Beginner Stringing advice - clamp tension

[ImNotCrazy]

Hello,

I recently bought an Alpha Pioneer and I'm doing my first string job. How tight are the clamps supposed to be? Every time I'm dropping the weight, the clamp will let go of the string. The string is starting to fray a bit. If the clamp too tight, there are dents on the string.

I'm stringing monofilament 16G at 58 pounds on a Wilson n6 110.

 

[darklore009]

Congratulations on your purchase of the pioneer. The clamps suppose to be tight enough that you dont have to crush the string. It takes awhile to get used to adjust the clamps to different variety of strings.

 

[Fearsome Forehand]

My guess would be that your clamps are too tight.
The dents/bite marks in the string are sort of a tell tale sign.
Also, if the clamps are popping open, they are probably too tight.

A loose clamp should not indent the string and it should not pop open;
it just won't hold tension and the string might pull through the clamp as you are applying tension.

Back the clamps down a little bit and see if that solves your problem.

 

[Irvin]

Difficult to say but I used to start by cleaning the clamps. Then clamp the end of a clamped string and pull tension around a bend never directly on the clamp because you never do that while string. Now if the string does not slip it's too tight so you loosen it up clamping a new section of string and do it again. You want to get to the point where it does slip and then clamp a string a few times to get the feel of what is too loose. Now tighten the clamp and get the feel of what is enough. I saved ends of string just for that purpose.

 

[am1899]

Frustrating answer : tight enough that the string does not slip, but not so tight that you are damaging the string. Good advice to clean the clamps...ordinary isopropyl alcohol works great. This is something that with time and experience, you will have a better feel for. Practicing with scrap pieces of different types of string, as I think Irvin is suggesting above is a great idea. Good luck.