Lead tape for dummies

[heycal]

After coming to the conclusion that it might take me weeks, months, or even YEARS before I actually make up my mind about what racket to buy to help my ailing arm, I've decided I should seriously consider tweaking the racket I do have in the interim as a band-aid measure... I posted a similar question awhile back and got several conflicting replies, so I'd like to give it another go:

I have a head-heavy and light weight Hammer that probably contributed to my TE/GE. I would like to make this racket a bit more arm-friendly by adding some weight to the handle area, maybe an ounce or so, which would make it both heavier and less head-heavy. Doing this would also serve as a nice transition to using whatever heavier and headlight racket I ultimately do end up buying. But since I am a complete non-gearhead and non-handy type who can barely figure out how to open a new can of tennis balls, I would like to keep this project SIMPLE. And my idea of simple is this:

Put some friggin' lead tape around the top of the handle and be done with it.

Any customizing beyond this seems too difficult for my non-techy mind. When people start talking about stuffing Ben Wa balls under the butt cap or putting 1/4 inch strips of lead tape under the grip I start to tremble and sputter: "Take OFF the grip and then have to try and put it back ON again later? Are you crazy, man? I'd rather attempt open-heart surgery instead!"

Now, when I last asked about doing something like this, the responses I got ranged from "Yup. Adding some weight near the handle area will work fine and probably help your elbow a bit. Go for it!" to "You'd better also add weight at 9 and 3 o'clock and also 4:15 and 11:20 am to offset what you put on the handle or you'll have completely messed up the balance of your racket and the hoop will vibrate and send shock waves through your arm and you'll be dead in 24 hours". (I also got responses suggesting that it was pointless to try and take a racket that was less than ideal and try and change its specs, which struck me as an odd response given that half this board is devoted to people talking about customizing their rackets and radically altering their specs.)

For what's it worth, the TW Learning Center section on racket customization talks specifically about people with Hammer-style rackets wanting to make them more head-light, and implies that adding some tape around the handle is a perfectly suitable and simple way of accomplishing this. They say absolutely nothing about having to also add some weight to the racket head area to offset added weight in the handle. But still, if there's something to this "bad vibrations in the hoop" stuff I don't want to risk exacerbating my arm problems by messing around here, particularly since I'm such a complete moron about such things. If I'm truly supposed to add precise amounts of weight to the racket head in precise locations to offset tailweight additions, then I'll probably skip this little project all together. Better unsafe than sorry, I always say...

Any thoughts, folks? (But please, no suggestions to buy the POG, or to string at lower tensions, or to use gut, or to take lessons, etc. I know all that stuff. What I'm interested in is opinions on the specific questions posed...)

Thanks, guys.

 

[Mugatu]

just stuff around with different placements. if u can use sticky tape, u can use lead tape; it's not brain surgery. and i don't think the world will explode just because u alter the balance of the racquet. i would be inclined tho, to try adding weight under the grip or simply on to the bottom of the butt cap rather than above the handle. placing it lower down on the racquet/handle will have a greater effect re: changing ballance and locate the weight where ur hand has best control of it. also; i don't think that the change in balance will lead to more vibrations. u'l increase the racquets stability whether or not u add a bit to the head.

no harm in tryin these mods. u'v got an arm-unfriendly racquet and arm problems so u'v got nothing to loose. if u think u make the problem worse (which is unlikely), u can just reverse the mods... but in my opinion, it's all about weight (moreso than balance) - the more weight in your stick the better!! (..and extra weight is more easily controlled the closer it is to where u hold the racquet)

 

[heavyraket]

pro kennex 5g, the best arm freindly racquect out there.

 

[heycal]

pro kennex 5g, the best arm freindly racquect out there.

Are you suggesting I tape this racket to the handle of my Hammer? Well, all right -- I'll try anything once!

 

[ta11geese3]

Bad vibrations in the upper hoop? Can someone elaborate? I put some tape on the throat of my pk15g, and now it makes some weird sound sometimes.

 

[Jonnyf]

go to www. tennis matters. co. uk (remove spaces) its created by a board member and the how to section is something i help him with right now theres only adding lead, but i have given a gripping article in

 

[mislav]

Are you suggesting I tape this racket to the handle of my Hammer? Well, all right -- I'll try anything once!

LOL! Nice return.

Putting lead tape above the handle works - I've got a better feel on a Hammer H4 after I did just that. I've put 12 gr of Babolat lead tape above the handle which made it a bit less HH and more stable. I'll also put 30 gr in this racquet handle to counterweight it. It's not my playing racquet, so I'm in no hurry.

I've discovered that I hate the HH racquets and that they hurt my arm - hence my golfer's elbow woes. (Well, ok, there were other factors...)

This is why I'm cautious about adding weight to the hoop.

