Prison tattoo's? What to do with broken/ unused strings?

[JustForSport]

I have an old E-string which I use to clear the drain in the bathroom sink.

Did that, too- just bent a 1/2" hook in the core.

I've also used them (with a small hook bent in the core) to fetch things back from in recesses my hand/arm wouldn't fit.

 

[comatosedragon]

They make decent scraping tools. (Not great, but decent in a pinch.)
You know, for scraping.

 

[JustForSport]

I've thrown them into my recycling bin for ages, and thought recently that it's a bad idea since they're nickel plated steel with brass (?) ends, so now I think that any combo items can't be recycled easily, and are probably trashed in sorting, so I probably just made someone's day more annoying and increased the cost of recycling, making me a horrible person.

Ha,
Yeah, I was told the shredder doesn't like them, so they get pulled.

 

[JustForSport]

I give the cut-offs away to be used as pipe cleaners- they like 'em.

 

[tedious1]

I have a string that I've run the end through the ferule, then wrapped the free end around one half of the head of a set of vice grips, tighten down the grips and close/lock them.

I call this my "Percussionist Adjustment Tool" and it's amazingly effective. After the first use, generally the mere sight of the tool will get an unruly drummer to slow down and get back on tempo.

It also works well when the singer starts to get delusions of being David Coverdale, you're a bass player, you've got timing, cut that wail off on the 4...

I suspect if you use a B string, it would be most effective against guitar players. While they are staring at the string thinking "I know what that is, it's a string, but it's so huge, I wonder..." and POW! While he's trying to figure out if it's really a string or not, you've got the noose popped over his neck, and THEN it is time to have a chat about over-use of the pinch harmonic...

 

[AshInAmsterdam]

I use unwound stainless guitar strings (especially a .013 b string) as jumpers in electronic circuits. The rest get thrown if they're no good or curled up in a box for emergency spare otherwise.

I'm gonna adopt the drain clearing method though!

 

[Bourbongangster]

I used to used them to clean my tobacco pipes. I used to smoke tobacco out of hand blown glass pipes and when they get gummed up with the tobacco resin, bass string ends would work really well for cleaning them out.
I haven't smoked tobacco for about two and a half years now so I just throw them away. My girlfriend smokes occasionally and we still have three pipes so I might save a couple every now and than.

So you used glass pipes to smoke "tobacco". I think someone might be fibbing

 

[Spirit of Ox]

So you used glass pipes to smoke "tobacco". I think someone might be fibbing [/QUO

The pipes said for tobacco use when I bought them.

 

[Kukulkan61]

I sell them here in the classifieds as New used strings...

 

[DudeMann]

I used to used them to clean my tobacco pipes. I used to smoke tobacco out of hand blown glass pipes and when they get gummed up with the tobacco resin, bass string ends would work really well for cleaning them out.
I haven't smoked tobacco for about two and a half years now so I just throw them away. My girlfriend smokes occasionally and we still have three pipes so I might save a couple every now and than.

That nasty tobacco resin...

 

[MojoPenguin]

Yep Prison tatts with a Bass Strings hurt... In many ways...

 

[bassrich]

They make great snares

 

[JakobT]

That's actually a good idea. Do you put a "hook" on the end to grab onto the hair and gunk?

Thank you. No, I actually find that the ball end works quite well on its own. I've just made a small kink in the string just above it.

 

[okcrum]

They're great for cleaning swamp cooler manifolds.

I'll collect a box of clean used strings every so often and give it to a local player who could use them. There are outfits where you can send strings for this purpose.

[Invalid or Expired Link Removed]

 

[LowStringNinja]

Here's what Tool's bass player did with all the strings he used on the 10,000 days album...

 

[markjazzbassist]

i have a friend that travels to africa every year and i give them to him and he gives them to musicians across that continent. strings are hard to get/afford over there and any size/type is useful so i give him a big bag in hopes that those musicians can play more.

it would be nice if there was a charity like this.

 

[okcrum]

i have a friend that travels to africa every year and i give them to him and he gives them to musicians across that continent. strings are hard to get/afford over there and any size/type is useful so i give him a big bag in hopes that those musicians can play more.

it would be nice if there was a charity like this.

I think I overlapped you - check post #54

 

[jnsnj]

I have an old E-string which I use to clear the drain in the bathroom sink.

I too have unclogged a drain with a bass string

 

[Big Hoss]

I put them out with the rest of the recycling stuff.

 

[Big Hoss]

I have an old E-string which I use to clear the drain in the bathroom sink.

My bathroom vanity need that and I have an old E string but I haven't recycled yet I know what I'm doing tonight.