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Reaching The Boiling Point....

ZenG

ZenG

Guest
Dec 13, 2013
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You can't get there from here
#1
I have never boiled any strings.....but I am thinking about doing a few currently.

(1) Do you really need to bring them to boil...or can you just bring them to a temperature that melts/dissolves the built-up crud?

(2) Any advantage in adding some kind of "cleaner" solution?

(3) How do you dry yours?.....I imagine the water works it's way inside the windings....so the water is trapped to some extent. Especially if you are boiling flats...but right now I'm just thinking of rounds.
Plus the silks get wet.

(4) If you have decided to achieve boiling point....how long is the boil time?
 
#5
ZenG said:
What kind of alcohol? Rubbing alcohol o.k. in this application?
Click to expand...

Enough of this will make even the cruddiest strings sound brand new.

old%20harper%20bottle%201.jpg
 
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#7
Remember that boiling your strings may make them sound better temporarily, but keep in mind that they will not regain they're elasticity which could lead to neck issues as well as intonation issues. Also, I learned the hard way that bolied strings have a much better chance of snapping, again due to their loss of elasticity.
 
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#8
I gave soaked strings in denatured alcohol and another time in naphtha

They both worked great. No chance of water/moisture getting stuck in the winding and rusting. Or any potential issues from the heat of boiling.

The solvents dissolve and lift away all the grease and gunk from the windings. I think it works great and prolongs string life a bunch.

I have 14 basses and can't afford to restring them all regularly.
 
#10
Don't know if this is the absolute rocket science way to do it but:
When I boil strings I just fill a large pasta pot with water, coil the strings and lay them in the pot, and bring it to a boil with the strings in the pot during the entire process. I let it boil for about 5 min. Then remove strings, uncoil, wipe them down with an old T Shirt (T shirt cloth won't leave lint in the windings) and lay them out on a towel to dry completely. I've done this a few times and it works fine. I've got one set of strings that are about 9 years old now and still
play and sound fine...they've been boiled twice.
 
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#12
I used to boil strings "back-in-the-day" like 20 or more years ago.
You might get another week of restored brightness out of them at best.

Personally I'd reccommend buying Elixirs. They are the cheapest
solution out there for people who like bright roundwound sound.
Or there's other brands of coated strings... DR etc...

...Way cheaper than those $12 strings. and a lot less labor.
 
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#13
Nev375 said:
I used to boil strings "back-in-the-day" like 20 or more years ago.
You might get another week of restored brightness out of them at best.

Personally I'd reccommend buying Elixirs. They are the cheapest
solution out there for people who like bright roundwound sound.
Or there's other brands of coated strings... DR etc...

...Way cheaper than those $12 strings. and a lot less labor.
Click to expand...

I somewhat agree, but I'd rather buy 3 sets of $12 Dunlop Super Brights than one set of Elixirs. Three sets of them cost the same as 1 set of Elixirs, and will last much longer and sound much better. My opinion based on experience of course :)

But yes, either one would be 100 times better than boiling a set of old worn out strings that have fret divots all over them.
 
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#14
Scottkarch said:
... No chance of water/moisture getting stuck in the winding and rusting...

The solvents dissolve and lift away all the grease and gunk from the windings...
Click to expand...

yep.
Cleaning with water will work, but water tends to hang around the steel core. My guess is that using a solvent may extend the life a bit longer than boiling.

I use Graves or Everclear alcohol for deep cleaning a my used emergency set- it doesn't take that much alcohol to do the job. Denatured stuff has some nasty chemicals added. Avoid prolonged, repeated skin exposure if you do use it.
 
#15
mmbongo said:
I'll post my standard question when I see somebody talking about boiling strings.

Why go to all that trouble when new strings are less than $12? Of course that's assuming we're talking about 4 string roundwounds. So what's the point?
Click to expand...


(1) I have lots of used strings.....that haven't seen all THAT much use.....

(2) It stands to reason that roundwounds get filled with guck over time.

(3) Where I live , new strings for less than 12 dollars can't be had.....I play shortscales mostly and they don't even stock those strings in stores here.
Figure on about 40 to 50 bucks a set average......ordered in.
 
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#16
Scottkarch said:
I gave soaked strings in denatured alcohol and another time in naphtha

They both worked great. No chance of water/moisture getting stuck in the winding and rusting. Or any potential issues from the heat of boiling.

The solvents dissolve and lift away all the grease and gunk from the windings. I think it works great and prolongs string life a bunch.

I have 14 basses and can't afford to restring them all regularly.
Click to expand...

Can you afford to clean the strings after use regularly, or do you go on soaking marathons? I'm trying to wrap my head around having to worry about soaking the strings of 14 basses that apparently all get so much playing time that this is a real thing for you.
 
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#17
I have a few sets in a tin of solvent. 2+2 tuner set and 4 in a row ( for the different string lengths. If I notice one is really dying, I'll pull a set out and swap the strings into the tin.

I buy a few sets a year. I have a few extra new sets and will purchase one when I break a string. It's nearly always the A string. I must play it the most.
 

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