Stringing the RF97

R

RoyalFederer

New User
Hey guys,
I have purchased the RF97 and had some complications stringing it the first time around. TW says it is a one piece job, but I saw that a bit too late, and found out that there is no good place to tie off the last cross unless you share it with the main tie off.

Also, last cross at the bottom is an extreme pain in the rear to pull through the 2 strings blocking the hole, is there a reason racquets are designed not to give stringers an easier time with this?
 
Oh sorry, my initial question was basically, is one piece basically the only way to string this racquet? It is 16x19. If federer uses 2 different strings, then it means they are doing two piece?
 
this frame is very easy to string either one or two piece. It also has wider grommets, enabling the stringer to use different tie-off locations by enlarging the grommets.

From reading your post, you must be doing something wrong if you can't find the actual tie offs that are allocated on the frame.
 
Let me take some pictures of what I'm talking about and hopefully you can help me out. I've looked pretty thoroughly and did not see any tie off places, but ive also only strung about 30 racquets and they have all been blades, so I am not experienced.

Hopefully you are right though :D
 
RoyalFederer said:
Let me take some pictures of what I'm talking about and hopefully you can help me out. I've looked pretty thoroughly and did not see any tie off places, but ive also only strung about 30 racquets and they have all been blades, so I am not experienced.

Hopefully you are right though :D
Click to expand...

From looking at the racket it looks like grommet hole 6t and 8T are tie off holes. I would suspect 8T is the main tie off and 6T is the bottom cross tie off.
fb9513d7f259d56a6535d9a876b0c45c_zps057226b0.jpg

If you use 6T as the main tie off you have two strings blocking hole 7T. Because the string goes through 8T diagonally it may be a little harder to get the tail of the mains in the hole so it may be a good idea to place a scrap piece of string in there before pulling tension. If the string were to have a bit of wax on it even better as it would lubricate the path for the main tail when you pull the scrap string out.
 
Here is a better picture of grommet holes 1T to 8T.
265438958929897716b855df85268da7_zpse96673ad.jpg

It appears clear to me grommet holes 6T and 8T are tie off holes. I would not stretch out some other grommet hole to make room for a tie off.
 
Many rackets have the tie off holes specified, as Drak mentioned. Look inside the frame and see where it reads "main tie off" and "cross tie off" to see where you should finish.

Yes, hybrid (2 different strings) means a 2 piece job for sure, until someone like Irvin invents a way to join 2 different strings together at the ends allowing for 1 piece hybrids. But boy you better measure those mains right on. :)
 
Here is another picture showing clearly 8T is the main tie off
Bt5_nEWCYAEKLc1.jpg

It's hard to see where the crosses were tied off but I think the used a cross string to tie of both the top and bottom crosses so they would not be tying off a cross (ALU rough) on a main (Wilson Gut.) What do you say Drakulie is that how P1 does it?

EDIT: Not sure but I think the top and bottom cross tie off locations are 9H and 9T.
 
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Oooo ok, so where I got messed up is that I saw that 6T and 8T mains connect at the bottom, so it looked like 8T was completely blocked for further string entrance for a tie off. It took me a while to figure it out, I guess its one of those lightbulb moments.

Thanks so much for all the help! :D
 
RoyalFederer said:
Hey guys,
I have purchased the RF97 and had some complications stringing it the first time around. TW says it is a one piece job, but I saw that a bit too late, and found out that there is no good place to tie off the last cross unless you share it with the main tie off.

Also, last cross at the bottom is an extreme pain in the rear to pull through the 2 strings blocking the hole, is there a reason racquets are designed not to give stringers an easier time with this?
Click to expand...

BTW stringing that racket one piece would require either string the racket bottom up or using an ATW pattern. I would prefer two piece if you use the right tie off locations. If you make you own tie locations by stretching out grommets they won't last as long.
 
For the one piece I did the mains except the last one, started on the 2nd cross, and then when I got done with crosses, came to finish the last main and the top most cross. Is this around the world, and are there any negatives to stringing like this?
 
RoyalFederer said:
For the one piece I did the mains except the last one, started on the 2nd cross, and then when I got done with crosses, came to finish the last main and the top most cross. Is this around the world, and are there any negatives to stringing like this?
Click to expand...

It will only work for a racket with and odd number of cross strings.
 
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Irvin said:
It will only work for a racket with and odd number of cross strings.
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This is correct, but a little clarification may be in order.
That ATW can be used with racquets with an even number of cross strings too... you just don't start the crosses with the 2nd cross, you go ahead and start with the 1st cross.

So technically, exactly as you described it, yes, it only works with an odd number of crosses. However, it can be done with even crosses with minor differences.

Odd number of crosses, omit the 1st cross (start with 2nd cross).
Even number of crosses, same thing, except don't omit the 1st cross.

All of this simply ensures that, after doing the bottom cross, you are on the correct side of the racquet to do that last outside main (that you left out earlier).
 
drakulie said:
this frame is very easy to string either one or two piece. It also has wider grommets, enabling the stringer to use different tie-off locations by enlarging the grommets.

From reading your post, you must be doing something wrong if you can't find the actual tie offs that are allocated on the frame.
Click to expand...

