and teach lessons on the side to stay in America. He and his partner (from Australia) lost in the semis of the nationals. Had they advanced, their next round would've been against a couple of guys named Smith & Lutz. The #1 on the team, also from Australia, played Arthur Ashe and lost to him 2 & 3.

I love to listen to the stories he tells and truthfully marvel at the way he's kept a positive attitude and overcome so much.

speedysteve · Dec 13, 2019

I've had no problems 2 piece stringing my 1980 Dunlop Maxply Fort, or late 70's Slazenger Challenge woodies..

Ronaldo · Dec 13, 2019

Y'all never patch'd a broken string?

Irvin · Dec 13, 2019

Ronaldo said:
Y'all never patch'd a broken string?

I never have and I never will.

EDIT: I’d charge the same thing for a patch I do for a complete string job, and I bet you could not tell the difference between a patch job and a complete string job.

Rabbit · Dec 13, 2019

@Irvin @Ronaldo

I'd take that bet.

if you cannot afford a string job, I’d dos patch for free.

speedysteve · Dec 13, 2019

Difference was back in the day.., it cost less than 0.50p per string and a few £'s for a new string bed...
A gallon of go juice was 0.50p.

tennishabit · Dec 13, 2019

Irvin said:
I never have and I never will.

EDIT: I’d charge the same thing for a patch I do for a complete string job, and I bet you could not tell the difference between a patch job and a complete string job.

i've been using patchup >5yrs by now since i bought own machine n ofc i only do it for myself. also only feasible @low tennis otherwise they'll break really fast on the bent spot of the knots. most of ppl don't like 20lb or 30lb tension due to lack of control. it's only true to me or very few ppl playing @super low tension dat 'could not tell the difference between a patch job and a complete string job'........n the only difference is saving tons of restringing time n in a few min my rkts back in action

..............................

Ronaldo · Dec 13, 2019

Irvin said:
I never have and I never will.

EDIT: I’d charge the same thing for a patch I do for a complete string job, and I bet you could not tell the difference between a patch job and a complete string job.

Have not patch'd a string since using a wood racquet. Back then, 7-8 patchjobs were not unusual.

struggle · Dec 14, 2019

I can see why someone might patch in a section for broken string (I wouldn't do it on my own frames), BUT i'd NEVER tie two string ends together
in the middle of the string bed........there are better ways to do it and just tie off normally at the frame.

struggle · Dec 14, 2019

Irvin said:
I never have and I never will.

EDIT: I’d charge the same thing for a patch I do for a complete string job, and I bet you could not tell the difference between a patch job and a complete string job.

Hmmmmm......

tennishabit · Dec 14, 2019

Ronaldo said:
Have not patch'd a string since using a wood racquet. Back then, 7-8 patchjobs were not unusual.

all mine 5 babo pds got >>7-8 most on mains as the crosses seemed last much much longer

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Ronaldo · Dec 14, 2019

tennishabit said:
all mine 5 babo pds got >>7-8 most on mains as the crosses seemed last much much longer..............

Why not just restring the mains?

Irvin · Dec 14, 2019

Ronaldo said:
Why not just restring the mains?

Top cross is probably tied to one

Ronaldo · Dec 15, 2019

Irvin said:
Top cross is probably tied to one

20 yrs ago woulda tried all this........................................now have more strings than I'lll ever use

jim e · Dec 15, 2019

tennishabit said:
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That is what I would call a non conventional string job, or another words a bizarre practice.
I'm trying to be nice and refrain from saying something more, very difficult.

Rabbit · Dec 15, 2019

@jim e yeah, I agree. Looks to me like someone was just trying to prove a point, be non-conformist, or show that they were smarter than your average bear.

tennishabit · Dec 15, 2019

Ronaldo said:
Why not just restring the mains?

that'll be still >15 min to do the 1/2 bed, man. restringing has no fun at all..........but i've got to do it in order to hit the ball. lucky i've got my own machine n 5 min back in action. b4 i got the machine i'd to drive >20min then >30min waiting +$20 labor charge to get it done.....that's spending 1-1.5 hrs +$20 buying suffering n if unlucky hitting hard on the top, well, allover again

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tennishabit · Dec 15, 2019

Ronaldo said:
20 yrs ago woulda tried all this........................................now have more strings than I'lll ever use

strings are really cheap but the restringing is the problem n i don't think any1 enjoy restringing. hope there'll be a robot doing it ie feed ur rkt into the machine then press some of the buttons to choose the preferred string/lb/etcetc then pkup ur rkt in the bay w/in 30 min.............dat'll be lovely, man

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tennishabit · Dec 15, 2019

jim e said:
That is what I would call a non conventional string job, or another words a bizarre practice.
I'm trying to be nice and refrain from saying something more, very difficult.

r u restringing ur own rkt:?))..............how did u feel when u had to cut all the nearly new strings 1 by 1 dat u've just labored 30 min or more for the new bed, only bcs mis-hit on the top:?)) lolololololol, man

......................

tennishabit · Dec 15, 2019

Rabbit said:
@jim e yeah, I agree. Looks to me like someone was just trying to prove a point, be non-conformist, or show that they were smarter than your average bear.

lolololololol, man.........average rabbit:?)) smart or not who cares as long as restringing less n playing more

.............

