string cleaning

[zenfascist]

Well, I read something on the net about soaking strings in denatured alcohol and it removes all the gunk from them and helps restore brightness. Well, I tried it and it doesn't. So FWIW if you come across something like this, or something like "string boiling" (which is a bunch of {censored} as well) don't even bother with it. Btw, does anyone know of a string cleaning method that works?

[ARES]

alcohol always worked for me back when i liked a bright sound and was too cheap to buy a new set of strings.

 

i only ever tried on stainless steel, which i can't even fathom using anymore.

[Emprov]

Wipe them down really well with a soft cotton rag, (I use an old sock or washcloth), after playing and that'll keep a lot of the gunk off them in the first place. I also keep a bit of rubbing alcohol in my case and I'll put some on the cloth every now and then, I find it really extends the life of the tone over just wiping or doing nothing. My .02.

[zenfascist]

Hmm, weird. It seemed to make my steels more dead than they were already.

[sunburstbasser]

I don't understand why it would make your strings even more dead, using denatured alcohol. I can see how the tarnish that can be caused with rubbing alcohol can be a problem, but denatured shouldn't do that.

 

I've used rubbing alcohol (140 proof:)) to clean my strings. It always brought back some of the high end at least, I once had a set last 6 months or so using this method (cleanings monthly).

 

I know it can work at any rate.

 

How did you do it? Maybe the directions you found online were missing something?

[zenfascist]

I soaked them in a container of it for about a minute, then I dried them off with one of those microfiber towel things and swung 'em around a little bit until they were dry. I put them back on and they sounded horrible.

[sunburstbasser]

I think what happened is you didn't soak them long enough.

 

In a minute, the alcohol will only begin to work. It probably loosened up the gunk a little, but didn't actually take it off.

 

When I do it, I soak them for at least 45 minutes, or as long as overnight. Then I dump the alcohol back into the bottle using a coffee filter and a funnel. The funnel should turn gray, from the crap. Since alcohol evaporates at room temperature, I just lay the strings on a towel or rag for 10 minutes before throwing them back on. They should feel extremely cold due to the evaporation.

 

I don't know why wiping them down afterwards didn't help, unless it just smeared the gunk around? I can't say.

 

Do you still have that set of strings? Just try soaking the G string alone for at least a half hour, and try to get it completely submerged for maximum effect.

 

If that doesn't do something positive, I don't know why.

 

If you've got questions, let me know! I'll try to help!

[zenfascist]

Okay thanks.

[james on bass]

 

Originally posted by Emprov Wipe them down really well with a soft cotton rag, (I use an old sock or washcloth), after playing and that'll keep a lot of the gunk off them in the first place. I also keep a bit of rubbing alcohol in my case and I'll put some on the cloth every now and then, I find it really extends the life of the tone over just wiping or doing nothing. My .02.

 

 

I usually do this with the alcohol after every gig.

[LoBass]

I boil them in water with cca half a spoon of sodium-bicarbonate (not shure if I translated that one all right). One string at a time. cca 3 minutes each, and they're as good as new. Done it several times on the set I'm using now (stainless steels roundwounds)

[Thumper]

+1 for boiling strings with baking soda (sodium bicarbonate). It does a better job of de-gunking the strings, with the caveat that silk windings will unravel, and you may weaken the core by removing and restringing.

[nicebigstrings]

 

Originally posted by Thumper +1 for boiling strings with baking soda (sodium bicarbonate). It does a better job of de-gunking the strings, with the caveat that silk windings will unravel, and you may weaken the core by removing and restringing.

 

 

+2 - Been doing it for years. Gives them another half-life.