After a long summer off from posting (but not stringing!) I’m back with a Throne Takeover for our first Traditional Thursday of the 2016-17 school year. To commemorate the event, I got my hands on two sets of Throne Leathers, and strung up an STX Stallion and an old wooden stick, with the new goods. Both pockets came out well, and should provide for years of enjoyment.
I’ve included photos of each pocket, plus some tips and explanations for where things are weird or look wonky. There is a method to my madness, usually.
STX Stallion Head – Throne Takeover
I quickly dyed up the Stallion, liked the grey/black/purple coloration, and went with grey strings and black leathers. Easy enough. The white shooters work with the white text from the dye, and it all come together smoothly from an aesthetics point of view. All stringing materials are from Throne!
But you may be wondering about the stringing, because even I think it looks a little wonky, and I know why I did it!
The center track is separate, and a single piece of string. I run it from the top sidewall hole through the right two leathers, and down the middle. It is also strung very tightly. Initially, this gives the pocket two weird looks. The first is that the pocket sits lower in the throat, and has no “higher bag” to speak of. The second is that the two center leathers are tighter together, so it looks more like a pita pocket than a historic traditional pocket, where all four leathers are evenly spaced.
I find that as a pocket breaks in (this one has zero break-in time), the tight center track can stretch a bit, and this widens the pocket, and can create whip problems. I string it tight originally to minimize the changes that would need to be made during break-in. It also allows me to cinch my two outer leathers tighter, creating a better place for the ball to sit, without adding unwanted whip.
Once it breaks in, this pocket will sit mid to high, but also carry well down low for a vertical approach. Hold will be good, it will shoot accurately, and catch everything. It may look just a little weird now, but when it matters this pocket will look great, and function even better.
Viktoria Woodie Conversion – Throne Takeover
For the old Viktoria, I went yellow. Bright and bold and awesome. Nailed it. Originally, this stick had a plastic sidewall in place of the gut, and was strung with nylon cords, and not leathers. Oh, and if you didn’t already know, it was a women’s stick. This was made in England, but imported to the US through Hattersley’s and Cranbarry, located in Marblehead, Massachusetts.
The plastic and old pocket were shot, so I pulled it all out, and cleaned up the wood to a nice sheen, applying a thin new layer of clear coat before getting to work on the pocket. The stick cleaned up well, and the white paint mark didn’t wear off the shaft either, which was great. I like to leave as many original details as possible intact.
I put in a new gut wall with some super thin gut I got from WoodLacrosseSticks.com. It worked perfectly for the smaller women’s stick holes, and allowed me to do a solid four bar gut wall, with gut left to spare.
The Throne Leathers were easily long enough for this shorter women’s head, and I was able to string a deep, and true, pocket, using all yellow materials. I did add in a bootlace shooter and sidewall for a nod to the old school, and another touch of brown. Like my plastic head pockets, I do the middle section first, running the crosslace through the sidewall, through two leathers, and then down the middle.
The stick is thin, light, and great for a toss. It’s not a wall hanger. Heck, I don’t even know what that means! From England to Massachusetts, and 30 years later to me in NYC. This stick has seen a storage close for decades, but now it’s getting used, as it was originally intended… to play lacrosse!
