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.
− 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).
Thread the string through the first sidewall hole and then the first scoop hole from the back of the head (fig2).
Flip the head to the face and thread the string through the loop of the runner from the left side (fig3).
Go between the string and the scoop to the back of the head (fig4).
Go around the back side of the runner (fig5).
Thread the loop of the runner from the left side (fig6). Thread the scoop hole from the front (fig7).
Slip under the string loop at the back of the scoop (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.
Additional views fig10 and 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.