Cleaning Strings

nrcafootball68 · 03-28-2005, 02:15 PM

These are the 2 methods I have heard of for cleaning strings.

Soaking in Denatured Alcohol

Get a plastic pvc pipe tube, about 40" long and 1/4" diameter. Cap one end permantently, fill it with denatured alcohol, then cap the other end. When you want to soak your strings, its ready to go, just pull the top cap off and slip in your strings to soak in it overnight. When done, pull the strings out, put the top cap back on and the alcohol stays in, no mess, no fuss, and you can lay the pipe down under a bed, it takes up NO room whatsoever, and there is NO mess at all.

The denatured alcohol stays effective for a long, long time. I'm over a year on the same batch in my pipe.

Denatured alcohol is available at any hardware store (Lowes, Home Depot, etc.) and is cheaper than isopropyl/rubbing alcohol. It is purer, undiluted, and doesn't have water and sometimes SKIN SOFTENERS in it like rubbing alcohol does.

Boiling

Coil the strings up and place them into a pot. Fill the pot with water and boil the strings for a few minutes. After you boil them, take them out of the pot and hang them somewhere to dry. You need to make sure the strings get dry, otherwise they will rust. DO NOT REUSE THIS POT FOR COOKING FOOD AS CHEMICALS FROM THE STRINGS CAN BOND WITH THE POT also DO NOT BOIL GUITAR STRINGS, YOU CAN SOAK THEM IN ALCOHOL, HOWEVER

Both of these methods can be used with stainless steel strings aswell. Do not use either of these methods with coated strings (elixers, etc.), as this will remove the coating from the strings. While the strings are off, it is a good time to clean your fretboard with lemon oil.

feel free to post any other methods you know of for cleaning strings.

rh15951 · 03-29-2005, 06:25 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by nrcafootball68

DO NOT REUSE THIS POT FOR COOKING FOOD

...Too late

I used the boiling method yesterday - I put all the strings in boiling water for 10 minutes then dried them with a towel and then with a hairdryer. They sound good - almost like new. We'll see how long that lasts...

jontonsoup@aol.com · 03-29-2005, 03:29 PM

lol i use this cleaning crap i bought i dono how good or bad it is...but it smells like crap

><((*>.oO(AnDy) · 03-29-2005, 07:16 PM

boil them

nicolaB · 04-02-2005, 06:14 PM

Why can't you reuse the pot for cooking food?

04-04-2005, 10:33 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by nicolaB

Why can't you reuse the pot for cooking food?

you like the taste of steel? eeew

my input: wash your hands before playing and wipe them down with some sort of cloth afterwards it will usually help your strings last longer

nicolaB · 04-05-2005, 03:05 PM

Wow, I would of thought you could just wash the pot afterwards and there would be no problem. hmm.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Stoic

you like the taste of steel? eeew

Maybe I do........ o_0

Aukai · 04-05-2005, 08:57 PM

It won't...kill you or anything will it?

Arise II · 04-05-2005, 11:40 PM

Yes, it will, actually. You see, hte pot really hates the taste of metal, so the next time you come near it, the li'l bastard may just jump at ya, and go straight for your juggular (sp?) vain

AussieTom72 · 04-06-2005, 04:39 AM

jee, im sure that if u just cleaned the pot it would be fine, although what do i know, im 15 ahahah

kev_trb1006 · 04-06-2005, 02:24 PM

how many times can you repeat the de-natured alcohol method?

bspatula · 04-06-2005, 04:25 PM

I got a question about the pickups. I just bought a Fender on ebay and when I opened the box I noticed that there was some rust on one of the pickups. How can I remove this.

nrcafootball68 · 04-07-2005, 05:45 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by kev_trb1006

how many times can you repeat the de-natured alcohol method?

im pretty sure you can as many times as you want to, because it does not weaken the strings like boiling

kev_trb1006 · 04-08-2005, 06:04 AM

^^ ****in boshank, thanks man

PainKiller8191 · 04-09-2005, 11:20 AM

oh ****......yea i definitely didn't clean the pot too well after boiling my strings.......thats not god at all........

ickle_faerie_princess · 04-09-2005, 04:01 PM

Ok, well I tried the string boiling thing, dried them off nicely and tried to put them back on. Got 3 on fine but due to the stupid way that my strings are attatched to the wee posty things (it goes inside and its just very confusin for a n00b like me

) a bend in the string had weakened and snapped! Unfortunately cos of this daft way of winding the strings it wasn't long enough to put on after that... wont be boiling my strings again!

