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Alternatives to denatured alcohol for string cleaning (not boiling)
- Thread starter kesslari
- Start date
I've never washed or boiled strings, but for silks that end up frayed from swapping strings out to try different sets (particularly flatwounds), I just burn them off with a lighter. I've done this with TI Flats and they did not unwind--I don't think the silk outer wrap is structural.
Thanks for the heads-up about denatured alcohol not being available in CA, @kesslari. I've long wanted to make a string soaking tube, so I'll be following this thread to see what we Californians can use instead of DA.
- Dec 21, 2007
- 15,233
- 45,123
- Disclosures
- Lark in the Morning Instructional Videos; Audix Microphones
Really? Since when? I lived in Las Vegas for 34 years; I could (and did) walk into just about any liquor store in town, and buy 190 proof Everclear. I think you're just looking in the wrong place. You might have to ask for it, though; I don't recall any store having it out on a shelf, where just anyone could grab it. But, I never had a problem buying it...Wow...you're right. Nevada has very liberal liquor laws, but apparently 190 proof Everclear is still illegal there. That has to be the single case where something is legal in Utah but not Nevada or California!
In Which States Is It Legal to Sell Everclear?
Short answer; they probably won't, for long. However; boiling strings is a round wounds kind of thing; and, most round wounds don't have silks. Especially the rounds that people who need to boil strings usually buy in the first place. If you can afford, say, TI Jazz Rounds, which have silk at both ends? I doubt you're in a financial position where boiling them is necessary...
As for flat wounds? Most of them do have silks, but I don't think boiling flats is really a thing, in any case. Since they last for years - as opposed to a month or two - trying to make flats last a little longer is... well, a waste of time. Putting your pocket change in a jar every night will get you enough money for a new set of flats, by the time your old ones wear out...
@GIBrat51 - thanks for the explanation. I pretty much just automatically default to putting flats on anything and everything, so wasn't aware, and what you said makes perfect sense.
Well, if you say so... I had no idea I was buying Everclear from bootleggers all those years...
I'm a little late to the party here but you should be able to find 99% isopropyl. I usually soak the strings overnight. After that they'll sound like relatively new rounds for a few hours of playing time (1 night gig, a couple of rehearsals, etc).
I'm glad I took the time to sift through this thread. Lots of solutions that involve boiling or harsh solvents, none of which are up my alley, but this idea was interesting.
Years ago, I got my first set of Rotosound rounds. (RN 66LD Nickel-On-Steel with dark, smoky chrome ball ends and no silks) They were wonderfully musical and gave me that "piano-like tone" I'd always heard about for the first time. Unfortunately, they kept leaving a dark gray residue on my fingertips, so I gave them to my wife as possible art supplies.
Since then, I'd tried other Rotos, but none of them sounded quite as good. Well, I just so happened to find the box I gave her and "surreptitiously re-appropriated" them. Then, I started searching for ways to get that residue off. (Just a guess, but it's probably a teensy bit of machine oil from the factory.) Sure enough, after wiping them down, three out of four left a faint grayish smudge on the wipes.
I'll let them dry in the open air for a while, then try them out on a bass that has similar Rotos (nickel-on-steel, but with red/white/blue ball ends) to see what happens. Thanks for reading and wish me luck!
I just so happened to have Invalid Link Removed. I keep them handy for wiping down my cellphone and laptop screens. Off the top of my head, it sounded sensible, not just because the microfiber wipes don't seem to leave much, if any, residue, but they do not fall apart leaving fibers in-between the wraps. Plus, I had the perfect set to try them out on.
Years ago, I got my first set of Rotosound rounds. (RN 66LD Nickel-On-Steel with dark, smoky chrome ball ends and no silks) They were wonderfully musical and gave me that "piano-like tone" I'd always heard about for the first time. Unfortunately, they kept leaving a dark gray residue on my fingertips, so I gave them to my wife as possible art supplies.
Since then, I'd tried other Rotos, but none of them sounded quite as good. Well, I just so happened to find the box I gave her and "surreptitiously re-appropriated" them.
