Careful how much paint you remove! I suppose you can add some weight back with varnish, clearcoat, lead tape...
Haha, I'm not too worried about removing too much paint. I sanded about 50% of the paint on the head and only reduced the overall weight by 1g. I guess that shows how shallow my sanding is. I'm still not sure how to do the balance test. Can anyone give a description or video describing or showing conditions for failure?
Sanding the shaft may not be a good idea... I sure wouldn't want to be in front of you if it suffers a catastrophic structural failure and snaps off during a hard smash...
Restrung 25*27 and got the same "ha, is that ALL?" Non-budging response from the tpk. I'm confident it can handle anything I can throw at it. Although I was cautious when playing with the guy that smashed up my old rev in a clash. It's only a matter of time though as he's too much fun to partner with.
Maybe Yonex et al have missed a trick here: don't make these Kit-Kat 5U and 6U abominations; just make a 4U and leave the paint off.
Raw carbon etc FTW. Got a Carlton to string that's just clearcoat on carbon shaft. Paint is overrated.
You're persuasiveness have won me over! Going outside now with my sander. If your theory is correct, the ol' minivan will soon be handling like a Maserati!
I just finished stringing my modified Trinity Kevar and here are some new observations/specs. Please keep in mind that the racket has had the original grip replaced by an RKEP G11 grip. TPK Pre-Mod Dry: 87.2g 295mm TPK Post-Mod Dry: 84.5g 285mm For some fun comparison purposes, here's my TPK vs my PPP(green precision) TPK Post-Mod Wet: 88g 297mm with ZM65 at 29lbs - 39g headweight PPP Wet: 88.6g 295mm with ZM 65 at 29 lbs - 38.7g headweight Despite both the PPP and TPK at nearly the same balance, weight, and head weight, there is a noticeable difference in maneuverability and swing speed between the two. Even though the TPK is significantly faster than before, the PPP still has the upper hand in terms of speed. This is probably due to the overall more aerodynamic frame. I'll be playing with the modded TPK later this week so I can give some feedback later when compared to the PPP.
Have a rotary sander for doing small stuff was like 20.00. Took me 10 minutes out in the garage as just went around the head on both sides. Left strung etc as why not. Prior with partial over grip was 96 now is 92 grams. Close to 285 now which is fine as not too aerodynamic. Test it out tonight and see how it goes. Tweak accordingly if I clear to adjust for weight. Frame is robust so can't imagine any issues.
Works great , new lowered bp and stability work well together and power is still there. Used it all night and never thought of changing back.
[MENTION=28121]ormy4[/MENTION] Glad to hear that your sanding experiment worked out. Now you can get to sanding and re-shellacking that dining room table of yours. ;-)
Never, would eliminate the cash cow it has become as a holy site to players who pilgrimage to it annually leaving presents and goodies on it.
Just tried my newly modded TPK today in 5-6 matches. It is amazing. It's got a great balance of power, speed, stability, and feel. It's definitely my go to racket now.
Yay! I'm very glad it worked out for you. When I get a spare half-hour to myself I've got the next victim lined up.
I kind of want to de-paint my 3U carbonex 50 as I always wondered how it'd feel as a 4U racket. However, it's only barely head heavy so I'm not sure I'd be happy ending up with a head light carbonex. This method really only works for super head heavy rackets for me because I don't like head light rackets =[.
I wonder if the shaft would be more likely to snap if de-lacquered... I've sold all my expendable test racquets though.
I know this is a very old thread but I thought I'd ask here rather than start a new thread. I'm considering doing this with my Duora 8XP as I want a more lively and quicker racket rather than what it is currently which to me is just a slightly inferior Duora Z strike with a more dead feel... So I'm hoping to sand down the paint maybe 80% on the frame and the shaft. Hoping to reduce the weight about 3g. So my question is has anyone tried to sand the shaft? Does the point/laquer have any bearing on the shaft stiffness/stability? Im my mind I'd have thought all the stability comes from the graphite itself and the paint/lacquer is just for appearance and a bit of protection. But I could be completely wrong. So if anyone has experience with sanding down the shaft let me know how it turned out and if it's a good idea. Thanks.
