In this post, I'm going to show you how I repaired a cracked badminton racket frame with superglue and got it back to playing condition. Check out the video here.
When this racket arrived, the frame was cracked at the 2 o'clock / 10 o'clock position, depending on which way you're looking at it. It was missing a lot of grommets. I think someone tried to forcefully remove some of the grommets and ended up destroying the racket. It also came without a grip. Thankfully, the frame was not severed.
You will need only 3 item for this repair job:
1. A piece of old cardboard. In this case, I used an old Amazon cardboard packaging as a backing material to prevent any superglue from getting onto the table that I was repairing the racket on. You can use any waste paper or other materials as an alternative.
2. Superglue (duh!).
3. Paper towel, wipe off any excess superglue on the racket frame and clean up the superglue tip after you are done.
Here's a step-by-step guide on how I repaired this cracked racket frame using superglue:
Step 1: Place the cardboard underneath the racket. The cardboard protects your table or work surface from any drips or smears of superglue.
Step 2: Apply a thin layer of superglue in the crack. The superglue needs to flow into the crack so that it seals or fills up the crack. If the crack is situated on top of a grommet, unfortunately, this would also mean that you will not be able to change the grommet where you applied superglue in the future. Be mindful not to fill inside the grommet though, or else the strings won't be able to pass through the grommet when you re-string the racket. Also, remember to carefully remove any air bubbles in the process as you will not be able to fill the crack properly if there are air bubbles.
Step 3: Flip your racket and fill the crack from another side too. Make sure that the cracked spot does not come into contact with the cardboard behind, or your racket will stick to the cardboard. Elevate the racket slightly so that any wet glue on its surface doesn't stick to the cardboard.
Step 4: Wait for a couple of minutes for the superglue to dry out slightly. You don't need it to be completely dry at this stage.
Step 5: Apply a second thin layer of superglue on the cracked spot.
Step 6: Leave the racket to dry for a day.
Step 7: Once the superglue is completely dry, test the repaired area by applying some force to it and see if there is any movement at the crack spot. If the spot feels solid enough, it's done! Do not apply too much force as the racket frame is only being held together by superglue so it will not be as strong as before.
Step 8: Remove the damaged grommets and replace the missing ones, re-grip and re-string the racket.
Not all damages to the racket frame can be repaired using this method. Some damages are too severe for superglue to work, so I won't even bother trying. Below are some good examples where the damage is simply beyond a superglue repair:
If you'd like to watch the video of how I did it, check it out here.
I hope you find this useful and good luck with your repair!