DarkGothComy · 04-11-2005, 01:07 PM

Do you have to let the string dry or anything when you take them out of the alcohol?

nrcafootball68 · 04-12-2005, 03:16 PM

^^they should dry pretty fast, probably within 5 min. of taking them out of the alcohol

nrcafootball68 · 08-03-2005, 10:19 AM

Mild_child · 08-06-2005, 09:51 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bspatula

I got a question about the pickups. I just bought a Fender on ebay and when I opened the box I noticed that there was some rust on one of the pickups. How can I remove this.

boil the pickups

03-28-2005, 02:15 PM	#1
nrcafootball68 Registered (ab)User Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: US Posts: 428	Cleaning Strings These are the 2 methods I have heard of for cleaning strings. Soaking in Denatured Alcohol Get a plastic pvc pipe tube, about 40" long and 1/4" diameter. Cap one end permantently, fill it with denatured alcohol, then cap the other end. When you want to soak your strings, its ready to go, just pull the top cap off and slip in your strings to soak in it overnight. When done, pull the strings out, put the top cap back on and the alcohol stays in, no mess, no fuss, and you can lay the pipe down under a bed, it takes up NO room whatsoever, and there is NO mess at all. The denatured alcohol stays effective for a long, long time. I'm over a year on the same batch in my pipe. Denatured alcohol is available at any hardware store (Lowes, Home Depot, etc.) and is cheaper than isopropyl/rubbing alcohol. It is purer, undiluted, and doesn't have water and sometimes SKIN SOFTENERS in it like rubbing alcohol does. Boiling Coil the strings up and place them into a pot. Fill the pot with water and boil the strings for a few minutes. After you boil them, take them out of the pot and hang them somewhere to dry. You need to make sure the strings get dry, otherwise they will rust. DO NOT REUSE THIS POT FOR COOKING FOOD AS CHEMICALS FROM THE STRINGS CAN BOND WITH THE POT also *DO NOT BOIL GUITAR STRINGS, YOU CAN SOAK THEM IN ALCOHOL, HOWEVER* Both of these methods can be used with stainless steel strings aswell. Do not use either of these methods with coated strings (elixers, etc.), as this will remove the coating from the strings. While the strings are off, it is a good time to clean your fretboard with lemon oil. feel free to post any other methods you know of for cleaning strings. Last edited by nrcafootball68; 08-17-2005 at 08:16 AM.

08-03-2005, 10:19 AM	#19
nrcafootball68 Registered (ab)User Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: US Posts: 428	bump

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03-29-2005, 03:29 PM	#3
jontonsoup@aol.com Basstonsoup? : p Join Date: Jan 2005 Posts: 178	lol i use this cleaning crap i bought i dono how good or bad it is...but it smells like crap

03-29-2005, 07:16 PM	#4
><((*>.oO(AnDy) yamaha powered Join Date: Aug 2004 Location: argentina Posts: 224	boil them

04-02-2005, 06:14 PM	#5
nicolaB oooh ma potatoe knees Join Date: Sep 2003 Location: Toronto Posts: 225	Why can't you reuse the pot for cooking food?

04-05-2005, 08:57 PM	#8
Aukai wtf m8 ^^ Join Date: Feb 2005 Posts: 1,241	It won't...kill you or anything will it?

04-05-2005, 11:40 PM	#9
Arise II Too Bad To Ban Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Vikingaland Posts: 2,353	Yes, it will, actually. You see, hte pot really hates the taste of metal, so the next time you come near it, the li'l bastard may just jump at ya, and go straight for your juggular (sp?) vain

04-06-2005, 04:39 AM	#10
AussieTom72 The Funky Monk Join Date: Apr 2005 Location: Brisbane, Australia Posts: 98	jee, im sure that if u just cleaned the pot it would be fine, although what do i know, im 15 ahahah

04-06-2005, 02:24 PM	#11
kev_trb1006 MX Yamaha &amp; Ashdown Fan Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: UK Posts: 1,310	how many times can you repeat the de-natured alcohol method?

04-06-2005, 04:25 PM	#12
bspatula Not banned yet...but will Join Date: Mar 2005 Posts: 9	I got a question about the pickups. I just bought a Fender on ebay and when I opened the box I noticed that there was some rust on one of the pickups. How can I remove this.

04-08-2005, 06:04 AM	#14
kev_trb1006 MX Yamaha &amp; Ashdown Fan Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: UK Posts: 1,310	^^ ****in boshank, thanks man

04-09-2005, 11:20 AM	#15
PainKiller8191 MX cheesy power metalhead Join Date: Nov 2004 Location: Isreal Posts: 2,747	oh ****......yea i definitely didn't clean the pot too well after boiling my strings.......thats not god at all........

04-09-2005, 04:01 PM	#16
ickle_faerie_princess Princess. Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: Scotland, it's cold here... Posts: 128	Ok, well I tried the string boiling thing, dried them off nicely and tried to put them back on. Got 3 on fine but due to the stupid way that my strings are attatched to the wee posty things (it goes inside and its just very confusin for a n00b like me ) a bend in the string had weakened and snapped! Unfortunately cos of this daft way of winding the strings it wasn't long enough to put on after that... wont be boiling my strings again!

04-11-2005, 01:07 PM	#17
DarkGothComy I drank his life Join Date: Jan 2004 Posts: 260	Do you have to let the string dry or anything when you take them out of the alcohol?

04-12-2005, 03:16 PM	#18
nrcafootball68 Registered (ab)User Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: US Posts: 428	^^they should dry pretty fast, probably within 5 min. of taking them out of the alcohol