Anyone here boils their guitar strings?

[rmp]

I've boiled strings years ago, I found that it does restore them for a few days.
Then IME, they're beyond dead.

Not sure bout elixirs, I'd suspect the coating wouldn't like boiling.

Given I can usually get about 4/5 months out of elixirs, I don't see any point in boiling them to get another few days out of em.

[steelvibe]

Originally Posted by Lkristians

8 minutes for Al Dente.

My strings are al dente anyway even before i put them in the pot- especially on the areas where the strings would touch the fret wire.

But with respect to the original post, no. I don't boil my strings. Seems counterproductive since water will rust steel, and metal fatigue begins the moment you get the strings to tension even when brand new. Just buy a new set....also a great time to try that set you've been curious about.

[mawmow]

I read I could do that a few year ago : Never tried.
Reusing strings may not be that good as they could break more easily while rewindind, so loosing these.
I buy a bunch of strings at a time, saving money on real new string.
By the way, I wonder what it does for coated strings : Adds some BBQ sauce ?

[Rudy4]

Yes, about 55 years ago when I was a new player and a new set of Black Diamonds was pretty much the only string available locally.

I added vinegar to the water and it did rejuvenate the strings for a few weeks longer til I could convince my mom that it was a good idea to pick me up a new set of BDs.

I use Elixirs now because I much rather spend my time playing than fiddling with string changes.

[Steve DeRosa]

I prefer mine grilled, with some Sweet Baby Ray's Hot Sauce - Honey Barbecue on flatwounds...

[1Charlie]

If you like the tone of well worn strings, boiling can get you another week or so out of an old set.

I sometimes like to boil a set to use one one of my guitars in a show. They tend to mellow out the "electric" tones of a plugged-in acoustic guitar, and provide a different sound. Fun to experiment with.

No need to boil the B or high E, just the four wound strings.

[Bridgepin]

I tried it once after reading about it years ago and quickly realized it was a wast of time.

[00045]

Originally Posted by Lkristians

8 minutes for Al Dente.

I play mediums, they take 11 minutes

[Moocheng]

tried it once and have since been banished from the kitchen

[1Charlie]

Oh, I definitely don't do it when my wife is home...

It is amazing the amount of gunk that comes off of them when boiled. It is pretty easy to see what it is that dulls strings. My own funky fingers.

[Dru Edwards]

Originally Posted by Johny Tenthumbs

I tried boiling them for hours and hours, then in desperation I added different things to the pot, like carrots and potatoes. It was still the worst soup I've ever tasted.

LOL!

silverspear (OP), I've read about boiling strings in the past but I've never tried it and I don't think I will. Easier for me to buy new strings.

How many times can you actually boil strings? At some point string/metal fatigue must come into consideration after restringing the guitar multiple times with the same set.

[taylorgtr]

Originally Posted by Lkristians

8 minutes for Al Dente.

I liked his earlier stuff...before he became famous....in other words...his Antipasto period.

[Tico]

Originally Posted by Johny Tenthumbs

I tried boiling them for hours and hours, then in desperation I added different things to the pot, like carrots and potatoes. It was still the worst soup I've ever tasted.

LOL!
Love it!

[Wade Hampton]

Andrew perfectly summed my own experiences here:

Originally Posted by AndrewG

When I was a broke kid in the 60s I would, but not any more. Sometimes it worked and the strings sounded ok for a couple more days, and sometimes they just turned black and died completely.

In my case it was the mid 1970's, but the outcome was identical.

Another aspect that I don't think has been mentioned yet is how difficult it is to put the used, freshly boiled strings back onto their tuner shafts without stabbing your fingers at least once or twice. (This is equally true when restringing used strings that haven't been boiled.) It's a chore to try to snake those used string ends through the holes in the tuner shafts, but having a sharp string end penetrate your skin to the bone turns a chore into an ordeal.

Back in my early days of playing guitar I think I boiled my strings two or three times. In the aftermath, I'd vow every time to never do it again. But I was genuinely poor, so after a couple of years had elapsed my memories of having to dodge jagged strings ends would fade, and I'd attempt it again.

But it never became a habit, obviously, and in terms of time and effort expended measured against monetary gain, it was never even slightly cost-effective. It was more like a noble pronouncement - "look, everyone, I'm recycling!" - than it was any sort of real savings.

Empty symbolism, in other words, at least so far as my commitment to saving the world through my own thriftiness was concerned. Frugality is a virtue, of course, but for me a more effective way to be frugal was to skip lunch if I couldn't afford to buy a new set of strings otherwise.

Once I started making a bit more money, that ceased to be necessary.

So my attitude about boiling and reusing strings is: if that's something a player chooses to do, more power to 'em. But it's not a practice I choose to follow.

Hope that makes sense.


Wade Hampton Miller

[JCook1]

Originally Posted by Johny Tenthumbs

I tried boiling them for hours and hours, then in desperation I added different things to the pot, like carrots and potatoes. It was still the worst soup I've ever tasted.

Maybe it needed some salt.

Jack