It is, however, in most cases perfectly legitimate to do it. I recommend starting with 3 gr of tape at 2h and 10h. Try this setup and see how it feels for you. After a week of playing decide for yourself whether you want the extra weight removed, redistributed or added some more of it.

 

[goober]

Depending on which hammer model you have it can take a significant amount of lead tape to counterbalance a racquet. That is why people suggest putting weights in the handle. It is very easy to do on Wilson racquets because they have a trap door you can open very easily in the handle. I just took a couple of coins and taped them to the butt cap on the inside added a bunch of lead tape to the handle on the inside until you get your desired balance.

Personally I would just sell your hammer racquet. Head heavy is only one part of the equation of tennis elbow. I had tennis elbow and I found my elbow very sensitive to flex rating. Anything above 65 and pain started coming. Almost all hammer racuets are stiff except for a coouple models. If you do add weight even to the handle you will be increasing the swing weight. Since many hammer style racquets already have high swing weights you may end up with too high of SW and that may exacerbate your tennis elbow. Also use soft strings at lower tensions.

Just buy a cheap arm friendly racquet in the mean time.

 

[TennisAsAlways]

Are you suggesting I tape this racket to the handle of my Hammer? Well, all right -- I'll try anything once!

Apparently someone didn't read your post thoroughly and so they suggsted that you buy a "different" frame!

My advice: Add lead tape at 8:07 AM and 11:46PM.

Seriously, sorry I cannot help you because it seems as though customizations make you "nervous" and I happen to be an extreme modifyer. When the day comes that you are ready to step into the field of racquet customiztions, it is then when I may be of any assistance to you.

Good day now. 8)

 

[heycal]

Thanks, guys. A couple of questions/comments:

1) My Hammer has a pretty decent stiffness rating of 63, according to TW. Better than the legendary PK 5g, which is an interesting fact to chew on for all of us arm-concerned folks...

2) Coins taped to the butt cap? How much is that going to cost? We talking 5 cents in pennies or 20 cents in dimes?

3) Exactly what is the correlation between tennis elbow and ye olde swingweight, if any? Anyone know?

4) Any more opinions out there on the main question at hand -- can I add some weight to the handle region without also adding weight to the hoop, or is there really something to this "bad vibes" stuff that I should be concerned about?

 

[Steve Huff]

If you have arm problems, don't mess around with a Hammer. Spend a few bucks and get a Pro Kennex 5g. It may not suit your game perfectly, but it will let you continue to play a lot longer. Adapt. If you want to keep your Hammer, send it to me. I'll reweight it and dampen it. If you want, I could even break it so you'd have a good excuse to get another racket.

ta11geese3, I've had many Pro Kennex models. If there's a vibration, it's normally in the handle (even though it may sound like it's coming from the head). In the handle, there is a thin piece of graphite that divides the handle into 2 sides. I have found that this piece can break, split, crack etc, which causes a really bad vibration and sound when you hit the ball. I just cover it with rubber cement. The vibration goes away.

 

[TennisAsAlways]

Someone else obvioulsy did not read the OP's post thoroughly. He/she clearly stated:

"Any thoughts, folks? (But please, no suggestions to buy the POG (or another racquet) or to string at lower tensions, or to use gut, or to take lessons, etc. I know all that stuff. What I'm interested in is opinions on the specific questions posed...)".

Anyways Heycal, add about two ounces of lead to the butt end of the handle. Use fishing weights or lead sheets (refer to the diagrams from the TW tutuorial page for instructions on how to attach weights). See if you can handle the 2 ounces. If you add the 2 ounces of weight below a point that is 1 inch from the butt end, the new swing weight should be increased by under 6 kg · cm² (basically that is the same number that you see under TW's swing weight specs.) The new weight increase shouldn't feel too much heavier than previously, when you swing the frame about the axis of rotation about the handle area; but you may feel the new increase about your other axes of rotations around your limbs such as your shoulder, elbow, torso, etc. From my personal experience with that slight increase in SW about the axes in the limbs, I find it tolerable since those muscle groups are more conditioned to easily handle the new weight.

If you cannot tolerate the new SW and or static weight, try 1 ounce instead. That should increase the SW by half of what the 2 ounce would raise the SW to.

About the bad vibrations that you were told could occur....it depends on your grip and swing style. Depending on where along the length of the handle you grip and also depending on how tight you grip the handle, the resulting of the feel of vibrational waves will vary. Another thing that would vary the vibration intensity is how you swing the frame; i.e. the lead-the-elbow-with-racquet-head-trailing-segmented swing vs the head-rotates-around-ahead-of-the-hand-leading-the-hand-pendulum swing.

There's no way for me to predict whether or not your new setup will have intense vibrations. If you do end up with those vibrations, just move the lead further up the handle.

