Tips for stringing poly mains?

ogruskie

Professional
I just completed my first racquet in 3 hours. My fingers are numb from the crosses...

I strung kevlar/syn gut. Next I'll string poly/syn gut. I watched a video where a guy on his X-2 tilted the tensioning rod at about a 45 degree angle before dropping/pulling the tension. Is this a proper way to tension poly?
 

robJAR

Semi-Pro
He does that because most poly-based strings don't tend to stretch. If you were to let your arm come down from the resting position, it would barely go anywhere no matter how heavy/light you set it, and therefore get an inaccurate tension.

My two cents, and I'm not sure if this is correct.. :\

-robJAR
 

GPB

Professional
Yeah, starting it from that position is the same as starting it from the top, but giving it a TON of slack in the line. Actually, I think I prefer the idea of starting the rod at about 45deg, and I'll do that in the future.
 

ogruskie

Professional
How would the result be different if I started tensioning while the bar is resting in the 4/5 o'clock position?
 

GPB

Professional
hmm... if you start with the bar down, then put the string through, then grab the "ratcheting gripper drum," then pull the bar up and tension until it ends up level....

Yeah, that would work. But what does it gain you? If you think that's easier, got for it; I can't find any reason why that would hurt anything. But I also wouldn't do it myself, because I don't think it would gain me anything - I've gotten used to giving a certain amount of slack in the line before I let the gripper grab it.
 

meowmix

Hall of Fame
My alpha doesn't have a drum- it has a linear gripper. In any case, for poly, I lift the dropweight up, to about 1 o'clock, then I align the linear gripper, feed the string, and then drop. Otherwise, that string does not get tensioned (or, I snap the string... which was what happened those first 2 times)
 
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