1. Yes, try to find some of Arthur P. posts on taking care of that problem, or even PM him. He's the one you want to talk to.

2. Yes, and I would highly recommend using a stringer, especially with a recurve. First you will need to find the proper barce height of the recurve, you can then twist/untwist the string to meet the proper brace height. But be careful not to untwist it too much.

Your string should not be coming off the limb tips while strung. If it is, the loop may not be correct for the bow. Not trying to be funny, but if you are new to this make sure you are not stringing up the recurve backwards.