Then, I started searching for ways to get that residue off. (Just a guess, but it's probably a teensy bit of machine oil from the factory.) Sure enough, after wiping them down, three out of four left a faint grayish smudge on the wipes.I'll let them dry in the open air for a while, then try them out on a bass that has similar Rotos (nickel-on-steel, but with red/white/blue ball ends) to see what happens. Thanks for reading and wish me luck!
Gawd...sounds like my house. Susan's studio is polluted with my cast-offs and everything Etsy / Dick Blick / Jerry's Art-o-rama has every sold. Some other suggestions:I'm glad I took the time to sift through this thread. Lots of solutions that involve boiling or harsh solvents, none of which are up my alley, but this idea was interesting.
I just so happened to have Invalid Link Removed. I keep them handy for wiping down my cellphone and laptop screens. Off the top of my head, it sounded sensible, not just because the microfiber wipes don't seem to leave much, if any, residue, but they do not fall apart leaving fibers in-between the wraps. Plus, I had the perfect set to try them out on.
Years ago, I got my first set of Rotosound rounds. (RN 66LD Nickel-On-Steel with dark, smoky chrome ball ends and no silks) They were wonderfully musical and gave me that "piano-like tone" I'd always heard about for the first time. Unfortunately, they kept leaving a dark gray residue on my fingertips, so I gave them to my wife as possible art supplies.
Since then, I'd tried other Rotos, but none of them sounded quite as good. Well, I just so happened to find the box I gave her and "surreptitiously re-appropriated" them.
I'll let them dry in the open air for a while, then try them out on a bass that has similar Rotos (nickel-on-steel, but with red/white/blue ball ends) to see what happens. Thanks for reading and wish me luck!
*Store-brand baby wipes...handles diaper-born butt nuggets so why not?
*Ivory dish soap solution: no harsh chemicals or residues. Works well on grease.
*Dawn solution: stronger de-greaser but can leave a film if not adequately diluted.
Riis
Yeah, I frequently refer to our house as an "art supply store...after an earthquake".
As for the other solutions, the soaps are great for cutting grease. I even have dish-washing and laundry soaps that are dye and perfume free, so that could be a plus. But, a.) that sounds a lot like "work" and b.) all I had to do was lean to my left to grab the lens wipes, then turn my chair and lean right to grab the strings, then get cleaning, so...
I'm iffy about baby wipes. If they have anything like aloe in them, I'm afraid they might leave a different residue. After all, they're for skin, not metal...
...well, except perhaps for this crowd.
Mr. Mom references are what I come to TB fur so thank you for your service
I had something similar with the stock strings on a Squier Jaguar I bought years ago. I noticed the dark crud after the first time I played it -- when I washed my hands, it came off pretty easily. My solution* was to play it and wash my hands, play it and wash my hands, etc. After four or five cycles, it stopped leaving dark crud on my hands.I'm glad I took the time to sift through this thread. Lots of solutions that involve boiling or harsh solvents, none of which are up my alley, but this idea was interesting.
I just so happened to have Invalid Link Removed. I keep them handy for wiping down my cellphone and laptop screens. Off the top of my head, it sounded sensible, not just because the microfiber wipes don't seem to leave much, if any, residue, but they do not fall apart leaving fibers in-between the wraps. Plus, I had the perfect set to try them out on.
Years ago, I got my first set of Rotosound rounds. (RN 66LD Nickel-On-Steel with dark, smoky chrome ball ends and no silks) They were wonderfully musical and gave me that "piano-like tone" I'd always heard about for the first time. Unfortunately, they kept leaving a dark gray residue on my fingertips, so I gave them to my wife as possible art supplies.
Since then, I'd tried other Rotos, but none of them sounded quite as good. Well, I just so happened to find the box I gave her and "surreptitiously re-appropriated" them.
I'll let them dry in the open air for a while, then try them out on a bass that has similar Rotos (nickel-on-steel, but with red/white/blue ball ends) to see what happens. Thanks for reading and wish me luck!
*It's not much of a solution, to be honest. But it's a good fit for those of us who can't be bothered to find an actual solution.