TennisAsAlways, how do I check for that bad vibrational wave? Well there is an easy "feel" method (For those who are aware of the harmonic vibational node sweetspot test, this is an entirely different test, testing something entirely different. It doesn't require that you tape a piece of paper to the handle etc etc. The quick check method I am referring pertains to the vibration you may feel about the axis of rotation around the handle area.)

Here's what to do: Grip the handle on the location where you normally would. Now strike the palm of your non-hitting hand, making contact with the area about 4-5" under the head tip. You should feel some vibrations there (Most as-is stock frames that I have checked out have mass distributed in a way which results in the same points/areas with vibrations.) Now strike the palm of your hand where you would normally make ball contact. If you do not feel that same type of vibration as you did for the tip area contact point (if you did feel the vibration in the first place), then you are fine. If you feel it, shift the mass higher up on the handle. The vibrations are not difficult to reduce. If your frame results in vibrations of another sort (i.e. crack) then the weight shift will not eliminate it.

Good day now. 8)

 

[scotus]

You might want to take a look at racquetresearch.com.

The folks there took a Wilson Hammer (I don't remember which model), which in stock form was one of the worst racquets insofar as concerns arm safety. They made some modifications and turned it into the most elbow-friendly racquet, even better than POG OS. Sure, it included extending the length of the racquet, a job probably suitable only for professionals. But hey, it won't hurt to take a look.

 

[TennisAsAlways]

^ I don't think the OP wants to learn about "some" of the details that they provide (BTW, Racquet Research "only" covers the average Joe and Jane knowledge, leaving out the much more mysterious aspects and science of racquets.). He/she is probably just looking for "quick" temporary solutions. He/she did state (I believe) that they are going to get a new frame anyways but just wanted to do something that works for now. I don't think they want to go gung ho, making it a rocket science project.

Good day now. 8)

 

[Midlife crisis]

heycal, I just got done fixing up a new TiS5CZ for my son. I modified it from 245 grams, 10 points HH to 293 grams, 8 points HL by adding that weight in the racquet handle. It took all of about twenty minutes combined, plus an overnight to let the glue set.

1. Unwrap and remove the grip
2. Remove the four staples that hold the buttcapp
3. Remove the buttcap
4. Cut four pieces of solid core lead wire to the proper weight
5. Glue these pieces to the inside of the handle with Shoe Goo
6. Let dry overnight
7. Put butt cap back on, reinsert staples
8. Rewrap grip. Measure weight to confirm modifications.

It's really not hard. You'd need a pair of pliers to pull and reinsert the staples, a flat tipped screwdriver to help lift the staples initially so the pliers can get a grip of them and to help put the Shoe Goo where it needs to go, and something to cut the lead wire.

I can send you about two ounces of this lead wire if you'd like, or if you want to pay for shipping the racquet to and from me, I'd be happy to do this for you as well. Let me know.

 

[NoBadMojo]

It would be helpful to know what Hammer racquet this is and what swingweight it is. By the time you add enough weight to make the frame headlight, it may become unswingable.

 

[Midlife crisis]

It would be helpful to know what Hammer racquet this is and what swingweight it is. By the time you add enough weight to make the frame headlight, it may become unswingable.

The two HyperHammers for sale at TW now are both in the 280-290 gram range, and the 5G is 332 grams strung. Adding 20-30 grams to the very bottom of the handle should make a significant change in balance (on my son's lighter racquet, adding 45 grams changed the balance point by 18 points), resulting in a slightly head light racquet while not increasing the swingweight beyond that of the 5G.

 

[NoBadMojo]

The two HyperHammers for sale at TW now are both in the 280-290 gram range, and the 5G is 332 grams strung. Adding 20-30 grams to the very bottom of the handle should make a significant change in balance (on my son's lighter racquet, adding 45 grams changed the balance point by 18 points), resulting in a slightly head light racquet while not increasing the swingweight beyond that of the 5G.

Thats cool Midlife but I think Wilson has made Hammer frames with swingweights all over the park over the years. I was addressng the OP snce I thought we were trying to help him. Was asking which one he is planning on working on and what the starting swingweight is..thought that to be relevant. As we know, adding weight to a frame produces a higher swingweight

 

[heycal]

Thanks, guys. I appreciate your attempts to help and even the kind offers to do this modification for me. But man, you guys do crack me up... When my idea of simple means slapping some tape on the handle and going out and playing, and your guys idea of simple includes glue and and staple guns and grip removal and the "harmonic vibrational node sweetspot test" we're obviously coming from different places!

Steve Huff: if I sent you the racket in order to break it for me, do you think we could make it look an accident so the cops don't start sniffing around?

NBMJ: I have the Hammer 6.3 OS, swingweight of 333. But since the racket has such a low static weight, I don't give a rat's ass about increasing its damn swingweight... If Midlife or whoever it is is using a 14 oz. racket with a swingweight around 400, I think I can handle using a Hammer for a month or so that has a swingweight of, say, 700-800, as long as it's static weight is manageable....

