What makes a tie-off grommet, a tie-off grommet?

[sstchur]

You know how when you first start out stringing, you have to look up the pattern for all the Main Skips? And you're probably really anal about it and nervous about getting it wrong and you keep counting and counting and counting to be sure you skip the right ones?

And then after a while, you just "know." You don't have to count and in a lot of cases, you probably don't even have to look up the Main skips. You can just tell.

You know what I mean?

But what about for tie-offs? in some cases, it is kind of obvious that a grommet was used for tie-off before because it is flared. But what about where you have two-piece and there are multiple grommets that look like they could be used?

In other words, when you look up a pattern from a manufacturer, and they list the tie offs, what are they basing it on? What makes a tie-off grommet, a tie-off grommet?

Is it something about the racquet construction? Is there something magic about 7T that would not have been true of 6T (had they chosen to flare /that/ grommet instead?)

Is my question making sense?

Basically, I'm trying to determine if there is something special about the positions where manufacturer's specify tie-offs. I wonder this especially in cases where the tie off is on a cross (which I hate).

It would be nice, if there were some way to "just know" (assuming you could not use a previously flared grommet as a clue) which holes were for tying off.

 

[struggle]

usually the grommet is bigger (accepts 2 strings easier) even before it becomes flared (brand new frame).

structurally, i have no idea whether or not they beef up the frame in that spot or not. i doubt it, but don't claim to know one way or another...

 

[sstchur]

usually the grommet is bigger (accepts 2 strings easier) even before it becomes flared (brand new frame).

structurally, i have no idea whether or not they beef up the frame in that spot or not. i doubt it, but don't claim to know one way or another...

This would seem to imply then, that if you didn't know where the "official" tie-off positions were, you could chose anything convenient that easily accepts two strings?

 

[Dags]

The rule of thumb is probably that it's the nearest accessible grommet. The 'near' part is pretty obvious: the further away you tie-off, the more slack you have to pick up when tying the knot and so the more tension you'll lose. The 'accessible' bit is that some holes aren't suitable, for instance where a main and cross are very close together - there's just not room for a knot in there.

I wonder this especially in cases where the tie off is on a cross (which I hate).

Why do you hate tying off on a cross?

 

[sstchur]

The rule of thumb is probably that it's the nearest accessible grommet. The 'near' part is pretty obvious: the further away you tie-off, the more slack you have to pick up when tying the knot and so the more tension you'll lose. The 'accessible' bit is that some holes aren't suitable, for instance where a main and cross are very close together - there's just not room for a knot in there.


Why do you hate tying off on a cross?

For exactly the reason you said: "for instance where a main and cross are very close together - there's just not room for a knot in there."

There are some racquets (IIRC, Babolat and Price come to mind), where the manufacturer says Tie off X @ (I think) 10T or 9T, which happens to be a cross that is very close to a main and I find it less "smooth" of a process to tie a good knot in there.