Yes. I often will create new tie offs for knots that have the string making a "long journey" from last cross to tie off hole. I use a heat gun and some awls :)
 
Irvin said:
Here is another picture showing clearly 8T is the main tie off
Bt5_nEWCYAEKLc1.jpg

It's hard to see where the crosses were tied off but I think the used a cross string to tie of both the top and bottom crosses so they would not be tying off a cross (ALU rough) on a main (Wilson Gut.) What do you say Drakulie is that how P1 does it?

EDIT: Not sure but I think the top and bottom cross tie off locations are 9H and 9T.
Click to expand...

That's a great picture and I know this is a little old, but it clearly looks like the mains tie off at 7T, and then you start the crosses at 7H, but I can't see where'd you'd tie off the crosses at the end. I mean it's got to be either 8T or 9T.
 
Big_Dangerous said:
That's a great picture and I know this is a little old, but it clearly looks like the mains tie off at 7T, and then you start the crosses at 7H, but I can't see where'd you'd tie off the crosses at the end. I mean it's got to be either 8T or 9T.
Click to expand...
7T is the bottom cross and the mains tie at the whole above it 8T. The bottom cross looking like it ties right by his thumb at 9T.
 
Big_Dangerous said:
That's a great picture and I know this is a little old, but it clearly looks like the mains tie off at 7T, and then you start the crosses at 7H, but I can't see where'd you'd tie off the crosses at the end. I mean it's got to be either 8T or 9T.
Click to expand...
Irvin is right. There is no tie-off on 7T in that photo. It appears Fed prefers to have his crosses tied-off on another cross string instead of a main, or it could be a P1 thing *shrugs*, and it's tied-off at 9T. Mains are tied off at 8T.
I string mine by tying off mains at 8T and bottom cross tie-off at 6T.
 
I doubt Federer cares (although he may) if you tie poly to gut or not. I believe it is a P1 thing, and they do the same for the top cross. The poly cross is not tied on a gut main. If I had my choice I believe it is better to tie crosses to a cross but I don't go out of my way to do it. And I doubt the player can tell the difference unless there is a much longer distance from the last cross to the tie off.
 
I suspect the posters above are right about P1--I two piece mine (but all with the same string) and tie off mains at 8T, Xs at 6T and 8H. That's also how the USRSA recommends it. Never had a problem. That said, I have no issues with the P1 method either-the key is just know what you are doing ahead of time.
 
With hybrid strings the only choice is 2 piece but if you're stringing I string full bed you have an option of 1 or 2 piece. I know Ron at P1 has said he prefers 1 piece, and with Wilson you could use bottom up or an ATW pattern. I prefer 2 piece still. With 1 piece you have 20-30' of string hanging off one side. With 360 rotation you can easily twist the string around the support post. P1 doesn't have this problem because they use a table top stringer to facilitate travel. I am careful to make sure I never use 360 rotation so the string does not wrap around the post and under the turntable. I've thought about putting something under there to prevent the problem but I don't do 1 piece very often.
 
Irvin said:
I doubt Federer cares (although he may) if you tie poly to gut or not. I believe it is a P1 thing, and they do the same for the top cross. The poly cross is not tied on a gut main. If I had my choice I believe it is better to tie crosses to a cross but I don't go out of my way to do it. And I doubt the player can tell the difference unless there is a much longer distance from the last cross to the tie off.
Click to expand...

I always thought the standard when doing a two piece was to start the crosses at the top, tying into a main, then weave to completion and tie off on a cross.
 
Irvin said:
With hybrid strings the only choice is 2 piece but if you're stringing I string full bed you have an option of 1 or 2 piece. I know Ron at P1 has said he prefers 1 piece, and with Wilson you could use bottom up or an ATW pattern. I prefer 2 piece still. With 1 piece you have 20-30' of string hanging off one side. With 360 rotation you can easily twist the string around the support post. P1 doesn't have this problem because they use a table top stringer to facilitate travel. I am careful to make sure I never use 360 rotation so the string does not wrap around the post and under the turntable. I've thought about putting something under there to prevent the problem but I don't do 1 piece very often.
Click to expand...

I was actually reading an article about how two piece stringing is actually becoming the "standard" or norm now. Even if you are using a full bed of whatever, poly, multi, gut, etc. There are many places where they simply do it as a two piece unless you specifically request it be strung as a one piece. Personally since I seldom ever use a full bed, I almost always hybrid either guy/poly or poly/mutlis, I only ever learned how to string two piece. I think it's way easier to use two shorter pieces of string as opposed to one longer piece. And I really doubt the difference between 4 knots and two is really that discernible.
 
Big_Dangerous said:
I always thought the standard when doing a two piece was to start the crosses at the top, tying into a main, then weave to completion and tie off on a cross.
Click to expand...

Yes, this is probably most common today...but there are exceptions. There are a few racquets where, for a 2 piece, the top cross ties off on the 2nd or 3rd cross. For example, one (or more) of the old Babolat Storm frames allowed for the top cross to tie off on (IIRC) the 2nd or 3rd cross.