 

[NoBadMojo]

NBMJ: I have the Hammer 6.3 OS, swingweight of 333. But since the racket has such a low static weight, I don't give a rat's ass about increasing its damn swingweight... If Midlife or whoever it is is using a 14 oz. racket with a swingweight around 400, I think I can handle using a Hammer for a month or so that has a swingweight of, say, 700-800, as long as it's static weight is manageable....

This is my point and ties into people putting emphasis wrongly on static weight rather than swingweight...Cool beans HeyCal...knock yourself out with adding a bunch of swingweight to an already hard frame to swing...you just might add a shoulder injury to your elbow prob..

 

[TennisAsAlways]

Thanks, guys. I appreciate your attempts to help and even the kind offers to do this modification for me. But man, you guys do crack me up... When my idea of simple means slapping some tape on the handle and going out and playing, and your guys idea of simple includes glue and and staple guns and grip removal and the "harmonic vibrational node sweetspot test" we're obviously coming from different places!

Steve Huff: if I sent you the racket in order to break it for me, do you think we could make it look an accident so the cops don't start sniffing around?

NBMJ: I have the Hammer 6.3 OS, swingweight of 333. But since the racket has such a low static weight, I don't give a rat's ass about increasing its damn swingweight... If Midlife or whoever it is is using a 14 oz. racket with a swingweight around 400, I think I can handle using a Hammer for a month or so that has a swingweight of, say, 700-800, as long as it's static weight is manageable....

BTW heycal, i did not suggest that you do the "harmonic vibrational node sweetspot test". I was explaining to others that the test that I had suggested for you to do was different from the "harmonic vibrational node sweetspot test". I did not want people to get the quick vibration test mixed up with the "harmonic vibrational node sweetspot test". I never even explained how to do the "harmonic vibrational node sweetspot test" because it is not relevant in this case.

Take my suggestion though. It's quick and easy. You'll notice results immediately. Everything should be fine. I know that you just want to have a frame that performs better/ better for injury prevention. The dilemma you are in makes it a perfect opportunity to try out my suggestions. You'll learn a thing or two from it, and that can be very helpful when you finally get a new frame.

Good day now. 8)

 

[TennisAsAlways]

I have the Hammer 6.3 OS, swingweight of 333. But since the racket has such a low static weight, I don't give a rat's ass about increasing its damn swingweight... If Midlife or whoever it is is using a 14 oz. racket with a swingweight around 400, I think I can handle using a Hammer for a month or so that has a swingweight of, say, 700-800, as long as it's static weight is manageable....

If you add 2 ouces along the butt end of the frame (not beyond a 1 inch point from the butt end), the SW should not increase by more than 6. So basically if you were to add 2 ounces in the area I specified, the total racquet SW should not be more than 339. If you added the 2 ounces any higher, like along the center points of the frame or even along the hoop area, that is when the SW will increase to a ridiculous figure, like let's say by 100 or more! If you follow my suggestions, you should be fine though (I'm not 100% sure though, because I don't know if you are a super weakling or not, and at the same time, I'm not saying it would take a bodybuilder to be able to handle my suggestions!)

Good day now. 8)

 

[heycal]

This is my point and ties into people putting emphasis wrongly on static weight rather than swingweight...Cool beans HeyCal...knock yourself out with adding a bunch of swingweight to an already hard frame to swing...you just might add a shoulder injury to your elbow prob..

An even quicker route to a shoulder injury would likely be abruptly switching to a much higher static weight racket like the Heritage C 98 which weighs 2 and 1/2 ounces more and thinking I'll be fine just because it has the same swingweight as my current racket.

And since when is the Hammer a hard frame to swing? If little old ladies can handle it, I should think you could too.

 

[TennisAsAlways]

Another thing I would suggest is that you trim the head guard. If you don't want to make a fuss out of all of this, I would just wait until the next string job. When that time comes, cut out your strings. Remove the head guard and trim the edges along both sides, leaving the grommets intact. If you're lucky, that should have removed about 6 grams of mass. 6 grams may sound like a puny bit, but you have to realize that 6 grams located that far away from the axis of rotation along the handle is a SW of about 18! Think about that; 2 ounces added along the end of the handle below the 1 inch point will increase the SW by >6, and 6 grams removed from the tip of the frame would decrease SW by about 18! 6 grams at that location is alot.

Good day now. 8)

 

[heycal]

Another thing I would suggest is that you trim the head guard. If you don't want to make a fuss out of all of this, I would just wait until the next string job. When that time comes, cut out your strings. Remove the head guard and trim the edges along both sides, leaving the grommets intact. If you're lucky, that should have removed about 6 grams of mass. 6 grams may sound like a puny bit, but you have to realize that 6 grams located that far away from the axis of rotation along the handle is a SW of about 18! Think about that; 2 ounces added along the end of the handle below the 1 inch point will increase the SW by >6, and 6 grams removed from the tip of the frame would decrease SW by about 18! 6 grams at that location is alot.

