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Traditional Thursday: X Up Top String

Editor’s Note: Piotr Stalmach from Mesh Wizard in Poland has some awesome tips for stringing sticks, and this week, he’s showing us how to do the X-Up Top String for traditional sticks!

This looks and functions more or less like a standard mesh topstring, exept for the double pass through the loop of the leather runner, and the cross-up in the scoop hole, hence the X-up top string name. It also brings the leathers to the front and pulls them up to reduce any potential lipping, and it does not allow the top string run all the way along the back of the scoop as with the teardrop topstring.

 You will need:− Any number of leather or nylon runners
− A piece of sidewall or topstring 30″-36″ long or more if you’re stringing a goalie head.
− A lacrosse head
− Usually two hands
− Needle nose pliers come in handy

Start by preparing everything. Form your desired loop on the runner (fig1).

fig1

Thread the string through the first sidewall hole and then the first scoop hole from the back of the head (fig2).

fig2

Flip the head to the face and thread the string through the loop of the runner from the left side (fig3).

fig3

Go between the string and the scoop to the back of the head (fig4).

fig4

Go around the back side of the runner (fig5).

fig5

Thread the loop of the runner from the left side (fig6). Thread the scoop hole from the front (fig7).

fig6

fig7

Slip under the string loop at the back of the scoop (fig8).

fig8

Pull everything tight (fig9) this is where needle nose pliers come in handy, the less slack, the less probability of the topstring loosening up in time.

fig9

Additional views fig10 and fig11.

fig10

fig11

Proceed to the next scoop holes like you normally would with mesh and attach the remaining leathers. Finish off on the first sidewall hole, as tight as you can.

PRO TIP: To keep things even tighter, string with wet sidewall string. Nylon stretches when wet and contracts when it dries.