Fed's racquets are another example, but it seems this is a conscious decision on the part of P1 - to prevent poly strings from being tied off on gut.
 
RoyalFederer said:
Oooo ok, so where I got messed up is that I saw that 6T and 8T mains connect at the bottom, so it looked like 8T was completely blocked for further string entrance for a tie off. It took me a while to figure it out, I guess its one of those lightbulb moments.

Thanks so much for all the help! :D
Click to expand...


How did you manage this? I also try't to string this frame with a hybrid and still haven't figured out how this is possible given the locations of the tie off gromets..
 
I completely disagree that widening grommets shortens their life. I have done that on all my C10s and still have never replaced the grommets. I've been using the C10 for over ten years. The grommets are fine. I widen the grommet to allow me to tie off the crosses on a cross. On a one-piece string job, I tie off both top and bottom on crosses. For a hybrid, I tie the crosses off on a cross.

I recently strung for a WTA event. I strung the frames the same as they came to me, either two knots or four knots. The winner used an all-poly string bed and requested a 10% pre-stretch. By and large, every girl used all poly and I only had one who specifically requested two knots - and she wanted it done ATW.
 
Rabbit said:
I completely disagree that widening grommets shortens their life. I have done that on all my C10s and still have never replaced the grommets. I've been using the C10 for over ten years. The grommets are fine. I widen the grommet to allow me to tie off the crosses on a cross. On a one-piece string job, I tie off both top and bottom on crosses. For a hybrid, I tie the crosses off on a cross.

I recently strung for a WTA event. I strung the frames the same as they came to me, either two knots or four knots. The winner used an all-poly string bed and requested a 10% pre-stretch. By and large, every girl used all poly and I only had one who specifically requested two knots - and she wanted it done ATW.
Click to expand...
which event? in my experience most of them dont even know how they want it done.
 
My first racquet i tried to string was v11 rf97 and I also struggled with the last couple crosses until I saw a video where stringer guaranteed success by cutting a sharp diagonal at the tip and then inserting into grommet then feeding it by grabbing 1/4 inch from frame with needlenose and forcing it through. My stringing machine is a bottom rung gamma that doesn't provide a good way to tie the knots off at the desired tension so I've always had issues with that. I do end up pulling tension somewhat on that knot but noticed it can distort the grommet end or snap the string if too tight. This is why I usually string one piece, I just don't care for all the knots. I have considered buying an electronic stringer which would be oh so nice but I can't spend that kind of $ even being an obsessed rec player that wants to configure his own racketology. I've also learned that most poly strings are super launchy and don't work for me except for stiffer strings. I prefer Solinco barb wire as I can unleash some fury and find winners down the line . Alot of strings that I bought are sitting in a pile, just not acceptable. Maybe if I get a new stringer I will go into business and find a way to use some of the strings I can't use. I cringe when fellow players offer me $15 to string theirs. Usually I end up doing it for free to be honest. But I once broke one of my buddies lightweight cheapo racket. Pulled right through the grommet and through the balsa wood frame, or so it seemed. Luckily I have a bunch of others and he accepted a replacement. But we still joke about it, he says he got his $15 worth
 
reddogstar5 said:
My stringing machine is a bottom rung gamma that doesn't provide a good way to tie the knots off at the desired tension so I've always had issues with that. I do end up pulling tension somewhat on that knot but noticed it can distort the grommet end or snap the string if too tight.
Click to expand...
Sounds as though you may be using a double half hitch knot. You need to rough the tag end of the string through the first loop in order to ensure your knots are held tight when you’re finished. See an example in the video below. And long as you there may as well run you tag end through both loops and tie a Parnell knot. Then the tag end of the string is held closer against the frame.
 
reddogstar5 said:
My stringing machine is a bottom rung gamma that doesn't provide a good way to tie the knots off at the desired tension so I've always had issues with that. I do end up pulling tension somewhat on that knot but noticed it can distort the grommet end or snap the string if too tight.
Click to expand...

reddogstar5 said:
But I once broke one of my buddies lightweight cheapo racket. Pulled right through the grommet and through the balsa wood frame, or so it seemed.
Click to expand...


@reddogstar5,

Tying your knots well has nothing to do with the machine you're using.

You should not be using your machine's tensioner for tightening your knots!
Therein lies your problem.


BTW, although cutting a sharp point does tend to help things, it does not/will not guarantee success in dealing with all blocked holes.
I can think of many strings (primarily, soft multifilaments, but sometimes also natural gut... and even more so if they are a thicker gauge) that would still give you troubles, no matter how sharp of a point you put on them.

There are better methods for handling blocked holes.

The method I use does guarantee success - no matter what the string is, or it's gauge.
 
I appreciate the response and I really have no problem tying a double hitch knot but my machine only has the floating type clamps that only can be used with an adjacent string. Even clamped after the pull you have hardly any tension to tie your knot so you end up with a spaghetti final cross, which is why I have to draw up the knot carefully with my drop weight. It works decent but you have to be careful. The other problem with these machines is you can't really clamp the first three crosses because you can't fit these floating clamps after pulling the strings. Overall I can get a pretty well strung racket but not without these drawbacks
 
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