Goo day now. 8)

At this point, I think you gotta be kidding around with me with such "simple" suggestions. I mean, you lost me at "trim the head guard" in this one.

 

[ohplease]

Read up on recoil weight. No it's not simple. But actually understanding how this stuff works isn't simple.

Want to go on faith? Any and all lead you add to the HH 6.3 OS should go underneath the grip, as close to the butt cap as possible.

Removing the grip is at maybe tennis nerd level 1. Lead tape is at tennis nerd level 3 or 4 - if you're going there, you might as well go there.

In fact, I'll make it even more simple - here's your short list:

ki15
air db os
tfeel 275 xl
fxp 4

 

[armand]

Heycal: There are many people like you around who don't know how to do these kinds of things so they ask others for help. I've helped out people many times, it's no big deal.
Don't you have anyone to ask?
BTW, you're a funny guy! Your posts are entertaining, they please me.

 

[heycal]

Heycal: There are many people like you around who don't know how to do these kinds of things so they ask others for help. I've helped out people many times, it's no big deal.
Don't you have anyone to ask?
BTW, you're a funny guy! Your posts are entertaining, they please me.

I'm glad you find my posts entertaining. Since I ask a lot of dumb and and/or neurotic questions, and can also get persnickity when irritated, I try and at least keep some humor in the mix to make up for it.

Don't I have anyone to ask about lead tape and the like, you ask? Yes, you guys! The two actual human beings I know well who play tennis competently, life long players rated at 4.0 and 5.0, don't know a damn thing about this kind of stuff and care about it even less. Shockingly, neither of these guys knew the specs of their rackets offhand when I asked them, and either had to look at their racket to determine the model name and their head size, or I looked it up for them. (Needless to add, they sure didn't know their swingweights either...)

Can you imagine? Turns out these guys would rather spend their free time playing tennis instead of obsessing about rackets specs... The nut jobs!

 

[armand]

I'm glad you find my posts entertaining. Since I ask a lot of dumb and and/or neurotic questions, and can also get persnickity when irritated, I try and at least keep some humor in the mix to make up for it.

Don't I have anyone to ask about lead tape and the like, you ask? Yes, you guys! The two actual human beings I know well who play tennis competently, life long players rated at 4.0 and 5.0, don't know a damn thing about this kind of stuff and care about it even less. Shockingly, neither of these guys knew the specs of their rackets offhand when I asked them, and either had to look at their racket to determine the model name and their head size, or I looked it up for them. (Needless to add, they sure didn't know their swingweights either...)

Can you imagine? Turns out these guys would rather spend their free time playing tennis instead of obsessing about rackets specs... The nut jobs!

Haha, but these dudes must be able to put a new grip on! So take a good amount of lead tape and tell them to take the grip off, stick the lead tape on and put the grip back on!
That is all.

 

[heycal]

Removing the grip is at maybe tennis nerd level 1. Lead tape is at tennis nerd level 3 or 4 - if you're going there, you might as well go there.

Actually, simply perusing this website is tennis nerd level 1... To me, removing the grip is maybe tennis nerd level 35 or 40 and certainly higher than adding lead tape. But then, what do I know? ALL of it's above my level.

Let me quoth the the TW Learning Center here on the particular issue at hand:

"Counter Weighting Head-Heavy Racquets"

"More and more players who have purchased lightweight (8-10 ounces), head-heavy racquets are experimenting with counter weighting to reduce head-heaviness and increase overall weight. Counter weighting is, as the name implies, simply adding weight to the opposite end of the racquet where most of the weight already exists. On head-heavy racquets, this means adding weight to the handle area. Again, this is a fairly straightforward procedure but does require removing the grip and butt cap. We also suggest using lead fishing weights rather than lead tape. The fishing weights come in various sizes and these weights are denser than lead tape.

There are a few racquets that won’t allow for adding weight inside the handle, which is the procedure outlined below. They typically feature some sort of handle system for dampening frame shock & vibration. For these racquets, including Pro Kennex's Kinetic models, you’ll need to ADD WEIGHT BY WRAPPING LEAD TAPE AROUND THE TOP OF THE HANDLE."

That's all I'm interested in doing -- adding tape to top of the handle, period. I don't want to touch the grip or butt cap or do ANYTHING ELSE. TW seem to be giving the greenlight to such a simple move. So... do you all agree or disagree with TW's two cents on this?

 

[heycal]

In fact, I'll make it even more simple - here's your short list:

ki15
air db os
tfeel 275 xl
fxp 4

Were these suggestions generated by the famous Relative Racquet Finder?

