Did the d-alcohol soak

Bass-desires · #1 09-11-2010, 01:47 PM

I did the denatured alcohol soak for the first time today. WHOA.

It works. These babies sound brand new! Wish I had done this sooner, could have saved lots of money on strings.

Just thought ya'll should know.

Stumbo · #2 09-11-2010, 01:56 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bass-desires

These babies sound brand new! Wish I had done this sooner, could have saved lots of money on strings.

Getting out the dead skin, dirt and grime can do wonders! Glad to hear it worked for you.

schecter5string · #3 09-11-2010, 05:57 PM

I keep one set in the alcohol and the other on the bass so I always have a "fresh" set.

Just a heads up here, after removing and reinstalling strings several times they start to get weak and will break up by the tuners.( D string for me) For this reason it is always best to have a spare set on hand. You can make your strings last longer if you are careful, don't straighten the coiled end, if you do the strings will get weak in this area and break. I know this from personal experience.

You can soak your strings 4 to 6 times before you will notice that it is not working as well.

Bass-desires · #4 09-11-2010, 10:42 PM

Yeah, was thinking about upgrading to a top-load bridge. I wanted one of those anyway, now I have another excuse.

gruvlow · #5 09-11-2010, 10:49 PM

Can anyone tell me what is the proper way to handle the strings after soaking? Don't want to get poisoned. Should I wear gloves when inserting and removing the strings? Should they be rinsed with water after removing or just wiped off? Last, what is a good soak container for the strings and d-alcohol?

Thanks in advance for any insight on this.

heath_r_91 · #6 09-11-2010, 10:52 PM

Be sure to let us know how long this lasts compared to an actual new set of strings. That has been what's keeping me from doing it myself.

Lackey · #7 09-11-2010, 10:56 PM

I always used to just use rubbing alcohol, and while it does work quite well, the E and B strings never seemed to get quite as bright. I'm wondering if this is because it was harder for the alcohol to penetrate through the thicker strings.

Anyways, I gave up and went to Elixir. I'll never go back, unless I need absolutely new, fresh, raw, snarly string tone for recording, but that's pretty much never the case anymore.

blr2 · #8 09-12-2010, 01:49 AM

While, cleaning strings works quite well for bringing back their brightness, it doesn't return them to a new condition. Cleaned strings die quicker than new ones. IMO, cleaning more than ones is a waste of time, unless you have unusually greassy/sweaty hands skin.

3506string · #9 09-12-2010, 03:02 AM

I have been soaking strings for a couple of years now. I rotate strings and just leave a set in the alcohol until I need to rotate them which now is around once a month. My strings always come out nearly fresh as new. My ears can barely tell the difference between a new set and a cleaned set. Only difference is I don't have to worry about the strings going drastically flat because they are already stretched for the most part.

At one point during my fresh string sound phase I was rotating strings once a week and only bought new sets when one broke which was around 4-6 months.

As far as clean longevity I have noticed a weird effect. My cleaned strings seem to stay brighter longer than a set straight out of the pack. Not sure why I have found this to be true with every brand I've tried. I once killed a set of hi-beams in one sitting. Played for a couple of hours and pulled out my bass the next day and strings were dead to the point where I wouldn't have thought I changed strings if I didn't have the opened pack and clipped ends still on my desk. Put my fall back strings back on and threw the hi-beams in the alcohol. Decided to give them a second try a couple weeks later and the held their tone a whole lot longer than they did out of the package.

makkE · #10 09-12-2010, 04:08 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 3506string

As far as clean longevity I have noticed a weird effect. My cleaned strings seem to stay brighter longer than a set straight out of the pack. Not sure why I have found this to be true with every brand I've tried.

I would recon this could be due to the oil residue on new strings. Oil attracts dirt and dust quite fast - whereas your soaked strings are virtually fat-free - maybe that's at work here.

zenberger · #11 09-12-2010, 12:55 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 3506string

I have been soaking strings for a couple of years now. I rotate strings and just leave a set in the alcohol until I need to rotate them which now is around once a month. My strings always come out nearly fresh as new. My ears can barely tell the difference between a new set and a cleaned set. Only difference is I don't have to worry about the strings going drastically flat because they are already stretched for the most part.

At one point during my fresh string sound phase I was rotating strings once a week and only bought new sets when one broke which was around 4-6 months.

As far as clean longevity I have noticed a weird effect. My cleaned strings seem to stay brighter longer than a set straight out of the pack. Not sure why I have found this to be true with every brand I've tried. I once killed a set of hi-beams in one sitting. Played for a couple of hours and pulled out my bass the next day and strings were dead to the point where I wouldn't have thought I changed strings if I didn't have the opened pack and clipped ends still on my desk. Put my fall back strings back on and threw the hi-beams in the alcohol. Decided to give them a second try a couple weeks later and the held their tone a whole lot longer than they did out of the package.

hmmm... perhaps one should pre-soak new strings BEFORE installing.

blr2 · #12 09-12-2010, 01:34 PM

I've never detected any oily residue on any roundwounds I tried. These include D'addario, Rotosound, Fender, Dunlop, DR.

bassyRyan · #13 09-12-2010, 11:00 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by zenberger

hmmm... perhaps one should pre-soak new strings BEFORE installing.

