My Journey With Replacing Racket Buttcaps

[luv_all]

Just wanted to write a brief thread on replacing racket buttcaps for members that may want to replace one but don’t know how. I’m sure the senior members here know about this.

The biggest challenge when it comes to this is figuring out and obtaining the proper staple size and corresponding staple gun for securing the buttcap. I’m sure there is leeway on what size of staples you can use, but I have an obsession with doing things the “right” way (of which there is usually only one) due to the fields I work in professionally.

Staple measurements consist of the crown (width), leg (length), and gauge (thickness basically). The proper staple size to use on racket buttcaps (and what racket manufacturers use) is 1/4” crown, 3/8” leg, and 18 gauge. This is a pretty uncommon size but not impossible to find. However you will probably not find it at your local Home Depot and have to order it online. Here’s where I got mine:

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0745KYXJB?ref=ppx_pop_mob_ap_share

A compatible staple gun is even harder to find but not too bad. First off, you won’t find a manual staple gun for staples this small, probably due to a greater force necessary to get them in. It will have to be pneumatic. More specifically, it will be a “narrow crown” staple gun (corresponding to 1/4” crown). It must also be compatible with the 3/8” length. Most narrow crown staple guns accept 1/2” to 1” staples, which don’t work for this purpose. You have to find one that accepts 3/8” to 1” staples. The one I got is a WEN staple gun from Walmart, only $40 to boot.

https://www.walmart.com/ip/WEN-18-Gauge-3-8-Inch-to-1-Inch-Air-Powered-1-4-Inch-Narrow-Crown-Pneumatic-Stapler/

Beyond the staples, everything else is easy. For my project, I purchased a Pro Staff 85 off of eBay, a racket I’ve wanted for many years. It had the original buttcap and leather grip which were in poor condition and needed replacing. I found an original white buttcap for it on eBay as well. Remember that the buttcap must be the same grip size of the rackets handle. Some kind of glue is a good idea to back up the staples. I just used some epoxy glue (gorilla glue) and let it cure overnight. Once that was done I put in the staples, one on each diagonal bevel at 90 degrees to the long axis of the racket.

Hope this helps someone needing to this in the future!

[stotty]

Thanks for this. I tend to use cruder methods like reusing the staples that fell out of the butt cap in the first place or taking the staples out of an old racket's butt cap. I then knock the staples in the replacement butt cap with a tiny hammer and often hit myself on the fingers with the hammer in the process.

Like you say, the only way is the right way which is invariably the best way. One can save oneself a lot of trouble by investing in the right equipment.