Racquet graphite shaft extensions

[frankydep]

I've been searching around for a while, I couldn't find any solutions to extend a racquet's length by several inches (4"-5"). I'm open to any suggestions, being the graphite shaft extension (like for golf clubs) a possible solution, do you know any manufacturer or racquet customizer that will do or sell just that?

Here is the why and what I'm searching for:

I'm on the short side (5' 9") and approaching the "old bull" time, meaning that I've lost 2 steps or 3...If you know what I mean. I still play competitive singles with friends and I do not play any leagues or other regulated tournaments. In other words, I can completely ignore any racquet length limit put in place by questionable decisions from ITF.

My current racquet is already 28" long. What I want is to extend it to 32" - 33". Now let's forget about swing weight, balance, etc...This is what I want to achieve. Any solutions?

Frank

 

[BlueB]

Frankly, illegal. 29" max is the regulation. You can ignore, but is it fair to your partner on the other side of the net?
Also bare in mind that swing weight would go through the roof. Probably to over 400 or even 500 kg/Cm^2

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[CopolyX]

NPNY to me,is the best for this. If you want it done right and safe...
If you do it yourself.Good luck, you will have do some heavy research. Also be mindful of the physical impactions...

http://www.tennis.com/gear/2013/02/gear-talk-joe-heydt-extra-long-racquets/46547/
http://tt.tennis-warehouse.com/index.php?threads/paul-reed-racket-customization-recommendation.445054/

 

[frankydep]

Frankly, illegal. 29" max is the regulation. You can ignore, but is it fair to your partner on the other side of the net?
Also bare in mind that swing weight would go through the roof. Probably to over 400 or even 500 kg/Cm^2

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Well, I wouldn't use it against a buddy that is about my size. Though, I wouldn't feel bad to take advantage of few more inches when I face a high 6' or 7' tall player. As a I said I don't play leagues or other regulated matches, so I don't have to stick to 29" limit.

 

[Kalin]

Try and find and old Gamma Big Bubba; they went to 32". the newer ones are 29".

I've extended racquets by up to 1.5" by gluing a piece of wood to the end of the handle-end, you can see the result below. Haven't had any breakages yet. A longer extension will put the joint at what might be a higher-impact position so who knows.

I buy pieces of rubber wood which, despite the name, is very dense, strong and quite heavy. I have pine pieces but they feel flimsier. Some people advise balsa but that is too fragile, IMO. I would only advise balsa for short extensions (less than 0.5 inch) and when you absolutely don't want to add any weight. Pine's a good compromise between weight and strength, I'd think.

A 4-5" extension will raise swingweight by around 100 points, I believe. You have to start with a very light racquet with very little weight in the head. Also, you better have a large head; a 95 sqin head on a 32" racquet will look ridiculous and will be very difficult to hit well with.

I remove the grip(s) and buttcap then I epoxy a piece of wood to the butt-end using 2-part epoxy. The piece is pre-cut to be the exact length I want the racquet extended by but it is a bit wider than the handle pallet. Next day, when it is dry, I use a file to shape the piece to be same shape as the rest of the grip/pallet, re-attach the butt cap, re-install the grip(s) and I'm good to go.

As I said, so far haven't had any extension break off, even if the exposed part of the handle doesn't have a lot of contact surface (most handles are for the bigger part hollow). Make sure you use proper 2-part epoxy, apply liberally to both sides (the excess can be sanded off once hard) and allow at least 24 hours to harden. Yes, they say 5 minutes on the new epoxies but I let it stand (yes, stand so that the weight of the racquet falls on the glued joint) for 24 hours before shaping the extra piece.

 

[teachingprotx]

Kalic! Genius great work man !! I love to see this stuff..
There used to be a product by unique makers of tourna grip )
. A plastic sheath that fits over the handle for extending rackets. I used then a lot back the 90's .. None to be had now . Sucks .. Wish I could find them still too......

 

[teachingprotx]

Wish they would make a build up sleeve that would cure rock hard as that could be a cool invention for extending ..

 

[BlueB]

One could use 45/45 braided carbon fibre sleeve over the extension wood and joint. In that configuration it can be adjusted to the exact girth of the handle. Then saturate with epoxy resin and let cure.

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[dak95_00]

I'm thinking some strong epoxy coupled with a sawed off grip/pallet from another racquet and a heat shrink sleeve to hold it all together.

If you pull this off, please post pictures and the overall weight change with your description of how it swings.

 

[graycrait]

I want to see pics of how it was made when it is finished.

How about a Dunlop iDapt with a longer handle? I don't know how the iDapt works but it would seem something could be done with that to create a longer handle.

http://www.tennis.com/gear/2010/04/big-bubba-and-other-racquet-outlaws/38779/

I saw someone on TT had a collection of golf club shaft rackets. That would be another route.

