Denatured alcohol. A 3.5' - 4.0' length of .75" PVC with one end plugged then filled with the alcohol... drop your strings in and plug the other end. Shake and let soak... repeat as many times as necessary. IMHO it works better than boiling strings in water.
Enjoy the benefits of a premium membership!
Upgrade Account
-
TalkBass has been independent since 1998. Add your voice.
Create a free account to reply to discussions, view embedded media, and browse with fewer display ads.
Join free Log in
Want zero display ads or expanded classifieds tools? Compare plans.
Boiled my Strings
- Thread starter bassplayeroreo
- Start date
I've been boiling for, ahem, 35 years now. Ten minutes in plain water, dry with a cloth, and lay them out to dry overnight. Tried alcohol which works great but a pain to deal with. I usually get two months out of brand new set of rounds. I can boil and get maybe another month, boil again and another month. I've found that after the third boil, I usually break strings so now, after two boils, it's the trash can.
I usually buy two sets at a time and rotate them so i always have a spare in the case. I'll put a post-it note on the sleeve to remind me how many times i've boiled the sets.
I usually buy two sets at a time and rotate them so i always have a spare in the case. I'll put a post-it note on the sleeve to remind me how many times i've boiled the sets.
I follow the method Gary Willis uses. Boil for 15 minutes. Towel dry. Then dry them for 20 minutes in an oven on the lowest heat. I use D'Addario Nickel Roundwounds and the results are impressive. I can re-boil a set quite a few times and bring them back to just about the sound of new strings and have never had any breakage.
I tried it without the oven drying and was not happy with the results.
Folks here have mentioned adding salt or vinegar to the water. Salt is very corrosive and vinegar is an acid. Neither of which is very string friendly.
I tried it without the oven drying and was not happy with the results.
Folks here have mentioned adding salt or vinegar to the water. Salt is very corrosive and vinegar is an acid. Neither of which is very string friendly.
I have done it a couple of times, and have been pleased with the results. I only boil them once before buying a new set, so I get no problems with breakage.
If you boil your strings more than once, I'm not sure salt would be a good idea as it attracts water, so the residue left inside the wrap could attract water maybe. I dont think the core can rust having said that, as its stainless.
I use disinfectant (DETOL, horrible fumes though, may not be a good idea, as they are probably poisoness
!), and soap and boil them for around 30 mins.
If you boil your strings more than once, I'm not sure salt would be a good idea as it attracts water, so the residue left inside the wrap could attract water maybe. I dont think the core can rust having said that, as its stainless.
I use disinfectant (DETOL, horrible fumes though, may not be a good idea, as they are probably poisoness
!), and soap and boil them for around 30 mins.I tried boiling in vinagar last night, it did wonders for the G, but the others sound different.
+1. I also tried Willis' way and it works just fine.
BTW it's in his book "101 Bass Tips". I believe it's tip #1.
Sorry to hear that. It could be that you didnt give them long enough, or maybe not high enough heat (was the water bubbling a lot?).
Or (which happened to me), they havent dried yet, when I did mine at first I though it was a waste of time, other than the G. Then as I carried on playing, the D came to life, then the A, and so on. Now I dry them by a heater.
+1 to the Gary Willis method, althought you left out a step or 2: wind the strings into a coil before dropping into the pot; and wrap them in foil (poke a few holes for ventilation) before placing them in the oven.
I wouldn't add salt, either.
Never tried using denatured alcohol, and don't plan on it. It might work better, but denatured alcohol and I do not get along, even with a mask and gloves.
I'm curious how flatwounds benefit from boiling, as opposed to just wiping them. I believe it was the roundwounds that inspired this practice, because of dirt getting in the windings.
I've boiled them...plain,alcohol,dish soap and vinegar and i had no issues until yesterday.
I've boiled them Wednesday evening dry them and put them on and then tuned them just the way i've done it in the past 20 years,the only difference this time was that when i played yesterday the E string keep going out of tune......not fun at all.
I've boiled them Wednesday evening dry them and put them on and then tuned them just the way i've done it in the past 20 years,the only difference this time was that when i played yesterday the E string keep going out of tune......not fun at all.
I used to boil my strings years ago and stopped. I tried using vinegar once and knew I'd never use that again. Much too stanky! They do sound a little brighter with boiling but their elasticity is still gone and I don't like the feel of old strings.
If I find myself in a bind I would consider boiling, but I'd never make it a regular practice again.
If I find myself in a bind I would consider boiling, but I'd never make it a regular practice again.
I've never boiled my strings but I've heard that after you take them out of the pot you're supposed to wrap them in a foil pouch with holes poked in it then place them in a hot oven for an hour or more to remove the water from the strings. I've been hesitant to try it, though, because I'm worried what it might do to the little plastic bits in the string balls.
I've boiled more strings that I can count. Does bring them back to life for a bit, maybe a week or two depending on how you play. Now I just replace them. With the good deals we can get nowdays on strings it's not worth the hassle.
