Lacrosse sticks are produced with wood, plastic or aluminum handles. While some players opt for a straight handle, you might prefer a handle with a 10-degree bend at the head for scooping the ball off the turf. Wooden handles are milled during fabrication and cannot be bent. Attempting to heat-bend plastic to a precise angle is next to impossible and might deform the handle. But you can put a 10-degree bend in an aluminum lacrosse stick and save the cost of a manufactured handle or the services of a professional technician.
Step 1
Hold the handle connection of the lacrosse head under a hot-water spigot for two minutes. Cool the connection under a cold-water spigot for 15 seconds. Heat it again with hot water for one minute.
Step 2
Stand the stick on the floor with the handle pointing up. Put the heel of one foot inside the rim at the top of the head to stabilize the head at the floor. Grip the handle firmly with both hands.
Step 3
Move your head to one side. Pull up on the handle and twist at the same time to dislodge the handle from the head.
Step 4
Secure a ratchet hand bender in a bench vise. Attach the short bending arm at the head of the bender. Depending on the particular bender, you attach the bending arm with a nut or a cotter pin on the stem at the underside of the bender.
Step 5
Place a protractor atop the bender, perpendicular to the bending arm with the zero mark facing to the outside. Mark a 10-degree angle on the side of the bender with a felt-tip marker.
Step 6
Fit a 7/8-inch bending mandrel onto the front of the bender shaft. The design of the unit makes it impossible to fit the mandrel improperly on the shaft.
Step 7
Position the lacrosse handle against the inside of the bending arm with the main portion of the handle extending over the 10-degree mark. Align the end of the handle with the outer face of the arm that's opposite of the mark.
Step 8
Lift the handle of the bender to engage the bending mandrel against the lacrosse handle. Continue to slowly lift the bender handle and create the bend as you observe the 10-degree mark on the bender. Stop when the lacrosse handle is directly in line with the mark.
Step 9
Heat the handle connection at the lacrosse head under hot water for two minutes to expand the opening. Position the lacrosse handle at the connection with the handle angled downward. Push the end of the handle as far as possible into the connection by hand.
Step 10
Heat the connection under hot water for one minute. Push the handle fully into the connection. Cool the connection with cold water.
Things You'll Need
- Hot- and cold-water spigots
- Ratchet hand bender
- Bench vise
- Protractor
- Felt-tip marker
Member Comments