cleaning strings with methylated spirit

[jayblaze]

i read somewhere that if you soak your strings in methylated spirits they come out like new. i tried it today with purple meths.... i soaked my strings in a jam jar in meths for 20 mins, took them out and wiped them off. dryed them with a hairdryer and hey presto they sound good as new.
a good money saving tip

[Bigwan]

I've been doing this lately too - actually recorded my last bands whole album on methelated Elites! Works a treat!

[jayblaze]

yeah i was looking at vids of mtd basses on youtube and i saw some guy in america do it. i couldnt beleive how well it works.. id advise making the proper tube thing [url="http://www.tunemybass.com/strings/bass_string_cleaning_tube.html"]http://www.tunemybass.com/strings/bass_str...aning_tube.html[/url] on here.
i didnt and i spilt meths all over my garden picnic bench and f***ed it right up!


yeah i recomend everyone to try it...because strings are so damn expensive!

[Buzz]

If you do a search on the forum for "meths" or "isopropyl alcohol" you'll find it's already a reccommended method. There's even some instructions for making some specialist string cleaning tubes with PVC piping, in fact, I think it may be a copy-paste of the webpage you've found

It's also much better for your strings than boiling.

Edited October 9, 2010 by Buzz

[Sean]

So once you've "methylated" your strings, do they have the same lifespan as before and how long before they need doing again? How many times can they be done?

[Cat Burrito]

I'm the other way around, I wouldn't ever want to have clean strings! The older the better for me

[JTUK]

[quote name='Sean' post='983137' date='Oct 10 2010, 10:20 AM']So once you've "methylated" your strings, do they have the same lifespan as before and how long before they need doing again? How many times can they be done?[/quote]


I have always soaked mine for about 24 hrs and let drip dry. They last quite a long time, maybe almost as long as from new.
You need to be very careful unwinding and winding on as this can prolong the amount of times you can do this more than the cleansing.

I have still got strings that I bought back in early 90's that I rotate. It helps if the strings you use do not have cotton/silk winds, as well.

[Sean]

[quote name='JTUK' post='983230' date='Oct 10 2010, 12:06 PM']You need to be very careful unwinding and winding on as this can prolong the amount of times you can do this more than the cleansing.[/quote]

Could you please elaborate?

[JTUK]

[quote name='Sean' post='983237' date='Oct 10 2010, 12:14 PM']Could you please elaborate?[/quote]

I think you need to wind on the string correctly with a min of 3 winds round the post. You need to have this layered up the post so it doesn't over lap another part of the wind but basically you are not wanting any creases or weak points developing on the wind. When you take them off....just wind off until the string literally falls away from the post and then stack the string careful as it would come out of the pack.

In order to get 5 plus rotations which is easily achievable, IME, you just need to take care that the string doesn't get any unwanted bends or creases which can weaken it. It also helps if you keep the same strings going back on the same post config...or same bass.

By taking a bit of care with the string and winds..I never bought any strings for about 15 years or so. Admittedly, I would have quite a few strings ( DR ) in my string pool to choose from, but I change them after 6 weeks max and always use a brighter clean sound. None of the strings would be on a bass and be usable ( for me ) for much longer than that, so I rotated A LOT.

Basically, I swop strings when I feel they have gone off.

[Heathy]

Thanks for the tip.

Bet it ruins the taste, though.

[4-string-thing]

[quote name='BurritoBass' post='983182' date='Oct 10 2010, 11:14 AM']I'm the other way around, I wouldn't ever want to have clean strings! The older the better for me[/quote]

Same here, the strings I took off my Precision a few months ago had been on it for about 15 years! I only changed them because I thought I should, not because they sounded bad.

[51m0n]

Big meths user here

Even bothered to build the tube thingy too. Usually there's a set festering in there ready to whip out and slap on....

Rotate strings whenever I'm going to play in front of people - big believer in being able to cut what I dont want with eq, but you cant add it back if it ain't there to begin with!

[mybass]

[quote name='jayblaze' post='982770' date='Oct 9 2010, 06:08 PM']i read somewhere that if you soak your strings in methylated spirits they come out like new. i tried it today with purple meths.... i soaked my strings in a jam jar in meths for 20 mins, took them out and wiped them off. dryed them with a hairdryer and hey presto they sound good as new.
a good money saving tip [/quote]

Alcohol from a chemists is v good too.
Boil them in water too, a few minutes, dry them out and there you go.

[fender73]

I tried the boiling method a few years ago adding some washing detergent....seemed to work, but the strings didn't last too long. I'm going to give the purple meths a go - thanks for the tip!

[D-L-B]

I once heard that old strings can increase the wear on your frets. Something to do with the flattened off underside of the string (on round wounds), where it contacts the fret, creating a sharp edge like a burr and wearing the fret down.

[the_skezz]

Been sticking my old ones in the dishwasher recently. Works a treat, they're nearly as good as new (and from what I've heard, better for them than boiling). Been meaning to try spirits for a while, but haven't really had the chance.

[Mr. Foxen]

[quote name='D-L-B' post='984764' date='Oct 11 2010, 07:36 PM']I once heard that old strings can increase the wear on your frets. Something to do with the flattened off underside of the string (on round wounds), where it contacts the fret, creating a sharp edge like a burr and wearing the fret down.[/quote]

Don't see it as an issue. If the string is taken off and put back on, the flats probably won't be in the same place, and if it is soft enough for a flat, it is softer than the fret. A new string would wear a fret much more than an old one in any case.

