How to Restring an Umbrella

Restringing an umbrella can seem like a daunting task, but with a few steps and a little patience you can have your umbrella back to working like new again! Please note that these are general instructions that should work on almost any umbrella brand.

Umbrella Restringing Guide

1. Place the umbrella in a support bracket or table to achieve a near horizontal position.
2. Using a cordless drill or small screwdriver, remove the screws that secure the housing on the bottom hub (located right where you slide the umbrella up or down when raising or lowering the umbrella).
3. Locate the cotter pin assembly (it is opposite the crank handle side). Remove the cotter pin, the nut, gear and slotted washer.
4. Next, find the crank handle side (it is opposite the cotter pin assembly side you previously removed). Using a firm rotation motion, remove the crank handle from the entire support pole.
5. Clean out any debris from the crank handle. A wad of string might be in the eyelet on the crank handle.
6. Remove the supporting brace from the support pole. The rivet holding the bottom of the support brace should pop out as well.
7. Clean any debris from the hole in the entire umbrella support pole.
8. Locate the bottom hub (located right where you slide the umbrella up or down when raising or lowering the umbrella). Unlock the bottom hub (This might require the use of a screwdriver) and unscrew.
9. Completely remove the old string from the umbrella.
10. Take a new string and thread it through the same hole from which you just pulled the old string. Tie a knot at the end of the string. This will prevent the string from passing through the bottom hub.
11. Re-screw the bottom hub.
12. Stand the umbrella upright. From the same side where your new string went through the bottom hub, take the non-tied end of the string and place it throughout the pulley and feed it through to the other side of the top hub.
13. Take the same non-tied end of the string and feed it through the pulley and the silver housing. Keep pushing the string through the silver housing until the string begins to fall down the shaft of the umbrella support pole.
14. If possible, place the umbrella in a support bracket or table (as in step 1) that allows a near horizontal position. Find the hole on the umbrella support pole from Step 7. Grab the string from the inside of the umbrella support pole as it passes over the hole. Pull the string through the hole.
15. Attach a supporting brace onto the crank handle assembly. Thread the string through the eyelet on the crank handle. Tie a knot on the end of the string to prevent it from passing through the eyelet.
16. Feed the knotted end of the string through the umbrella support hole first. Reconnect the crank handle onto the cotter pin assembly. Be sure to reattach the slotted washer, gear, nut and cotter pin. (Simply reverse steps 4 and 3.)
17. Re-secure the housing with the four screws. (Reverse Step 2).