Soaking strungs in isoprophl alcohol

[basscamel 420]

I need new strings but I'm broke. U have some rubbing alcohol but not the other kind your supposed to use. So can I just let em sit in rubbing alcohol over night?

[JetBlackJazz]

just misplaced in 100 ways....

[mcnach]

Isopropanol will work. Find a cloth that won't leave fluff behind, wet it and use to clean strings. Best if you use it to wipe strings after you play, regularly, to keep the strings bright...
But I don't personally bother. I keep strings several months at a time, and I'm sure you can save up a few $ over several months for A new set, eh?
Some boil strings too....

[Journey55]

Denatured Alcohol works like a charm, just use a container that is disposable and keep it well ventilated

[hover]

Make sure you get "electronics grade" isopropanol. It's what I use (tho admittedly, I worked in a lab), it's anhydrous, as it will pull moisture from the core windings, and deter further corrosion as it cleans.

[Deathblade Eric]

You can also use White Spirit/Turps Substitute. Not as effective as alcohol, but it still gets the gunk out.

Goes a slightly worrying shade of yellow though.

P.

[parsons]

If you dont have $20 to spare for some strings, Id be more worried about getting a job than playing my bass.

[MisterFabulous]

Isopropyl (rubbing) alcohol has water in it, between 25-50% water. That is bad for strings and anything on guitars really.

Denatured (wood) alcohol or something with no water in it is better. As other posters have mentioned, it is not good to inhale it.

I use a string cleaning tube as described here: The Bass String Cleaning Tube

It cost me $10 including the denatured alcohol that goes into it.

[251]

Perhaps it's a typo but, Strungs is a great way to describe used strings! LOL

[Electricblue]

Just boil your strungs in an OLD pan (not your wife's best cookery set) and enjoy your crisp, new strungs.

Dry off your strungs too, as the alcohol may leave imperfectiongs on your fingerboard or bridge.

Once you have finished strunging up your bass, the sound will be great

[jgroh]

Originally Posted by Electricblue

Just boil your strungs in an OLD pan (not your wife's best cookery set) and enjoy your crisp, new strungs.

Dry off your strungs too, as the alcohol may leave imperfectiongs on your fingerboard or bridge.

Once you have finished strunging up your bass, the sound will be great

Yes. If you dont have the money for the right a'soakin' booze, then berl em!

[MisterFabulous]

Originally Posted by Electricblue

Just boil your strungs in an OLD pan (not your wife's best cookery set) and enjoy your crisp, new strungs.

Dry off your strungs too, as the alcohol may leave imperfectiongs on your fingerboard or bridge.

Once you have finished strunging up your bass, the sound will be great

...But you'll be dead, or horribly burned, so it won't matter.

Spelling atrocities aside, let's not suggest Mr. 420 put alcohol near a heat source as it will explode.

[CHAKAKANE08]

Someone mentioned cellulous thinners to me for cleaning strings a while back, has anybody any experience with them? Normally I would boil them myself

[staindbass]

im against alcohol, put a few drops on a piece of glass of a picture frame laying flat. when it dries you can see a whiteish residue. that will be left on your strings also. boil them. make sure the water is at full boil when you pull them out with a fork. if the water is not boiling, the oil settles on top, and you pull the strings through the layer of oil.

[Thunder Pulse]

Originally Posted by staindbass

im against alcohol, put a few drops on a piece of glass of a picture frame laying flat. when it dries you can see a whiteish residue. that will be left on your strings also.

What kind of alcohol was that?

[Solarmist]

Use ethanol over a hot flame

[JimmyM]

Originally Posted by parsons

If you dont have $20 to spare for some strings, Id be more worried about getting a job than playing my bass.

I can afford to buy strings any time I want. I soak them in alcohol because buying strings doesn't make me feel good. That's just money out of my pocket. I get about 5-6 gigs out of a set of rounds before they go too dead for me to enjoy, and I do about 150 gigs a year. That means about 20-25 sets of strings a year, and at the prices I pay for rounds, that's $250-300 per year. I rotated the same two sets on my P Lyte for 2 years. They cost me $25, and the denatured alcohol I soaked them in cost $5 or $6. So I reckon I saved anywhere from $500-600. That may be chicken feed to a bigtime guy like you, but I have a family and a mortgage and a car payment.

[SLaPiNFuNK]

Shot over a PM to you...

If you are in the US, maybe can swing $15 for some closeout strings I picked up??

[bassbenj]

Originally Posted by JimmyM

I can afford to buy strings any time I want. I soak them in alcohol because buying strings doesn't make me feel good. That's just money out of my pocket. I get about 5-6 gigs out of a set of rounds before they go too dead for me to enjoy, and I do about 150 gigs a year. That means about 20-25 sets of strings a year, and at the prices I pay for rounds, that's $250-300 per year. I rotated the same two sets on my P Lyte for 2 years. They cost me $25, and the denatured alcohol I soaked them in cost $5 or $6. So I reckon I saved anywhere from $500-600. That may be chicken feed to a bigtime guy like you, but I have a family and a mortgage and a car payment.

Boomie's right. String prices keep going up, your wallet keeps getting thinner and your fingers keep spewing gunk! I've tried the boiling thing and it works but it's a pretty big pain. And it tends to leave water down in string recesses, so I've gone the solvent route.

Off the bass it's open season! Best is the nasty stuff banned by the EPA (like Trichloroethylene etc.) but it's dangerous and hard to get. Mild things like isopropyl alcohol have water (best is the 91% stuff if you can't get electronics grade) and ethanol (Vodka) has water too more or less depending on proof. This means they don't cut grease well which is the goal. Denatured ethanol is better because it contains methanol.

But best for restoring strings is Homer Formby's refinisher which really cuts crud (and varnishes and finishes of ALL kinds!) Next best for safe solvents is acetone. Works pretty well and is easily found at many hardware stores. Next best is methanol (wood alcohol).

It is important to note that if you clean and restore strings, each time you do it they will last a shorter time than the time before. Eventually you have to give up and buy new strings but still, you've saved some serious cash!

And lastly, since isopropyl alcohol is generally not harmful to most finishes, it really extends strings to have a rag soaked with some to wipe down your strings after playing. Use electronics (anhydrous) grade or CVS 91%. Don't use the 50% (rubbing alcohol) because it has too much water in it. The only problem I ever had rubbing down strings with isopropanol was it took the silver lettering off a couple of pickups. Never had any problems with the bass finish. Anything stronger with the strings on the bass will endanger your finish!

That's what I do.

[mcnach]

Originally Posted by staindbass

im against alcohol, put a few drops on a piece of glass of a picture frame laying flat. when it dries you can see a whiteish residue. that will be left on your strings also. boil them. make sure the water is at full boil when you pull them out with a fork. if the water is not boiling, the oil settles on top, and you pull the strings through the layer of oil.

Water is not exactly pure either, so you get residue too.
But buy the right alcohol and You will not see a residue. Not sure what you can get in shops though (I work in a lab so I have access to ultrapure stuff). But I would be surprised if you can't get 95% or so.