yeah i boiled it,

i dont really wanna get new strings because its a piece of **** and i should be getting a jazz soon

From my experience, very old strings (Like 1 year plus) and dead strings break when they are restrung after being boiled. It's best to attempt using turpentine to clean them or just to buy new strings :thumb:

i heard of using some kind of soap i also heard of wrapping them around the spinny thing in the washer and the soap from the clothes cleans them

Alcohol Method is the best. Boiling not only weakens them but also increases rust risk.

Also, alot of answers to some of the peoples problems were "Buy new strings". New and old strings sound very different. Strings have their prime for only their first 10 hours, after that they begin to detune and break in to the frets and playing. So if you really want to have that crisp new sound, desanitize your hands, clean your strings regularly, and buy new ones every week, or day.

Very helpful though. Thank you, this is first place I've read the PCP piping idea. Nice idea.

[QUOTE=jynXXX]Alcohol Method is the best. Boiling not only weakens them but also increases rust risk.

Also, alot of answers to some of the peoples problems were "Buy new strings". New and old strings sound very different. Strings have their prime for only their first 10 hours, after that they begin to detune and break in to the frets and playing. So if you really want to have that crisp new sound, [B]sanitize [/B]your hands, clean your strings regularly, and buy new ones every week, or day.

Very helpful though. Thank you, this is first place I've read the[B] PVC[/B] piping idea. Nice idea.[/QUOTE]

Corrected.

I am pretty sure they dont make pipes out of drugs.

i boil them.

I have a bit of a problem, we don't have pvc pipes. What would happen if i somewhat folded my strings? i mean not folding as in folding.. it goes in circles.. cause i dont have materials here.. would my strings break?

[QUOTE=three_sic;13263474]I have a bit of a problem, we don't have pvc pipes. What would happen if i somewhat folded my strings? i mean not folding as in folding.. it goes in circles.. cause i dont have materials here.. would my strings break?[/QUOTE]

Unless you have your strings bent so they kink, you shouldn't have a problem with them breaking if they are just looped around.

[QUOTE=ickle_faerie_princess;7460051]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![/QUOTE]

lmao yeah i broke a bass string once i felt like such a dumbass everyone i knew was like how the hell do you break a bass string.

Forget boiling. Soak them in a solution of 80% alcohol and 10% water for 30 minutes and your string will sound brand new, or at least have the same effect of boiling them. And I guess soaking in alcohol won't do any damage to the strings like weakening them, preventing any breakage.

i'm totally of boiling strings for a long-term solution. it corrodes the cores out.

i s'pose it'd be fine to boil while your old set if you getting a new set in like 2 weeks or something like that. but, when you need new strings, get new strings ...

never tried the alcohol method. might try that next time i need new strings, but am broke.

Hmm how about a compromise and use some boiling alcohol... :)

[QUOTE=Rawb;13826924]Forget boiling. Soak them in a solution of 80% alcohol and 10% water[/QUOTE]

I realize this is an old quote, but since this thread has been bumped recently I'm forced to ask... If you go 80% alcohol and 10% water... What do you do with the remaining 10% :p

[QUOTE=rh15951;14932572]Hmm how about a compromise and use some boiling alcohol... :)[/QUOTE]

Now this is the kind of logic I can get behind! :chug:

[QUOTE=nrcafootball68;7239461]

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. :thumb:[/QUOTE]

on my strings it looks like they have a small plastic coating, its coming off in places. does this mean i cant use the soaking in alcohol method to clean them?

I used to boil strings. I always took them out of the boiling water with some kind of tonges (sp?) so that the water would mostly just steam it's way out of the strings thus not risking rust problems. It did seem to make them more likely to break though. Some strings have the silk running the length of the strings between the windings so I'm sure boiling them can screw that up too...

[QUOTE=jynXXX;12312761]Alcohol Method is the best. Boiling not only weakens them but also increases rust risk.[/QUOTE]

I hate to tell you this, but stainless steel and nickel don't rust...