Unfortunately, since I have TE/GE and am inclined to follow the conventional wisdom on this and get a head-light and heavier (but not too heavy) stick -- and am also attracted to head sizes from 102-107 -- most of these suggestions don't work for me.

Here is what my Unrelative Racket Finder spits out for me:

Ki 15 PSE
Warrior TT OS
PK Core 10
RDX 300 Super-mid
V1 Classic/or Cat V1 MP

(I've already demoed and rejected the Radicals and the too light Cat 4.)

 

[ohplease]

Were these suggestions generated by the famous Relative Racquet Finder?

Unfortunately, since I have TE/GE and am inclined to follow the conventional wisdom on this and get a head-light and heavier (but not too heavy) stick -- and am also attracted to head sizes from 102-107 -- most of these suggestions don't work for me.

Here is what my Unrelative Racket Finder spits out for me:

Ki 15 PSE
Warrior TT OS
PK Core 10
RDX 300 Super-mid
V1 Classic/or Cat V1 MP

(I've already demoed and rejected the Radicals and the too light Cat 4.)

In my opinion, those are better choices. The previous short list was addressing your concerns about a big jump up in static weight - which are legitimate. Especially in light of your current stick doing only a couple things wrong if I wanted to give someone tennis elbow.

As far as the whole top of grip thing, if you want justification for half-hearted solutions (not taking off the grip, making do with a racket that's already done damage, etc.) - you're coming to the wrong place. And for what? All in the name of "simplicity?"

Either get with the program and realize that this stuff is going to take some time and energy, pay someone to do it for you (and ask no questions), or suffer in pain. Asking for help while at the same time displaying a reluctance or refusal to learn about the issue on your own? Not an option - especially not if you want more help. And especially not for free.

But whatever, it's your elbow, not mine.

 

[TennisAsAlways]

At this point, I think you gotta be kidding around with me with such "simple" suggestions. I mean, you lost me at "trim the head guard" in this one.

No I was not kidding around. I wrote in laymans term and thought you would understand. Now that you mentioned it, I wonder how many readers truly understand my other posts???

P.S. - Good luck with your journey.

Good day now. 8)

 

[armand]

Actually, simply perusing this website is tennis nerd level 1... To me, removing the grip is maybe tennis nerd level 35 or 40 and certainly higher than adding lead tape. But then, what do I know? ALL of it's above my level.

Let me quoth the the TW Learning Center here on the particular issue at hand:

"Counter Weighting Head-Heavy Racquets"

"More and more players who have purchased lightweight (8-10 ounces), head-heavy racquets are experimenting with counter weighting to reduce head-heaviness and increase overall weight. Counter weighting is, as the name implies, simply adding weight to the opposite end of the racquet where most of the weight already exists. On head-heavy racquets, this means adding weight to the handle area. Again, this is a fairly straightforward procedure but does require removing the grip and butt cap. We also suggest using lead fishing weights rather than lead tape. The fishing weights come in various sizes and these weights are denser than lead tape.

There are a few racquets that won’t allow for adding weight inside the handle, which is the procedure outlined below. They typically feature some sort of handle system for dampening frame shock & vibration. For these racquets, including Pro Kennex's Kinetic models, you’ll need to ADD WEIGHT BY WRAPPING LEAD TAPE AROUND THE TOP OF THE HANDLE."

That's all I'm interested in doing -- adding tape to top of the handle, period. I don't want to touch the grip or butt cap or do ANYTHING ELSE. TW seem to be giving the greenlight to such a simple move. So... do you all agree or disagree with TW's two cents on this?

Yeah, but this involves taking the grip off! TW assumes you are able to do this!
So, go back and read my previous post...

 

[oldguysrule]

heycal...
I don't think you need to add lead to the hoop of your racquet. Your objective is to make the handle heavier not the head. And I don't think you will get any wierd vibrations. However, I also don't think you should simply wrap lead tape around the shaft at the top of the handle. Actually, you could do this, but I don't think it will accomplish what you want. This weight would not be far enough from the top of the racquet to effectively counter balance the head-heaviness (i invented a new word).

The advice you have received so far has been good advice. People are assuming that if you really want to counter balance your racquet, you should do it in the correct way. The correct way is to get the weight as far from the hoop as possible.

Please tell us a little more about your TE. How long as it been hurting? How badly? Are you continuing to play with your hammer despite the pain? If you are and you incease the SW of your hammer, then it could end up even being worse for your arm. If you don't counter balance effectively, and keep playing you may not have a tendon left soon.

My unsolicited advice...
1. Quit playing until the pain is gone
2. Get a "heavier", head light, flexible racquet
3. String it with gut at the lowest recommended tension.
4. Have fun playing for the rest of your life.

