Racket head deformed during stringing?

[Edberg's Iceburg]

I just bought a Gamma X-2 drop weight stringer. Today I strung my racket for the first time. I have a babolat pure drive standard. I was fairly slow because it was my first time with a drop weight (I have strung many rackets with a crank stringer in the past). When I finally finished I was surprised to find that the racket was deformed. When I put it up against my old one I found that the freshly strung racket was approx 1/8-1/4" shorter than my other one, and a bit wider. Apparently the head became deformed while I was stringing the mains.
I have a couple questions

1. Is this normal, or did I do something wrong?
2. Will this racket always be deformed or will it go back to its normal shape if I do a better job stringing it next time (or string it on a stringer with a better mounting system)
3. Do other people have this happen?

Another thing I noticed was that in the crappy instructions provided with the X-2, they say you should hold the drop weight at a 45 degree angle and let it drop. This seemed like a bad idea because it was putting a lot of stress on the string, so I stopped doing it after stringing 6 or 8 main strings. Is it advisable to drop the weight from a 45 degree angle or should I gently let it down until it is almost horizontal?

Thank you very much for any help you can give me...

Edberg

[Jay Cee]

@ Edberg's Iceburg,
Great pseudo, great player. :)
Your problem comes from the way you have fixed the raquet in the cradle. The screws which block the the mountings to the base of the cradle at the top and the bottom of the frame have not been tightened enough and one or the other of the mountins has slipped towards the center under the pressure of the main strings. You are very lucky that the frame did not break :eek:

This is one of the most frequent mistakes of using a machine for the first time, you need to get used to the different adjustments until it becomes a habit, then you don't need to think about it any more. Most stringers only adjust the mounting at the throat end of the cradle and leave the other one in place and rarely loosen the screw to move it. As you used the machine for the first time, it is possible that this mounting was not tightened and that you neglected to check it, an understandable mistake, but it could have cost you a racquet. :mad:

Do not play with the racquet the way it is, the frame is under terrible stress and it may well break, cut the strings out carefully, starting from the ceter mains and alternatively cutting one left one right, etc. The frame will return to it's original shape and with a little luck it will be OK. ;)

Before stringing it again, check the set up, the screws under thee mountings should be firmly screwed tight, but do not force them.

I hope that this bad experience for you can perhaps be beneficial for someone else who by reading this could avoid the same mistake, it may even save breaking a racquet. :p
JC :cool:

[hvdb]

Edberg's IceBurg,

On your last question concerning dropping the weight from a 45 degree angle, I would say don't do it...

I usually let it down gently, because it happened to me in the past that the string snapped when dropping it too fast. And even when that happened I didn't really drop it but just let it come down a little faster than usual.

Plus I can imagine this puts extra stress on the frame too especially if you don't mount it properly ;)

Hans

[Paul]

Hi,

I have recently started stringing my own rackets and I have experienced the same problem (racket head deformation). I have borrowed an old machine and I have strung about six rackets up till now. Each time the racket head has "deformed" a bit and I have never been able to have a strung racket that has exactly the same shape as before stringing (or that of a professionally strung racket). Usually it is hardly noticeable (a few millimeters), but I have a really bad feeling about it and I have become quite obsessive.

When I mount the frame, I keep measuring length and width of the racket head. If I tighten the screws too much, the frame will deform just by mounting. If I tighten the screws too little, the frame will deform when stringing. Usually it will get a few millimeters less wide. At this time, I spend more time measuring the &%&^%& frame during mounting and stringing than actually stringing the racket AND I STILL DON'T GET IT RIGHT!!! :mad:

As you might understand this leads to a lot of sighing, cursing and, generally, not having a lot of fun while stringing. It also does not inspire happy thoughts from family members.

Does anyone have any suggestions?
Is stringing (mounting) really that difficult?
Is it the old machine?
Is it me?

About the machine: it is an old "Gamma" 6-point mounting system with loose clamps.

[Andrew.W]

Hello Paul,

I'm not one of the experts but I'll have a shot at trying to answer this.

First, finger tighten only when mounting the frame and only to the point of securing the racquet against movement.

secondly, if you are measuring the frame during stringing it is normal for the frame to crush a little after the mains are done, but most distortion should be recovered once the crosses are finished.

2mm in the end result is enough distortion that you should be concerned, I'm pretty sure Wison say this is the limit of distortion before the frames integrety is under threat. You say "normally a few mm less wide", usually with tennis racquets if the mounting system isn't doing it's job properly then the frame gets crushed, or wider (and shorter). It may also be that your clamps are slipping and therefore the mains aren't as tight as they should be, allowing the crosses to distort the frame lengthwise.

Hopefully one of the more experienced tennis stringers will chime in (I string mostly squash racquets), you should also post whether you strung the crosses bottom up or top down (best for racquet), what racquet, tention/s, and string you used. It won't mean too much to me being a squash stringer but if someone else posts to help you (or perhaps correct me) they'll want to know that information.

Regards,

Andrew.

[chapufo1]

so having about 1-2mm deformation vertically (shorter) and about 1mm deformation width (wider) is normal with a 2 point mounting system?