 

[scotus]

Wish they would make a build up sleeve that would cure rock hard as that could be a cool invention for extending ..

A sheet of carbon and resin. Same thing.

 

[Simplicius]

I've extended racquets by up to 1.5" by gluing a piece of wood to the end of the handle-end, you can see the result below. Haven't had any breakages yet. A longer extension will put the joint at what might be a higher-impact position so who knows.
...................

I remove the grip(s) and buttcap then I epoxy a piece of wood to the butt-end using 2-part epoxy. The piece is pre-cut to be the exact length I want the racquet extended by but it is a bit wider than the handle pallet. Next day, when it is dry, I use a file to shape the piece to be same shape as the rest of the grip/pallet, re-attach the butt cap, re-install the grip(s) and I'm good to go.

Kalin, that's great!

I'm thinking to do the same to my IG Prestige MP. Two questions:

1. How long the wood is placed inside the hairpin? (if placed at all).
2. Do you ever try to reverse this extention?
If yes, how you do it? Does the graphite's end brake?

Thank you in advance!

 

[scotus]

For a relatively easy extension of over an inch, consider acquiring a cheap old frame that has a hollow graphite handle. There are Wilson, Dunlop and many brands of racquets that came with handles that had no hairpin, no PU molded foam, just hollow graphite handles. For current models, look no further than ProKennex Kinetic series (although you do need to remove the container for microbearings). Get such a racquet with the same grip size (same brand, similar handle shape, all helps).

(1) After removing the butt cap, mark the bare handle of your current racquet about a couple of inches from the butt cap. Take a planer or sand paper and shave down the PU mold a bit in that area, as you would try to reduce the grip size by 1/4 inch.

(2) Take a saw to the hollow graphite handle (Desired extension + a couple of inches)

(3) Fit the hollow graphite handle over the shaved handle of your current racquet. If it doesn't fit, you've got more shaving/filing to do. When everything is set to your desired specs, you can apply adhesive.

Caution: Some hollow handles are not all that clean on the inside, meaning there might be some remnants of graphite sheets here and there, so you may have to take something like a Dremmel tool and do some cutting/grinding away. Most ProKennex handles I have seen are very clean, though. Some PU foams are very soft, so you can force-fit the hollow graphite even if it isn't an exact, clean fit. You may find it much easier to just take all the PU foam off rather than shave down in that anchor area and then fill the space between the hairpin and the hollow graphite handle with silicone or strong putty.

Good luck.

 

[gino]

Try and find and old Gamma Big Bubba; they went to 32". the newer ones are 29".

I've extended racquets by up to 1.5" by gluing a piece of wood to the end of the handle-end, you can see the result below. Haven't had any breakages yet. A longer extension will put the joint at what might be a higher-impact position so who knows.

I buy pieces of rubber wood which, despite the name, is very dense, strong and quite heavy. I have pine pieces but they feel flimsier. Some people advise balsa but that is too fragile, IMO. I would only advise balsa for short extensions (less than 0.5 inch) and when you absolutely don't want to add any weight. Pine's a good compromise between weight and strength, I'd think.

A 4-5" extension will raise swingweight by around 100 points, I believe. You have to start with a very light racquet with very little weight in the head. Also, you better have a large head; a 95 sqin head on a 32" racquet will look ridiculous and will be very difficult to hit well with.

I remove the grip(s) and buttcap then I epoxy a piece of wood to the butt-end using 2-part epoxy. The piece is pre-cut to be the exact length I want the racquet extended by but it is a bit wider than the handle pallet. Next day, when it is dry, I use a file to shape the piece to be same shape as the rest of the grip/pallet, re-attach the butt cap, re-install the grip(s) and I'm good to go.

As I said, so far haven't had any extension break off, even if the exposed part of the handle doesn't have a lot of contact surface (most handles are for the bigger part hollow). Make sure you use proper 2-part epoxy, apply liberally to both sides (the excess can be sanded off once hard) and allow at least 24 hours to harden. Yes, they say 5 minutes on the new epoxies but I let it stand (yes, stand so that the weight of the racquet falls on the glued joint) for 24 hours before shaping the extra piece.

This is similar to the RP.NY bolsa-wood technique if im not mistaken

 

[Kalin]

Kalin, that's great!

I'm thinking to do the same to my IG Prestige MP. Two questions:

1. How long the wood is placed inside the hairpin? (if placed at all).
2. Do you ever try to reverse this extention?
If yes, how you do it? Does the graphite's end brake?

Thank you in advance!

