What's the BEST way to boil your strings?

[BassLife77]

soak in tupperware for 24 hours

 

[gumtown]

I used to boil strings years ago, but really that didn't do all that much, OK the next day until halfway through a gig, and they wen't dull worst than before i boiled them.

If you do want to boil them i suggest adding some seasoning and a little Soy sauce, boil for 10 minutes, drain, and then add salt and pepper, and garnish with some parsley.
Best served hot, serves 4 or 5.

 

[cliff2104]

Is denatured alcohol expensive?
Will methylated spirits work?

 

[ggunn]

Is denatured alcohol expensive?
Will methylated spirits work?

No.
Yes.

 

[cliff2104]

how should i go about using meth to clean the strings?

 

[mindgrinder]

how should i go about using meth to clean the strings?

That stuff will make your teeth rot out, and make you steal your neighbors water pipes.

 

[JRHoch]

No, no. You've gone about this all the wrong way. Boiling basses is hard dirty work, not to mention dangerous(you never know grim will just flight out from in between the wraps of the sting). My experiance has lead me in the direction of Sulfuric acid. Rather easy to find, just find the nearest ford pinto, prop the hood, and scrape some of the corrosion off into a vile. Place the scraps in a spray bottle with some Mr. Pibb, and coat the entire bass with a heavy mist and let sit for 12 hours, and call the doctor in the morning about any and all burning your extremities that you may have.

 

[FunkMetalBass]

Not to hijack, but what's the best way of boiling my amp? I want to clean my speaker cones.

 

[cliff2104]

good news. Just boiled my fingers, playing is so much cleaner now!

 

[KingRazor]

Is denatured alcohol expensive?
Will methylated spirits work?

Pretty sure those two things are the same...

 

[3506string]

In all seriousness to the OP most of the jokes are just because this topic has been thoroughly covered. A simple title search in the string forum of "boil" returns 9 threads, "boiling" returns 39 threads, "alcohol" returns 45 threads.

The basics in most of them is if you want to clean strings the alcohol soak yields superior results. I've never read a post of someone switching to the alcohol soak and going back to boiling, and most that swear by boiling haven't tried the alcohol soak.

 

[anonymous02282011]

I'm sure that's a joke, but for the record you do NOT want to putz around with HF (hydrofluoric acid). It's extremely toxic and corrosive, and even low concentrations can hurt you badly.

That's true. HF is extremely dangerous and in fact deadly if it comes in contact with the skin at high enough concentrations.

That's why you can't even get it without the proper permits.

 

[Darylw425]

In all seriousness to the OP most of the jokes are just because this topic has been thoroughly covered. A simple title search in the string forum of "boil" returns 9 threads, "boiling" returns 39 threads, "alcohol" returns 45 threads.

The basics in most of them is if you want to clean strings the alcohol soak yields superior results. I've never read a post of someone switching to the alcohol soak and going back to boiling, and most that swear by boiling haven't tried the alcohol soak.

It's surprising there isn't a product out there that better addresses this issue. I'm always frustrated by my roundwounds dying fast, and seems like many others are as well. Has anyone had luck with any of the wipes that are out there? Seems a lot easier than having to remove the strings.

 

[zenberger]

two words: ultrasonic cleaner. we just got one at work and oh boy, my strings sound new again. if you know of a brass/woodwind repair shop that has one of these, go bring 'em a set of old funky dead strings and they might just clean 'em for you ultrasonically for the curiosity factor alone.

 

[Rob22315]

I've used animal fat with great success. Purists will tell you that boiling and deep frying aren't the same but i find animal fat lubricates the strings as well as reducing string noise (and the strings smell great too).

You can cook up some potato chips, corn dogs, and pork rinds at the same time.

 

[Staccato]

Plan of action: Avoid Wife or GF's favorite saucepan. This will keep you out of the doghouse...

 

[Kukulkan61]

I've posted this before but will repeat for the newer members of the forum. One of the biggest problems with boiling strings is that the oils and dead skin get on the strings while under they are under tension. When these same strings are removed and boiled the rings of roundwound strings are snug and essentially "grip" the debris so that no amount of boiling will loosen it. There is, however a solution. If you boil the strings while under tension, the rings are somewhat separated allowing access to the built up junk. The easiest way to achieve this is to boil your entire bass. This has many advantages over just boiling the strings. Any scratchy pots are thoroughly cleaned, the electrical contact point for your cable is cleaned, the junk built up next to your frets on a fretted bass is removed, and the rest of the hardware comes out shiny and new looking. The problem facing the average bassist is that he or she does not possess the proper equipment to do this. Usually a luthier's bass boiling cauldron is used. So take you bass down to your local luthier and request this service. He will know that you are a savvy bassist that knows all the tricks of the trade and will not try to overcharge you like he does all those non-string boiling bassists. Next weeks topic: The Poor Quality of Bass Finishes and Why They Keep Peeling Off.