MAX PLY · Dec 15, 2019

Well, two lessons from this thread:

1-NEVER, NEVER, NEVER, EVER follow this stringing practice (even in the olden days when we patched (typically only gut) strings in wood racquets, we never tied a knot in the hitting area); and

2-NEVER, NEVER, NEVER, EVER employ a staccato of silly emojis unless you wish to further undermine a poor stringing practice you endorse.

jim e · Dec 15, 2019

tennishabit said:
r u restringing ur own rkt:?))..............how did u feel when u had to cut all the nearly new strings 1 by 1 dat u've just labored 30 min or more for the new bed, only bcs mis-hit on the top:?)) lolololololol, man......................

Yes I string my own and for many others as well. Started stringing in 1968 when I was only 13 years old. Personally I follow protocols for stringing , and my job , and what ever I do in life. I guess I am very particular on doing things properly.
If One string breaks, entire racquet gets strung. Best thing a stringer can do is string a proper job consistently.. If someone asked to do a patch up job because they could not afford it to be strung properly, I would just string it the proper way and just not charge.You must spend a decent amount of time on the court hitting, so why not take a little more time have some pride in your work and string a proper racquet. You are already saving labor by stringing your own, so why do a butchered up job?

Ronaldo · Dec 15, 2019

tennishabit said:
that'll be still >15 min to do the 1/2 bed, man. restringing has no fun at all..........but i've got to do it in order to hit the ball. lucky i've got my own machine n 5 min back in action. b4 i got the machine i'd to drive >20min then >30min waiting +$20 labor charge to get it done.....that's spending 1-1.5 hrs +$20 buying suffering n if unlucky hitting hard on the top, well, allover again....................

Broke strings in three racquets on three consecutive shots, three weeks later three sets in 45 minutes. Decided to get a stringer and stopped using thin strings

tennishabit · Dec 15, 2019

Ronaldo said:
Broke strings in three racquets on three consecutive shots, three weeks later three sets in 45 minutes. Decided to get a stringer and stopped using thin strings

wowow dat's not breaking strings, man........dat's breaking world record, lololololololol..............

i'm normally breaking in a couple of wks w/ my patchups on 1.5-2 hrs daily hitting n 5 or 6 hrs on wknd. actually hrs won't mean much depending on individuals/occasions n only the number of hits @certain pace means something. basically i hit fh/bh ts only 7k-9k per wk 80-100km/h most of hits on the wall which can be estimated by the distance of the rebounds by certain balls. it could be more accurate by using a radar gun. but there'd be alway chances of mis-hitting on the top of bed n breaking the newly restrung. worry free if u've got own machine

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tennishabit · Dec 15, 2019

jim e said:
Yes I string my own and for many others as well. Started stringing in 1968 when I was only 13 years old. Personally I follow protocols for stringing , and my job , and what ever I do in life. I guess I am very particular on doing things properly.
If One string breaks, entire racquet gets strung. Best thing a stringer can do is string a proper job consistently.. If someone asked to do a patch up job because they could not afford it to be strung properly, I would just string it the proper way and just not charge.You must spend a decent amount of time on the court hitting, so why not take a little more time have some pride in your work and string a proper racquet. You are already saving labor by stringing your own, so why do a butchered up job?

for a few mths after i got own machine i was doing it 'properly' n still do for others n only my younger son started using my 'doggy patchups' as he wanted to find out why i could use it for years not affecting my play. he tried a few more times he's got used to it as well bcs he's using low tensions <40lb as well. restringing just simply too boring.........no fun at all, man. also i feel bad to cut the strings i spend time on especially when they're still very good n very little wearing

.....................

tennishabit · Dec 15, 2019

MAX PLY said:
Well, two lessons from this thread:

1-NEVER, NEVER, NEVER, EVER follow this stringing practice (even in the olden days when we patched (typically only gut) strings in wood racquets, we never tied a knot in the hitting area); and

2-NEVER, NEVER, NEVER, EVER employ a staccato of silly emojis unless you wish to further undermine a poor stringing practice you endorse.

lolololololololol manohman lmao..............ofc i knew dat it's 'illegal' to have a knot or damper etc inside crossed area n it's not allowed in a proper match play.............but i'm mil n mil miles away from a grand $lamer n don't even play comps, man.

the only thing i addicted to is fh/bh ts, nothing else so i can't play proper matches anyway...........lolololololol it's as simple as walking or breathing to me. kinda like the ppl smoking outside office n u don't ask if they compete in grand smokers $lams etcetc n they might get annoyed/angry, man.............but i do know a lot of clubbers n junior tournies n we simply hit for hrs baseline rallies. like counting aloud 10 or 20 or even 30 neutral hits then once reach dat agreed number we try to end w/ winner n funny most of them killed themselves by ue b4 reaching the stage of 'killing'............lololololololol boyohboy

...........................

Have you seen this, main tie off on the outside

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