how to identify a bad stringing job?

jjordache · Mar 1, 2008

What should I be looking for when I inspect my freshly strung frame?
Other than an obvious deformation are there any subtle things that give away a bad stringing job ?

I've been wondering because in my area I heard anecdotal reports on this or that place screwing up on stringing sometimes.
I don't break that often and I'm not sure I'd recognize when something is not right :/ (again, other than obvious problems)

Thanks in advance!

dancraig · Mar 1, 2008

1. Misweaved cross.
2. Mains notched by crosses which have been pulled too quickly over the same spot.
3. "Cross over" at top of frame. This is where one piece of string lays over another, on outside of frame, causing a high spot that could contact court and wear away.
4. Six knots instead of four or two. This indicates use an extra length of string to complete the job.(The ole three piece job) Although it may not impact the racquets performance, it doesn't look professional.

JacKKyKung · Mar 2, 2008

่I'm not a guru of checking that bad string job. I always "knocking" to the wall to catch my feel & listen to string's sound. There's wall in the store. I used to find somethings WORST on my stick. The stringer broke my PD's grommet while he was stringing up. Yeah, i found it while i was knocking to the wall.

JacKKyKung · Mar 2, 2008

dancraig said:
1. Misweaved cross.
2. Mains notched by crosses which have been pulled too quickly over the same spot.
3. "Cross over" at top of frame. This is where one piece of string lays over another, on outside of frame, causing a high spot that could contact court and wear away.
4. Six knots instead of four or two. This indicates use an extra length of string to complete the job.(The ole three piece job) Although it may not impact the racquets performance, it doesn't look professional.

God, i've never heard that before. Had it ever happened to yours?

Zhou · Mar 2, 2008

Someone posted a stringer doing an 8 knot string job I believe.

YULitle · Mar 2, 2008

JacKKyKung said:
่I'm not a guru of checking that bad string job. I always "knocking" to the wall to catch my feel & listen to string's sound. There's wall in the store. I used to find somethings WORST on my stick. The stringer broke my PD's grommet while he was stringing up. Yeah, i found it while i was knocking to the wall.

Not necessarily the stringers fault? It could've been that it was overdue for a replacement.

EITHER WAY. He should have seen it coming and warned you before proceeding.

JacKKyKung · Mar 2, 2008

YULitle said:
Not necessarily the stringers fault? It could've been that it was overdue for a replacement.

EITHER WAY. He should have seen it coming and warned you before proceeding.

The responsible manager had paid for my new grommet already. I won't let my stick strung by him anymore. There's another better stringer there, his name is Man, great stringer. Thanks YULitle.

jjordache · Mar 2, 2008

dancraig said:
1. Misweaved cross.
2. Mains notched by crosses which have been pulled too quickly over the same spot.
3. "Cross over" at top of frame. This is where one piece of string lays over another, on outside of frame, causing a high spot that could contact court and wear away.
4. Six knots instead of four or two. This indicates use an extra length of string to complete the job.(The ole three piece job) Although it may not impact the racquets performance, it doesn't look professional.

Thanks Dan! That makes sense..
Could you elaborate on 2 ? You mean like a nick due to friction... ?

1012007 · Mar 2, 2008

When you string crosses you should move them up and down when pulling all the string through the grommet so they barely notch the string as they are in contact for no time at all. However if they are impatient they will just pull the strings and this the notch the strings big time

stringwalla · Mar 2, 2008

A lot of things can not look professional, but also not impact the racquets performance.

Cross-overs, six-knots, a mis-weave at the edge of a string bed happen occasionally to even the most experienced stringers. If the proper tension is given to each string, the racquet should perform as expected.

Notched(burned) mains, unstraightened strings when fresh off the machine, wrong pattern, slipping clamps, uncalibrated machine are all signs of an uncaring stringer and a really bad string job-

dancraig · Mar 2, 2008

JacKKyKung said:
God, i've never heard that before. Had it ever happened to yours?

I think many good, professional stringers have had occasion to be tempted or actually do a three piece job. You run short of string or just plain overlook the last cross. You think, "this is a low level, recreational player who would not be affected at all by a three piece job. I've got a dozen more racquets waiting. Umm, what to do?"

dancraig · Mar 2, 2008

jjordache said:
Thanks Dan! That makes sense..
Could you elaborate on 2 ? You mean like a nick due to friction... ?

Yeah, if the cross is pulled too quickly over the same spot it can "burn" a nick or notch in the main. This could lead to premature breakage at that spot.

YULitle · Mar 2, 2008

dancraig said:
I think many good, professional stringers have had occasion to be tempted or actually do a three piece job. You run short of string or just plain overlook the last cross. You think, "this is a low level, recreational player who would not be affected at all by a three piece job. I've got a dozen more racquets waiting. Umm, what to do?"

*raises hand* I can say I've been tempted. But, not as much as if I were a home-stringer. I worked for a company that didn't care if you opened up a new pack and started over. Which was nice.

jjordache · Mar 3, 2008

Thanks all for your input!

How about the knots ? Can they be cut too short ? I've seen some knots where the loose end was flush with the bulk of the knot and it seemed like it could snap any time... it didn't though.

YULitle · Mar 3, 2008

knots cut too short are only an issue if they come undone, which has a higher probability of happening. Knots too long are just ugly.

Loco4Tennis · Mar 3, 2008

i would ask for guarantee policy, if something happens in just a few days of playing
i would also look for excessive string damage at or near the grommet holes, some fraying is ok, specially if its a old racquet, but when the string is halfway cut through that’s excessive
i would also look to see i got the strings i ordered and not some different ones

stringwalla · Mar 3, 2008

jjordache said:
Thanks all for your input!

How about the knots ? Can they be cut too short ?

I've actually watched Babolat Excel main knot tail shrink about 1mm while I was doing my crosses. Certain strings are slippery enough to do this no matter tight the knots are.

how to identify a bad stringing job?

jjordache

Rookie

dancraig

Hall of Fame

JacKKyKung

Semi-Pro

JacKKyKung

Semi-Pro

Zhou

Hall of Fame

YULitle

Hall of Fame

JacKKyKung

Semi-Pro

jjordache

Rookie

1012007

Hall of Fame

stringwalla

Rookie

dancraig

Hall of Fame

dancraig

Hall of Fame

YULitle

Hall of Fame

jjordache

Rookie

YULitle

Hall of Fame

Loco4Tennis

Hall of Fame

stringwalla

Rookie

Similar threads