Can't imagine dishwasher salt being good for strings, it is hot water and salt, not the best combination for avoid corrosion.

[D-L-B]

[quote name='Mr. Foxen' post='985395' date='Oct 12 2010, 09:50 AM']If the string is taken off and put back on, the flats probably won't be in the same place, and if it is soft enough for a flat, it is softer than the fret. A new string would wear a fret much more than an old one in any case.[/quote]
If it's the same string on the same bass why should it not be in the same place?
It it's soft enough to get a flat that doesn't mean the fret isn't soft itself or immune to wear. If you rub two slightly different grades of sand paper together both will still wear away...
I can't see how you've decided new string will wear a fret more than an old one either.
Here's a picture of what I'd imagine is going in what I mentioned above:

[Mr. Foxen]

[quote name='D-L-B' post='985828' date='Oct 12 2010, 03:34 PM']If it's the same string on the same bass why should it not be in the same place?
It it's soft enough to get a flat that doesn't mean the fret isn't soft itself or immune to wear. If you rub two slightly different grades of sand paper together both will still wear away...
I can't see how you've decided new string will wear a fret more than an old one either.
Here's a picture of what I'd imagine is going in what I mentioned above:[/quote]

Sandpaper is all the same hardness. It also has pointy bits like a new string, when is is flat, like the underside of a worn string, it doesn't sand wood any more. I generally use steels and don't get flats, they are pretty similar ion hardness to the frets. In fact, I've used the same set of steels on my favourite first bass since I first restrung it. No fret wear I see.

[D-L-B]

[quote name='Mr. Foxen' post='985833' date='Oct 12 2010, 03:38 PM']Sandpaper is all the same hardness. It also has pointy bits like a new string, when is is flat, like the underside of a worn string, it doesn't sand wood any more. I generally use steels and don't get flats, they are pretty similar ion hardness to the frets. In fact, I've used the same set of steels on my favourite first bass since I first restrung it. No fret wear I see.[/quote]
I'm not talking about hardness, it's coarseness.

[Mr. Foxen]

[quote name='D-L-B' post='985836' date='Oct 12 2010, 03:41 PM']I'm not talking about hardness, it's coarseness.[/quote]

Hardness is the important hit. If the string and fret are the same hardness, the deformation will be equivalent. In you picture, the top is like a new string, or a string that is of similar hardness to a fret, and has not deformed noticeably. It is like a file in texture. The lower half represents a soft string that has deformed to the shape of the fret, and is smoother where it contacts the fret, a file shaped like that would be less abrasive. Either way, the analogy doesn't support a suggestion that an old string would wear a fret more quickly. Either the string is soft and deforms, and the burr is softer than the fret, or it is harder than the fret and doesn't distort and form a burr.

[D-L-B]

Once the string has flattened off the metal doesn't become magically softer. What are you on about?
Just because one material is harder than the other doesn't mean that both won't be worn when in contact with each other.
I was saying that I can see how the squared off winds on the string could grind the fret down more easily than a new rounder edged string. It's well known amongst guitarists especialy if you're using stainless strings on a nickel fretted instrument.

[Mr. Foxen]

[quote name='D-L-B' post='986325' date='Oct 12 2010, 10:10 PM']Once the string has flattened off the metal doesn't become magically softer. What are you on about?
Just because one material is harder than the other doesn't mean that both won't be worn when in contact with each other.
I was saying that I can see how the squared off winds on the string could grind the fret down more easily than a new rounder edged string. It's well known amongst guitarists especialy if you're using stainless strings on a nickel fretted instrument.[/quote]

If its harder, it doesn't flatten. Stainless steel strings don't flatten on nickel frets, the frets wear. Nickel is softer that stainless, so significant wear will show on the softer nickel component if the two are brought into regular contact. Its like saying rubbing a block of butter on a piece of wood will wear it faster than a rubbing a brick on it, because the butter will deform. The squared off winds are squared off by the shape of the fret, so they correspond in shape, meaning there is more contact area, and correspondingly less pressure per unit area. Really don't know why you are trying to achieve, it's really basic common sense at every step. It is the unwound strings on guitars that really eat the frets, because they are made of the harder core material always, for the strength,plus they get a lot more bends. It is well known among guitarists that a wound G is easier on your frets. Sorting worn frets under unwound G strings is something I have to deal with often.

[geoffbyrne]

If you look at the frets on an old guitar you'll usually find pitting under the E, B & G - the unwound strings - the D, A & E are usually much less worn.

G.

[D-L-B]

[quote name='Mr. Foxen' post='986481' date='Oct 13 2010, 12:46 AM']Its like saying rubbing a block of butter on a piece of wood will wear it faster than a rubbing a brick on it, because the butter will deform.
Really don't know why you are trying to achieve,[/quote]
Using ridiculous extremes doesn't serve to prove any point.
Who said I was trying to achieve anything anyway? If you remember, I said I'd heard somewhere about this but never claimed it to be true. You launched into a lame internet point scoring battle. I'm done with this. Stop being a tight arse and just buy some new strings.