1. The pieces I have used are flat on both sides, so nothing goes inside the hairpin. I was afraid they might break off but so far I haven't had breakages. I even extended one racquet where there is virtually no contact area since the handle walls are very thin and the rest is completely hollow. Admittedly, I have a ton of racquets and often rotate them so none of them have got any major playing time but they do feel solid so far.

I make sure to apply a liberal amount of epoxy and then make the racquet stand (so the weight falls on the joint) for a full 24 hours; only then do I sand off the extra epoxy and shape the handle further, if needed. I also put some staples to 'hold' the piece to the rest of the handle but really don't know if they help; I have the suspicion they don't.

I was thinking of applying glue to the entire finished handle and wrapping/gluing some thin, hard fabric sheet, or fabric tape around; this will probably add some strength. It will also add some bulk and weight, of course.

I've used fabric sticky tape before but it was mostly to get the desired grip size; I afterwards always take a pencil or any round piece of wood to the bevels and use the side of it to rub them until they're well-pronounced; otherwise you get some round-iness, which I don't like. It also assures the tape sticks well and with no looseness.

2. I haven't tried to reverse it but if I had to I'd probably saw off the wooden piece just short of the carbon and then file away the remaining wood. Like this, it is very unlikely the carbon will be damaged.

I wish more companies made extended racquets It's so mush easier to shorten a racquet than to lengthen one. Also, a shortened racquet may need some extra weight in the head which is also much easier to do than removing weight from a lengthened racquet.

By the way, what's the starting SW of your racquet? Extending it will raise it for sure; make sure the end result is still manageable. IIRC, every 1 mm extension increases the SW by about 1.5 points, depending on racquet. So a 0.5-inch extension (12.5 mm around) will result in an increase in Swingweight of around 17-18 points. A full inch extension will result in a very noticeable SW increase for sure.

A way to counter this is to use lighter strings (at most you can save a few grams) or remove the bumper guard of the racquet. Babolats are good since the bumper guard is separate from the grommets. The bumper guard of a Pure Drive is around 8 grams so removing it drops the SW by almost 25 points

 

[Irvin]

I've been searching around for a while, I couldn't find any solutions to extend a racquet's length by several inches (4"-5"). I'm open to any suggestions, being the graphite shaft extension (like for golf clubs) a possible solution, do you know any manufacturer or racquet customizer that will do or sell just that?

Here is the why and what I'm searching for:

I'm on the short side (5' 9") and approaching the "old bull" time, meaning that I've lost 2 steps or 3...If you know what I mean. I still play competitive singles with friends and I do not play any leagues or other regulated tournaments. In other words, I can completely ignore any racquet length limit put in place by questionable decisions from ITF.

My current racquet is already 28" long. What I want is to extend it to 32" - 33". Now let's forget about swing weight, balance, etc...This is what I want to achieve. Any solutions?

Frank

Frank if you extend the racket 4" the point where you join the extension (top of your grip) is going to be in a bad place. Your handle may break off right there. But if that's really what you want to do get 2 pallets in the size you need for your grip, some epoxy and some fiberglass (or burlap.) Cut the top off one pallet where it starts to taper down so the pallet is the same from top to bottom. Hopefully this will overlap the point where your extension joins the handle. You may want some gloves now. Put the epoxy / fiberglass inside the handle with at least 5" protruding. Glue the pallet on the handle and use a band of some sort or clamp to hold the pallet. Use a dowel to smooth the Fiberglas to the handle and pallet. I'd then just set it aside until it all dries. Then use the top of the other pallet to extend the grip to the top. Cut off the bottom so the grip is as long as it can be, you can easily shorten it but you don't ant to keep extending it. Good luck!

 

[Simplicius]

Thank you all guys!
The problem is that I want this extension to be 100% reversable.
So, the extra "wood" solution, without glue, maybe is the most appropriate...

But the Kalin's comment below make me to think twice this mod.

By the way, what's the starting SW of your racquet? Extending it will raise it for sure; make sure the end result is still manageable. IIRC, every 1 mm extension increases the SW by about 1.5 points, depending on racquet. So a 0.5-inch extension (12.5 mm around) will result in an increase in Swingweight of around 17-18 points. A full inch extension will result in a very noticeable SW increase for sure.

The racket is the IG Prestige MP, imho an ideal racket for that mod, as the SW is low enough (314) and it is capped (so you may uncapped it to remove weight from the hoop). But as I already said I want the mod to be easy and easy reversable.

So dear Kalin, your prediction is going to be very helpful my friend! 1 point per mm or 1,5+ point per mm?
Because if it is close to 1 point, the final SW is going to be near to a familiar 326-327, but in cace of 1,5 point or more will be close to the hard for me 332-333, speaking always for a 0,5 inch extention...
I also use to play with a PCG Longbody and 333 SW, but with a medium success...