aspiration Posted June 5, 2003 Share Posted June 5, 2003 I happen to have a few sets of strings that I have hesitated to throw out because I loved the tone I got out of them. But there was oil residue on them and I was just wondering if there was a way to recycle my used strings. "It takes a big man to cry, it takes an even bigger man to laugh at him." -Jack Handey Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cup Posted June 5, 2003 Share Posted June 5, 2003 Easy, boil them in water for a while. I started of boiling strings back in the winter of 1968...it was a cold one, food was low on the ground and the maximatosissed (sp?) rabbit crop tasted worse than usual.... Whoops....nah Benloy told me how to do it so I'll relay on the info. Simply put them in a pot, quite a large one. Preferrably with a lid to save on nasty burning accidents and leave them to boil and simmer for as long as needed. I started of doing 15-20 minutes, but the longer the better. The gunk just falls off. The strings feel a lot cleaner and there is a nice shop fresh "zing" to them. Unfortunately the "zing" doesn't last too long. Benloy has stated here that he used to boil strings sometimes as often as 8 or 9 times....after that metal fatigue sets in. I've only boiled any one set once or twice. It's good idea when mpney's low...can't beat a nice, new set though. Hope this second hand advice helps. CupMcMali...this monkey's gone to heaven Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tom Capasso Posted June 5, 2003 Share Posted June 5, 2003 Some advocate boiling them in water to restore them. One problem with this involves having a dedicated pot for this purpose (your mom/wife/whoever does the cooking will require this). The other is the endless recipe discussions - a bit of alcohol, WD40, etc. (I'm all for adding some olive oil and garlic being Italian...). And some recommend boiling the whole bass (good for cleaning the gunk out around your frets ). I've never done it, but somebody here has... Tom www.stoneflyrocks.com Acoustic Color Be practical as well as generous in your ideals. Keep your eyes on the stars and keep your feet on the ground. - Theodore Roosevelt Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
... Posted June 5, 2003 Share Posted June 5, 2003 Recycle as in re-use them? or recycle as in recycle them like you would an aluminum can? I would assume you mean re-use them... Boiling your used strings in water cleans them up and people claim to get much, much longer life out of them. I have personally never done this. I also read somewhere (perhaps here?) that someone was adding vinegar to the water when boiling strings for added cleaning power. I guess if you had really acidic sweat this could help... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jeremy c Posted June 5, 2003 Share Posted June 5, 2003 My brother sometimes make jewelry out of old strings. http://home.internetcds.com/~stephco/3hand.gif He plays lives in Portland and plays guitar. I designed his web page. Stephen Cohen\'s webpage Boiling is fine once. After that, it's a lost cause. Recycling for a good cause would be a good idea. Are there any impoverished musicians who'd like any kind of string no matter what the condition? Free download of my cd!. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Timothy Lyons Posted June 5, 2003 Share Posted June 5, 2003 I have a very interesting necklace made out of bass strings...some people are quite talented ya know! \m/ Timothy Lyons Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
clatteramy Posted June 5, 2003 Share Posted June 5, 2003 I send bass string bracelets to people who buy our CD! www.clatter.com MySpace YouTube videos Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
462 Posted June 5, 2003 Share Posted June 5, 2003 Instead of boiling your strings you should try letting them sit in a tub of isopropyl alcohol for about a week. Yeah I know it's a long time, but whenever I get a new set of strings I just toss the old ones in the tub, and when a string breaks out of nowhere I just grab a fresh zingy one and I'm ready to go. It's fairly cheap (like $3-$4 for a fair sized bottle) and it doesn't fatigue the strings like boiling does. Just make sure you get 100% and not something like 70% or you might get a rusty surprise when you open up that container These words, are sledgehammers of truth. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
squeennyzim Posted June 5, 2003 Share Posted June 5, 2003 The vinegar thing, as I remember correctly, was boiling them in about 50/50 vinegar and water and then taking em out of the pot and pouring baking soda on the strings. You get the whole fizzy effect which can bring the deep-set gunk to the surface. That said, I've never tried this and I'm repeating someone else's advice. But it sounds sound (ha ha, i made a funny). Good luck! As I was going up the stairs I met a man who wasn't there He wasn't there again today I wish, I wish he'd go away Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bisgit Posted June 5, 2003 Share Posted June 5, 2003 it screws with harmonic placement on the string, it works once, but only once. bass boomers work good, it makes them last as long as normal strings. you can make stumbling blocks, or stepping stones out of the same things, what have you built? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PETE_COMBS Posted June 5, 2003 Share Posted June 5, 2003 When I get a new set of strings ,I take the old one's,I dont usualy boil them if they dont need them but I do if there bad enough. Now I had a pair of nylon strings one time and played them until the nylon wore off the low E string. So I tore all the rest off.When I took the rest off the string's sounded like a new set, so I played them for a little while later until I got a new set for my bass. So I took those old strings and boiled them,and then let them soak in motor oil and wd40 for a week strait.By letting them soak in the oil was to kind losen the string up from being stiff and to kind of restore the string a liitle bit.After they set in the oil ,I boiled what oil was left after cleaning them I put them up for later use.And that was the first week those string's have not been played on. Then here come a show, amd my other band mate was messing around trying play slap on the bass and broke 2 strings ,so I took the set I just restored you can say and used them for the show and they still sound good as new ,as they were'nt though and thats the longest I ever used a pair. I dont know if that works for every set but it worked for me. Pete Combs... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aspiration Posted June 6, 2003 Author Share Posted June 6, 2003 Dang, thanks for all the input. I'll most definitely boil the the stings with an old tin tub I've got lying around. I'll throw some additives in there and tell you how it goes. "It takes a big man to cry, it takes an even bigger man to laugh at him." -Jack Handey Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Floyd The Barber Posted June 8, 2003 Share Posted June 8, 2003 just remember not to boil the strings with covering on the end, like GHS Bass Boomers orange juice Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aspiration Posted June 9, 2003 Author Share Posted June 9, 2003 The boiling of the strings really did help out. The tone is brighter. Instead of adding the vinegar in the water, I put in rubbing alcohol because that is what I use to get the rosin off my upright bass strings when they get coated. I figured if it worked on one set of strings, then it should work on the others. Since I have never done this process before, I don't know if the alcohol helped but tone is great and the strings play well so I'm not complaining. Thanks again for the suggesetions. "It takes a big man to cry, it takes an even bigger man to laugh at him." -Jack Handey Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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