I read in an earlier post that you should set the tension higher on drop weight stringers when you are pulling through the head like on my o3 red speedport, since you are pulling multiple mains at once. I was wondering what you should set the tension arm for if you are trying to get around 35 lbs, and can you weave all the mains and then apply tension? If so, how much tension should you use.
that has been my main complaint about the couple of racquets I have done is that I was not getting the tension I wanted on the mains. I also screwed up by not pulling having an extra 2 feet of string on the right side since you feed it back to the left to tie off. (I read one of tomkat's posts that addressed this and I will probably just do 12 mains.


On a side note, one of the folks I play with uses only ten mains on an E-Force racquet that he can tighten up by turning a nut in the handle. Any one else ever use that racquet/pattern?

I believe additional force is needed with all tensioners, not just drop weight... How much extra depends on the resistance/friction in the grommet. EForce suggests 6-8lbs, with it's 14" damper tubes, long strings, and sharp bend around the butt. I'd guess Ektelon is less - no tubes, shorter string runs, and possibly less resistance through the throat grommet/ring. Maybe try adding 3-4lbs...

Or, I've resolved this problem (on EForce & Wilson) by literally tuning the mains like a guitar - plucking the up & down sides of the pull, to equalize the tone. You have to help the down side along - grabbing the string with a floating clamp and pushing/forcing it toward the handle - then pluck both sides, reset the tension pull, and repeat until equal.

Your Ektelon may be different (like, if the stringing pattern requires some cross strings installed before completing all mains...)

-Jim

Hey Mrv,
I hope you liked the 12 main pattern. Your problem with thedrop weight machine is totally normal. It's been awhile ,but I still have my first ever Klippermate machine and it still works just fine. Thelast racquet models I recall stringing with it was the first ever Power ring models and you had to pull two string at the head. I assume you do the bounce method of taking out all the slack from a long pull. You have to watch the string closely when you let the weight drop, then pick it back up and redrop it again to make sure you have taken all the string around the power ring so you have the correct tension on every string. You get used to doing the bounce and sometimes you even over do it to make sure you get it . Letting it hang a little after the second drop also gets any slack out too. I will double pull even on a spring tension machine if I feel the string is getting hung up , like on the e force racquets that travel all the way through the handle. I still do not know what that does to help hit the ball???? With all those little odd colored tubes get old and brittle they are impossible to restring. Esp the ones that go all around the frame. Even with the electric pull machines I've had the tension be really good on the pulling side and loose on the trailing side. I took my string tensioner into a store and checked new racquets from the factory and they didn't have the same tensions from one side to the other either.
If you are NOT getting the tension you want , when pulling two strings I'd up the weight at least 20% to compensate. Check it afterwards and see how close that gets you. I'd sure like to know how it turns out.
TomKat