Stick Tech - Reader Tips #1
The Reader Tips Blog will be filled with tech tips from our readers from the beginning to the advanced level. We won’t worry too much if they are repetitive or a little crazy. We’ll just let the feedback that each tip gets speak for itself, although we do require politeness. Remember that kids of all ages are on here and you should never really put down a fellow lacrosse fanatic, which is what you are.
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Turning Soft Mesh Into Hard Mesh
I’ve been playing lacrosse for 4 years now in Ottawa and I play both field and box. I found your site a couple years back when I was looking for a way to break in my new stick and it’s helped me then and lots of times after. My first tip is how to turn soft mesh into hard mesh. I know some people say take out the mesh from your stick and boil it in different substances like sugar or something, but if you use a bit of hairspray all over your mesh you can change your stick to hard mesh in no time. This method also doesn’t involve unstringing your stick and restringing it, and you don’t have to wait to let your mesh dry. My second tip is when pinching a head, boiling water is the way to go. - Luke
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Getting a Good Grip on Your Stick
First off I’d like to say that I love your site! I have a good tip that apparently is used by lots of players in Maryland. Lots of players like to tape their stick in the sweet spot where their top hand goes when they shoot. Next time you do this, before you put tape on that area, roll some up to form a “string” and spiral it around your stick where you want grip, and then tape over it. It gives a good grip for your fingers if you space the spirals about one inch apart. This is also a good trick at the top of your stick right under the head, and works best with thick cloth tape. -Jacob
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Don’t Throw Out That Broken Head
I keep old broken heads as a great way for testing new dye colors or ideas. Whenever you want to try something new, do it first on a head that won’t be missed if the dye turns out bad. If you see a teammate completely break a stick or know of anyone with old heads lying around, grab them to use. -Patrick
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Chemo/Shure Shot Pocket
First off, I just wanted to say your site is great. It has helped me get a lot of different ideas over the years. Here are some pictures of a slight variation of a chemo/Shure shot pocket that I did. Enjoy! - Josiah from Cary, NC
Chemo/Shure shot pocket 1
Chemo/Shure shot pocket 2
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Stick Your Head in the Freezer!
I am a junior in high school. I have dyed almost 20 heads for friends and family. Until recently, I always got frustrated trying to peel off all the stickers, hot glue, etc. that was on the now-dyed stick. Then I thought of the solution. Once I have rinsed the head and activated the dye, I dry the head with a paper towel, put the head in a sealed freezer bag, and put the bag in the freezer for 30-45 minutes. The hot glue will literally fall off the head because it becomes so brittle. The glue that holds stickers and tape on also freezes and comes off easily and with no mess. - Patrick
February 20th, 2009 at 1:19 pm
Thats a Nasty string job. Where do I see about the chemo/Shure shot that you’re talking about. There’s a couple things in the picture Im not sure about.
March 24th, 2009 at 7:24 pm
quick type from a guy who has dyed alot of heads…i constantly see guys using the big glue guns…there are different types of glue guns and the one you want to use is the smaller craft store type…it comes with a smaller glue stick and is much, much, much easier to remove the glue after you have finished your head…the bigger glue guns are a nightmare when you are trying to remove the glue later…
March 26th, 2009 at 2:20 pm
I think that is a great tape job stragy. I usaully do with bottom spirals but you had a good idea.
April 11th, 2009 at 5:55 pm
I have always wondered how to do coils cause im buying a brand new harrow head and all the string jobs i have looked at have coils so if anyone would tell me how to do coils PLEASE REPLY!!!! Go E-laCROSSE
April 11th, 2009 at 11:05 pm
To the question that jay raised about my string job, there is somewhat of an echo of a chemo/ shure shot pocket in my stringing. If you look at a shure shot, you will see the pita twist down the middle of the inner two layers, as you do in mine. As well you will see the coiling going from the inner two leathers only so far out as the outer two leathers. The outer two leathers connect to the outside of the head by a very simple pattern. my variation was that of simply extending the coiling from the inside of the stringing all the way to the outside, coiling around the oustside leathers.
April 15th, 2009 at 7:49 pm
if you want them like they are in this string job (cause theres 2 wys) then you go to the leathers, do the knot like in this picture, then twist it around the string on your way back down to the sidewall. if you look at a bunch and just follow the string you can figure out all sorts of ways to do certain things, especially with custom strringingg
April 19th, 2009 at 3:05 pm
Hey aside from the freezer any suggestions on getting hot-glue off? I am doing a stick for my son (just started LAX) and read thru this site and took a stab at a dye job. Now the large quantity of hot glue is REALLY jammed on there.
Anyone have success prepping the surface first so the hotglue sticks but not a death grip? I am sawing away on mine…
ALSO - the tips on using Pam. What does that produce a sort of swirly mottled look from the dye not sticking?
Cheers
JW
April 28th, 2009 at 12:06 pm
LAXDAD:
try a butter knife. for nextn time, put it right in the freezer and leave it in there:
if you look down the sticktech column, you’ll see a thing called a frozen storm dye. Thats where max mccool (god) dyes with pam, it explains everything
May 12th, 2009 at 4:50 am
o my god, that black and white strung head is so awesome
where do u get traditional stringing kits and would u sell that to me?
where are u from, whoever owns that head that is shown above and is strung traditionally with all white other than the black leather strips going up the middle?
May 12th, 2009 at 4:53 am
what kind of head is that head with the traditional white and black stringing, that’s shown above?
May 12th, 2009 at 5:20 am
hey josiah whats ur email
May 13th, 2009 at 4:36 pm
hey guys, ive been looking at a head that has a landing strip stringing. Is this a decent stringing?
May 16th, 2009 at 7:26 pm
yeah it is pretty cool but its pure opinion. i personally like it
May 21st, 2009 at 5:52 am
i like 6 diamond stringing the most
May 22nd, 2009 at 9:47 pm
oh and ive been playing lacrosse for quite a while now and ive never really known. U no how you see alll the videos of people dying heads bare with no mesh or anything. I was wondering could you dye your head and the mesh at the same time? it would save me alot of time and money.
May 23rd, 2009 at 5:41 am
i am awesome at dying stuff. u can dye heads with mesh on them at the same time but it would take more dye and the whole thing should be one solid color if u arent an expert at dying
June 10th, 2009 at 1:56 pm
samuel stop asking to buy the sticks you see. string your own!
June 10th, 2009 at 2:07 pm
Haha, Samuel i’ll take your comments as a compliment. The head that i have the pocket strung on is a Brine clutch. my email is jdkeilson@gmail.com.
July 8th, 2009 at 7:57 pm
i have a few good tips for you for good grip on your stick use tennies grip tape. and when dyeing your head get a low tep glue ( the blue ones ) the glue is easier to take off becase it does not melt to the stick, but it still wors ass wee
July 8th, 2009 at 7:58 pm
works as well*
July 11th, 2009 at 3:35 pm
I read this and i am thinking about dyeing my and my freinds sticks, we were woundering if u could dye the mesh when u dye the head. if u can can u dye colored mesh?????
July 17th, 2009 at 8:19 pm
I’ve tried the rolled up tape for extra grip and it worked pretty well for well. But eventually it started to flatten out and shift. Hot glue held its form better when I tried it and I still have it on my stick. If you mess up with the glue, it’ll peel off really easy so its not a big deal.