Machine breaking strings!!

[topsltennis]

I recently started a new Tennis Director job, part of the package is a small retail place and a new friend is letting me use his stringing machine. I think it is a little older, electric floor model and the name brand appears to be 'Mutual Power.' I have strung a lot of racquets in my day, mostly with hand crank machines, but did do a few last year at another resort that was electric. I have never had string break while stringing a racquet before. However, with this machine I'm using, the strings are literally breaking almost every time I string and it's ******* me off and obviously getting costly at the same time. It appears that it pulls the string too hard. Has anyone else ever had a problem like this and is there maybe a way to fix it? I'm about ready to give up on it.

 

[jim e]

Have you attempted to see if it is pulling accurately? Possibly use a tension scale to see if calibrated properly if it is seeming to pull to much as you say, this would be 1st place to check.
Does the string break on same racquet at same place or is this same with multiple racquets.Many things can come to play without seeing your technique, possibly pulling string over racquet fraying string, or bad grommets, or grommet pulling out of racquet when tension applied, there are multiple reasons and can only speculate without more information, or video of the issue happening, as all you can get with what you posted so far is best guesses at best!

 

[esgee48]

1) Ask the friend who gave you the machine to come over and check your technique.

2) Calibrate the machine since it had to be moved.

3) Check the gripper and clamps. Clean, adjust, etc. Is there a manual with the machine?

4) Check the racquet's condition. Where did the string break?

I would do at least steps 1-3 before saying there was something wrong with the machine. Your friend used the stringer, so why would he give you a lemon?

 

[NE1for10is?]

Sometimes sharp grommet holes on the frame of a newer racquet can cause strings to break, especially if the plastic guard pulls away from the frame while you're tensioning.

 

[Irvin]

What kind of string is breaking? Is it only breaking on one racket? Where and where does the string break?

 

[Wikky]

Thats surprising to me, I actually own a mutual power machine and I've never had such a problem. However mine is a crank so I've never had any real trouble with over pulling. Is there any chance that there is a pre-stretch feature that is causing the string to be pulled significantly too tightly before it goes back to the reference tension?

If its not that It's probably one of the steps that esgee48 stated in post #3. Good luck!

 

[zapvor]

my first guess would be to check calibration.

 

[topsltennis]

He is going to come by tomorrow and take a look at it. It has happened on multiple racquets so it is something I am doing wrong or as others have stated the calibration might need adjusting. He said he never had that problem, so something is amiss. Thanks for the suggestions. No more stringing until it gets squared away.

 

[Steve Huff]

If it's not the pulling problem, it's probably the gripper gripping too tight. Do you have an adjustment screw for it? Also, are you stringing Prince O Ports, where the string is pulled at an angle with the brake locked. If so, you might have some sharp edges on your machine's gripper plates.

 

[topsltennis]

Mystery solved. On the gripper that you wrap string around before pushing the button to pull tension, I was failing to put the string on the plastic piece that told the machine when to stop pulling. I'm actually very fortunate I didn't damage any racquets. Working great now.