String tension loss

[CheapStrings]

I am a low volume home stringer and use Gosen Polylon 17g for a number of friends and myself because it has good durability and is cheap (they like cheap and need durability). I string it at low and high tensions and have never had a complaint about the tension loss problem that has been mentioned on this board. I have wondered why.

Strings may lose 6% - 9% tension in the 24 hours right after stringing (usually measured on a lockout stringer). As I see it, constant pull stringers (CS) and electronic stringers (ES) don't string tighter than lock-outs, they just take more of the stretch out of the strings during stringing. This translates to a "tighter" string job because there is less tension loss by the time the player uses the racquet. Corollary thought; one of the benefits of a CS or ES is that their tension remains closer to the target tension than a lockout.

I use a CS and string slowly (remember I'm a home/in front of TV stringer) and my pulls are always around 2 or 3 seconds. I believe this method results in a string bed that eliminates the large drop in tension that is usually a problem with Polylon. The strings playing characteristics don't change over the life of the string (a good thing). Some of the strings initial elasticity is lost but you don't have to cut out the string because it becomes unplayable.

There are any number of strings that would "benefit" from long pulls on a CS or ES but I don't see professional stringers doing this. There are so many strings that they can just avoid those problem strings. However, maybe this is something some of the non-pro readers might want to try.

 

[David Pavlich]

You might want to try prestretching your poly. It will not only help reduce tension creep but it will reduce the coil memory.

David

 

[CheapStrings]

David,
Regarding pre-stretching I don't have that much tension creep/loss due to my "long" pulls when I string. The string bed seems to stay at the same tension for the life of the string.

As far as coil memory, Polylon is pretty bad but when I bought a reel of it, I found that most of the reel has verrrrry little. At the end of the reel it does have the coil memory problem and pre-stretching does help a bit. Polylon is like wire and I've found that bending Polylon in the opposite direction of the coil memory in a few places helps even more than pre-stretching. Thanks.

 

[David Pavlich]

David,
Regarding pre-stretching I don't have that much tension creep/loss due to my "long" pulls when I string. The string bed seems to stay at the same tension for the life of the string.

As far as coil memory, Polylon is pretty bad but when I bought a reel of it, I found that most of the reel has verrrrry little. At the end of the reel it does have the coil memory problem and pre-stretching does help a bit. Polylon is like wire and I've found that bending Polylon in the opposite direction of the coil memory in a few places helps even more than pre-stretching. Thanks.

I would suggest that you purchase a Stringmeter. It isn't the most accurate thing in the world, but it works very well as a reference tool. In other words, when you finish your frame, measure the relative stiffness immediately. Then measure it at 24 hours post stringing. Then after a few sets, etc. It will give you a pretty fair idea of how much tension you are actually loosing.

Remember that polys are very stiff and will feel that way even after tension loss. And they have that propensity to "lock in" and resist that annoying string movement. So a lot of times, the perception is that the stringbed isn't losing tension. Just a thought.

David

 

[Gaines Hillix]

There are any number of strings that would "benefit" from long pulls on a CS or ES but I don't see professional stringers doing this. There are so many strings that they can just avoid those problem strings. However, maybe this is something some of the non-pro readers might want to try.

Some professional stringers use the built in prestretch feature on their electronic machines. This over-tensions the string by a percentage set by the stringer and then drops back to the reference tension. They may also use the slower tension head pull speed that some machines offer.

 

[fastdunn]

[
Remember that polys are very stiff and will feel that way even after tension loss. And they have that propensity to "lock in" and resist that annoying string movement. So a lot of times, the perception is that the stringbed isn't losing tension. Just a thought.

David

I share the same thought. Poly was only string I felt like I could play
with for long period. After I play with polys more than 1 year, I could
sense the subtle performance degration of poly string.
Then I realized inaccuracy of human "feel" and decided to buy a Stringmeter.

However, string performance is a relatively small part of your total
performance. If you feel like polys are playing consistent, it's likely
that your total performace is consistent because this game is so mental, you know....