I would not recommend it. By soaking strings in ANY liquid, you are leaving the core exposed to moisture. No matter how tight the windings are, moisture will soak to the core of the string and corrode it from the inside, weakening the thin wire upon which the outer wrap sits. It might never happen or it may happen the first time, but you are increasing the chances of a sudden string break when you soak strings in liquid for ANY amount of time. Even alchohol, as it dissipates when exposed to air, will remain in the tightest areas as a liquid form.

levis76 · #14 09-12-2010, 11:10 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bassyRyan

I would not recommend it. By soaking strings in ANY liquid, you are leaving the core exposed to moisture. No matter how tight the windings are, moisture will soak to the core of the string and corrode it from the inside, weakening the thin wire upon which the outer wrap sits. It might never happen or it may happen the first time, but you are increasing the chances of a sudden string break when you soak strings in liquid for ANY amount of time. Even alchohol, as it dissipates when exposed to air, will remain in the tightest areas as a liquid form.

I'm quite sure that the d-alcohol completely evaporates. The stuff starts to evaporate at around 70F, just slightly less than room temp. If the moisture can find it's way in, then it will also find it's way out as a gas. It's basic science.

ggunn · #15 09-13-2010, 08:58 AM

The notion that "moisture causes corrosion" is a misconception. Distilled water doesn't accelerate corrosion. Corrosion is an electrochemical reaction, and it's the presence of electrolytes in solution which do the damage. That's why salt water is so hard on metals.

The little bit of water that is present in virtually any alcohol you can buy won't hurt your strings. The windings on the strings won't capture liquid and keep it from evaporating, either.

nemo · #16 09-13-2010, 09:12 AM

The key is to use denatured alcohol with the least possible water content (like 93-95% alcohol content)

Also important is to leave strings soaked at least two days. Overnight could be too short time.

Quote:

Can anyone tell me what is the proper way to handle the strings after soaking?

You just pull out the the strings from the soak container and leave couple of minutes on the air to let the alcohol evaporate. You can hang the strings on the laundry tray lines or somewhere. It evaporates completely, you don't have to wipe it nor flush with water (water could make things worse, don't do it).
You don't have to worry about poisoning through skin contact. As long as you don't drink it, it is harmless.

I have posted some tutorial in Czech bass forum with pictures, you can check it out:
http://baskytara.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=5629&p=1

Chasarms · #17 09-13-2010, 09:12 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by gruvlow

Can anyone tell me what is the proper way to handle the strings after soaking? Don't want to get poisoned. Should I wear gloves when inserting and removing the strings? Should they be rinsed with water after removing or just wiped off? Last, what is a good soak container for the strings and d-alcohol?

Thanks in advance for any insight on this.

You can wear gloves but I don't think that such minimal exposure to denatured alcohol is a health risk. If you get it in an open wound, it will certainly be unpleasant, but not life-threatening.

Don't rinse them. Just wipe them with a paper towel and let them air dry.

Anything will work for the soaker, but I would recommend something sealable, as the alcohol will evaporate very quickly.

The biggest issue is to keep it away from any kind of furniture finish, INCLUDING YOUR BASS, or other material that may be alcohol soluable. It will create a problem that can't be easily fixed.

Will Kelly · #18 09-13-2010, 09:26 AM

Why not boil them in water? I have done this with great success and its cheaper and less smelly than alcohol.

THe strings become dry once out of the water from the residual heat.

Luis Fabara · #19 09-13-2010, 09:42 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Will Kelly

Why not boil them in water? I have done this with great success and its cheaper and less smelly than alcohol.

THe strings become dry once out of the water from the residual heat.

Have you tried D-alcohol? You wouldnt be boiling them if you had.

Boiling stresses the metal (you need to coil them and then apply 100c at least, damages the silk windings, and doesnt really restore the string, you regain some zing that is lost after a day or 2...

Soaking them on Alcohol on a tube, restores them completely, and wont allow rust as alcohol evaporates completely.
Save from the wear due to the frets, that ultimately renders a string unusuable, the alcohol method really renews your strings, for at least 2 or 3 cycles.

Luis Fabara · #20 09-13-2010, 09:45 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by gruvlow

Can anyone tell me what is the proper way to handle the strings after soaking? Don't want to get poisoned. Should I wear gloves when inserting and removing the strings? Should they be rinsed with water after removing or just wiped off? Last, what is a good soak container for the strings and d-alcohol?

Thanks in advance for any insight on this.

Do you wear gloves for Drinking Tekila?

Dont rinse them in water... you have to avoid water, thats why denatured is prefered to rubbing alcohol wich contains water.

Soak container: A long PVC Tube with their ends capped and one cap with a hook.