 

[TennisAsAlways]

heycal...
I don't think you need to add lead to the hoop of your racquet. Your objective is to make the handle heavier not the head. And I don't think you will get any wierd vibrations. However, I also don't think you should simply wrap lead tape around the shaft at the top of the handle. Actually, you could do this, but I don't think it will accomplish what you want. This weight would not be far enough from the top of the racquet to effectively counter balance the head-heaviness (i invented a new word).

The advice you have received so far has been good advice. People are assuming that if you really want to counter balance your racquet, you should do it in the correct way. The correct way is to get the weight as far from the hoop as possible.

Please tell us a little more about your TE. How long as it been hurting? How badly? Are you continuing to play with your hammer despite the pain? If you are and you incease the SW of your hammer, then it could end up even being worse for your arm. If you don't counter balance effectively, and keep playing you may not have a tendon left soon.

My unsolicited advice...
1. Quit playing until the pain is gone
2. Get a "heavier", head light, flexible racquet
3. String it with gut at the lowest recommended tension.
4. Have fun playing for the rest of your life.

Exactly! Why Mickey-Mouse around? Do it the "right" way!

BTW heycal, I wouldn't say that customizing frames is nerdy. Just because you yourself are incapable of doing something, that doesn't make it that it's a nerdy thing. It "sounds" (meaning "not factual" but "seemingly") like you are implying something like: "I avoid doing nerdy things and I don't pay attention to nerdy things, so that's why I don't know and wouldn't know anything about racquet customizations. Only nerds would know."

First off, nerds are the white-collar guys sitting behind a PC with desk jobs who never get theirs hands dirty. Secondly, Jesse James customizes cars; would you say that he is "nerdy"? He's far from being a nerd.

"Technically" inclined people aren't nerdy. PC "literate" (the ones who know all the tricks) are the ones who are "nerdy" (Sorry IT managers, network admins., programmers etc. No offense. Just pointing out the stereotypical views.) Technical men who work with their hands and tools are masculine. Masculine guys laugh at nerds. I wouldn't call toolguys nerd. You would be way off if you called them nerds. I forgot, there's one exception as to when a toolguy is nerdy. PC repair guys can be nerdy. It must be the "PC" thing that stereotypes people as being nerdy, I guess.

Good day now. 8)

 

[Kaptain Karl]

heycal - I've had many chuckles reading your posts in this thread. Good to see you're maintaining a sense of humor.

I fully comprehend your reluctance to get "techy" with your racket. I had similar trepidation about using lead to modify my own rackets. A tennis buddy helped me to "get over it" by reminding me, "Hey! You can always undo it."

My suggestion? Print out the instructions given above so clearly (The tip about using the Shoe Goo to hold the inserted lead in place.) and find a "gear head" type person who will agree to do it for you. (A kid in the local HS Shop Class ... a mechanically-minded neighbor ... a golfer friend -- They tend to be classic Gear Heads -- etc.)

Please do something to weight the grip closest to the butt cap as soon as you can. Your arm will thank you.

- KK

 

[TennisAsAlways]

Heycal, just add 1 oz. in the handle and secure it with hot glue. A hot glue gun will cost about $5. The reason why I suggest using a hot glue gun is because the glue would be fully settled within about less than 30 minutes. It actually bonds within less than 1 minute, but fully hardens within less than 30 minutes. You seem to not want to have to wait around and deal with fussing around. This should be the most sufficient way (if you plan on doing things "yourself").

 

[heycal]

Ouch! Ohplease spanked me for asking for help while showing a reluctance to become a gearhead. I'll show him -- I'm going to shoot him with my new hot glue gun! As for the word "nerd", Tennisaaslways, another poster who shall remain nameless (Ohplease) introduced the word into this conversation, not me. Though I certainly enjoyed wading through your wacky rant on the subject.

Let's wrap this one up. I thank all of you for offering your opinions and advice here. So to summarize: I asked if monkeying around with my Hammer by adding tape to the handle was as simple and effective as the TW Learning Center implied it was. The consensus seems to be that it is not so simple and effective.

Have I accurately summed up the state of affairs here?

 

[oldguysrule]

Ouch! Ohplease spanked me for asking for help while showing a reluctance to become a gearhead. I'll show him -- I'm going to shoot him with my new hot glue gun! As for the word "nerd", Tennisaaslways, another poster who shall remain nameless (Ohplease) introduced the word into this conversation, not me. Though I certainly enjoyed wading through your wacky rant on the subject.

Let's wrap this one up. I thank all of you for offering your opinions and advice here. So to summarize: I asked if monkeying around with my Hammer by adding tape to the handle was as simple and effective as the TW Learning Center implied it was. The consensus seems to be that it is not so simple and effective.

Have I accurately summed up the state of affairs here?

Yes, you have. Please get a new racquet. Modified or not, my elbow is having sympathy pains from thinking about you using your current stick.

