Stringing mistakes: the common ones, and how to fix them
Almost everything can be fixed during a string job. What cannot be fixed is the reflex of releasing a clamp, or taking the racquet off the machine, to "have a look". The rule that comes before all the others: when something is wrong, release nothing, and look.
The problems below are the ones that come up most often, sorted by stage. They are also in the Troubleshooting tab of the stringing assistant, filtered for your machine. The assistant is in French; the method is written out in English.
Clamps
The string slips in the clamp
Too little pressure, the string not seated in the jaws, or the clamp too far from the frame. Release nothing: put the string back on the tensioner and pull again. Adjust the clamp a quarter turn, test it on an offcut, then clamp again tight against the frame, string deep in the jaws, once tension is reached.
The clamp marks or flattens the string
It is too tight for this gauge. Loosen it a quarter turn and test again on an offcut: the mark should stay light. A deep notch in the string bed will eventually break; if there is one, ask for advice before going on.
The flying clamp slides along the strings
It is too far from the frame, badly set, or holding only one tensioned string. Put it back tight against the frame, on the new string and its already tensioned neighbour, and set its pressure on two offcuts. At the start, when the neighbour is not yet tensioned, the starting clamp must hold the other end.
The machine
The drop-weight bar falls
The string stretches under load, there was slack in the gripper, or the weight is not on the right mark. Take up the slack, lift the bar above level and let it come down. Only clamp with the bar steady and level.
The crank locks too early, or not in the same place
A jerky turn, dirty grippers, or a machine that needs calibrating. Turn smoothly, at the same pace on every string, and clean the grippers. If it is still uneven, have the tension checked with a calibrator.
The string slips in the tensioner's gripper
The jaws are clogged with string dust, or the string is badly engaged. Brush them dry and engage the string as the manual shows, slack removed. A very slick monofilament needs one more turn on a drum.
The electronic machine stops pulling mid-job
Some machines limit how long they pull: a few beeps, then it stops. Clamp as soon as the pull is stable; holding it longer brings nothing. If the motor has stopped, restart the pull before clamping. The differences between drop-weight, crank and electronic are covered in the stringing machine guide.
Mains
The string is too short to reach the tensioner
The measurement was too tight, or the knots took more string than planned. No need to start again: the starting clamp works as a connector. It clamps the short end together with an offcut, and the offcut goes to the tensioner. Make a note, and add half a length next time.
I used the wrong hole
A skipped hole that was missed, or the wrong grommet. Put the last string back on the tensioner and pull, remove the clamp from that string only, then release. Take the string out of the wrong hole and through the right one, following the manufacturer's pattern. The earlier strings stay clamped: leave their clamps alone.
The first main lost its tension at the start
The starting clamp was not flat against the frame, and the other end slipped. Put it back tight against the frame, return the string to the tensioner, pull and clamp again.
I don't know which main is next
Count the clamped mains on each side, from the centre out. In the assistant, the Progress tab keeps your place: tap the string you are on to pick up again.
The string won't go through the grommet
The grommet is already occupied, or the end of the string is crushed. Cut the end again at an angle, open the grommet gently with an awl, then use a string guide. Never force a grommet: it splits, and a split grommet cuts the string.
The string twists, or it has a kink
A monofilament sometimes comes off the reel or out of a grommet twisted. Let the string hang and untwist it before each pull. A sharp kink is a weak point: if it ends up in the string bed, ask for advice before going on.
Knots
The knot pulls through the grommet
The knot is too small for the grommet, or the string is thin and slick. Tie a Parnell rather than a Pro knot. To start the crosses, use a three-turn starting knot, or start with the starting clamp.
The knot won't tighten, or comes undone
There is slack left in the outside run, or the knot is pulled the wrong way. Take up that slack first, then tighten by hand, always towards the frame, keeping the same direction of turn for both half hitches. Each knot is detailed in the four-knot method.
Crosses
Two neighbouring crosses weave the same way
An over-under was swapped at the start of the cross. Undo it back to the mistake. At the first main the previous cross also crosses, do the opposite of it. And from now on, weave one cross ahead: a mistake shows straight away.
The cross is hard to pull through
The cross already tensioned squeezes the mains. Weave one cross ahead, pull the string in a wide arc, square to the string bed, and for the last crosses, open the way with an awl and a string guide.
The frame
The racquet moves during the job
The supports are loose or badly placed. Take nothing off: tighten to contact, in order, centre supports first, then side supports, without forcing.
The head width has changed
The mounting was too tight, or one side got too far ahead. Note the difference and have the racquet checked before playing it. Next time: supports to contact only, and never more than three or four mains ahead on one side.
I have to stop mid-job
Leave the racquet on the machine, clamps in place. A racquet is never taken off mid-job. The assistant's progress tracker keeps your place on the phone.
When to stop
A deep notch in the string bed, a split grommet found halfway through, a head width that has moved by several millimetres: these are the three cases where it is better to stop and have the racquet checked. A string job at the workshop costs 12 €, in Aube, near L'Aigle in Normandy. And to learn to avoid these problems, the stringing course is taught on a professional machine, with follow-up with no time limit.
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