Anyone besides me have problems with the awl and knotting up

[zidanej]

I strung my racquet yesterday with a 16 thickness string and everything went smoothly besides the awl. I took about 10 minutes just trying to get the last strings through the grommet hole and sometimes I would accidently let slip the awl and it'd make a bad sound but I thought nothing of it until I finished stringing. The next day I looked at it the part where I was having a tough time using the awl it just snapped by itself. Is there an effective way to use that awl that I don't know about? I usually just put the awl underneath the string that I'm trying to push away from the grommet hole and try to bend the string around. Also I usually have problems with string knotting up when I thread the mains. Any input would be greatly appreciated. :cool:

[ericb]

Is there an effective way to use that awl that I don't know about? I usually just put the awl underneath the string that I'm trying to push away from the grommet hole and try to bend the string around.

One of the most important things to do when stringing a frame which has a pattern which requires you to thread a string through a hole that already has another string covering it (like many Heads do) is to cut the string end cleanly at as long an angle as possible so that you have a long slope with a very fine point. This requires a good set of sharp cutters, but will save you a tremendous amount of time. You'll find that most stringers try to keep their awls away from the strings unless they're strictly necessary.

The other method which is somtimes possible, is to pre-thread the middle string before tensioning the string which will block. This is rarely possible, but I thought I would mention it in case it applies to your particular frame.

Good luck,

Eric

[kwick]

Hi Zidanej,

You're not using a grinding awl are you ? :D :D

Some tips :

1) Sharp angled point on your string as Eric said
2) Using fingers, feed the string into the blocked hole until it stops, then from the inside of the frame, grip the string with needle-nose pliers about 5mm (i.e. really close to the frame) and try to push it through. Usually works for mono's or stiff strings so you don't need the awl. More difficult with softer multi-filament strings.
3) If you have to use the awl, put some wax on it before pushing it into the blocked hole. Candle wax is OK.
4) Push the awl into the hole which forces the blocking string to one side and leave it for about 30 seconds. It creates a preference when you remove the awl.
5) Remove the awl quickly and push the string quickly before the blocking string snaps back.

What do you mean by your strings knotting when threading the mains ?

What strings are you using when this happens ?

Some tips here :

1) Before stringing, unravel the coiled string by passing from one hand to the other through your fingers 1 or 2 times for the full length of the string each time.
2) Pre-stretching can help to take some of the coil out of the string especially for natural gut.
3) Try and keep you tails as straight as possible and remove the coils as you are threading.
4) Use as short a tail as possible when on your final pulls and don't work with length that you don't need. Beware to keep enough to pull your final tension and tie off.

Hoep this helps,

kwick

[wmarkhay]

For those blocked holes, I'll take a short piece (~2") of old cut-out string of relatively thick guage and put it in those holes ahead of tightening the soon-to-be-blocking string. I'll have a long angle cut on both ends of that short string (sometimes I'll be coming in, sometimes out, toward the blockage), and then with a similar long angle on the string needing to go into that hole, line them up, kind of like a cabinet-maker might do a dove-tail on a furniture joint. Having the short piece with its long angle side oriented against the blocking string, push & pull the short piece & new string together so that by the time the short piece's long end passes the blocked part, the skinny leading end of the new string end is already through the blockage. Hope that makes sense when you read it... seems a hell of a lot harder to describe than to do!