 

[heycal]

I'll send for some demos ASAP.

And I just realized I was using the word "handle" and "grip" interchangeably. Doh! So I was asking about putting tape around the grip or just above it. (I would never attempt something as drastic as removing a grip.)

 

[heycal]

My unsolicited advice...
1. Quit playing until the pain is gone
2. Get a "heavier", head light, flexible racquet
3. String it with gut at the lowest recommended tension.
4. Have fun playing for the rest of your life.

As for your recommendations here, let me address them individually:

1. I did quit playing -- with my left hand. I switched to my right hand while allowing my left to heal properly, which is going on three months now. And now I have a budding case of TE/GE in my right arm as well. Not kidding...

2. Will definitely seek out a heavier and head light frame. But for some reason, I am a bit skeptical of flexibility as being as important as the other specs. (Maybe because my Hammer has a better stiffness rating than the PK 5G?)

3. Don't worry -- I plan to string any racket I get with cat gut at 25 lbs.

4. Wish I could. But I'm too busy arguing with strangers on the internet about the nuances of swingweight to have time to play tennis...

 

[oldguysrule]

heycal,
what part of the world are you from? close to texas?

I think weight and balance are more important than flex also. But only from the standpoint of where your racquet flexes. For example, your hammer probably had a stiff hoop but flexible throat which can make it more problematic. My racquet has a higher flex rating (67) but in reality, plays softer because the hoop is flexier. Or so I have been told.

Good luck in your racquet search and here's to a swift recovery from your double dose of trouble.

 

[Midlife crisis]

Heycal, just add 1 oz. in the handle and secure it with hot glue. A hot glue gun will cost about $5. The reason why I suggest using a hot glue gun is because the glue would be fully settled within about less than 30 minutes. It actually bonds within less than 1 minute, but fully hardens within less than 30 minutes. You seem to not want to have to wait around and deal with fussing around. This should be the most sufficient way (if you plan on doing things "yourself").

I'm the Shoe Goo guy and we have a hot glue gun too. It never occurred to me to use that because Shoe Goo is a tennis thing and hot glue isn't, but I'll keep that in mind for the future. Thanks!

heycal, if you want those pieces of lead, just let me know!

 

[jaykay]

Wholesome entertainment...

This is a highly entertaining and simultaneously informative post. Thanks heycal...

 

[heycal]

heycal,
what part of the world are you from? close to texas?

New York, 20 miles north of Manhattan. So yes, I suppose that's fairly close to Texas if you look at the most important specs here -- same hemisphere, same continent, same country...

 

[oldguysrule]

New York, 20 miles north of Manhattan. So yes, I suppose that's fairly close to Texas if you look at the most important specs here -- same hemisphere, same continent, same country...

It is close if you put a little lead tape around the bottom strings which will cause your RDC rating to increase such that the Center of Percussion will now be approximately between the handle and your elbow. Assuming of course, similar weight and balance...

 

[TennisAsAlways]

Ouch! Ohplease spanked me for asking for help while showing a reluctance to become a gearhead. I'll show him -- I'm going to shoot him with my new hot glue gun! As for the word "nerd", Tennisaaslways, another poster who shall remain nameless (Ohplease) introduced the word into this conversation, not me. Though I certainly enjoyed wading through your wacky rant on the subject.

Let's wrap this one up. I thank all of you for offering your opinions and advice here. So to summarize: I asked if monkeying around with my Hammer by adding tape to the handle was as simple and effective as the TW Learning Center implied it was. The consensus seems to be that it is not so simple and effective.

Have I accurately summed up the state of affairs here?

Ok, I forgive you....no sweat....but then you say that my rant is "wacky"?

 

[Kaptain Karl]

Prompted by heycal's "cat gut" comment....

heycal - I think you should seriously consider my suggestion to find a Gear Head friend to do the work for you. (Gut isn't "cat gut." It's cow or sheep intestine.)

- KK

 

[heycal]

heycal - I think you should seriously consider my suggestion to find a Gear Head friend to do the work for you. (Gut isn't "cat gut." It's cow or sheep intestine.)

- KK

I realize gut isn't cat gut. But "sheep intestine" just doesn't have the same ring to it, does it?

Ironically, the biggest gearhead I know is a tennis player -- but he's only a gearhead when it comes to everything else on the planet, not tennis. He does not know the weight of his racket or its headsize and the like. Can you guys imagine?? I'm like "Wait a minute -- you built a television from scratch and performed an emergency appendectomy on yourself and you're a 4.0 who's been playing tennis for 35 years, and yet you've never tried lead tape on your racket??" He's just completely uninterested in racket customization or chit chat about tennis equipment in general. Clearly, he's not right in the head...

And I'm not about to go lurking around some high school metal shop looking for help either. "Psst. Come here, kid. Want to make a few bucks?"