cleaning strings?

[joni24]

Any recommendations on the best way to clean strings? I was testing out one of those white Wegen picks and noticed that even after just a couple of tunes it gets a dirty grey on the edge that hits the strings. Hmmm... I changed my strings just a couple of weeks ago, play an hour or so each day and store my mando in its hard shell case (at approx. 45% humidity), so I wouldn't expect the strings to be that dirty already... I do wipe the strings down occasionally with a soft Planet Waves cloth made for that purpose, but apparently not enough. Help!

[Ivan Kelsall]

Joni - It's possible that your pick literally does 'pick up' minute particles of the Bronze or 'whatever' windings are on the wound strings. Those minute particles will oxidize & turn black,that's what's getting onto the pick.I use the same picks & i get the same thing. One thing to remember,is that the plain steel strings are drawn through a 'die' to get them to the required diameter.Those dies are usually lubricated with Graphite which retains it's lubricant properties under heat & pressure.You'll find that if you get a new,say "A" string, & run it through your fingers straight out of the packet,you'll get the residual Graphite on your fingers.
I usually wipe a new set of strings over after i've put them on,using an old handkerchief,with a small drop of 3-In-One oil on it. Wipe the strings over very lightly & then wipe it off thoroughly.Not only does the oil clean off the Graphite,it helps to prevent any oxidisation on the strings,
Ivan

[Bertram Henze]

Picks get dirty, no matter how clean the strings are.
String cleaning is supposed to be for the benefit of the sound of strings; the point is to remove the acid organic stuff that enables contact corrosion between the two different metals of the wound strings. And that, b.t.w. should be done every time after playing, or else corrosion does its work silently in the darkness of the case.
After that, the pick will still pick up (hence the name...) any other stuff that is not affecting the sound.

[joni24]

Thanks for all the good insight. Another related question: I have some Finger-ease guitar string lubricant which I use occasionally on my KM-1000. Any pros or cons concerning this or similar products?

[Mike Snyder]

Finger-Ease has been around a long while and does an acceptable job of keeping the strings lubricated. I have gravitated to using any of a number of light oils which can be had at more resonable prices than products labeled specifically for musicians. 3 in 1 is a fine example. I've used various gun oils because I always have some around. I keep an old washcloth with a corner semi-saturated with oil in my case-cover pocket in a zip-lock and I scrub the strings fairly frequently during extended jams, or at least before closing the case after playing. I use Elixers and EXP 75s, so it may be overkill but nice slick strings are...............nice...................and slick.
I used to have some concerns about spraying the Finger Ease all over the ebony. You're gonna get more on the wood than on the wire. Didn't ever seem to matter much, so no worries. I get a smidge of oil on the board with my method. No harm, no foul. Some folks go to great pains to avoid oil contamination on the ebony. They may be right, but I have no evidence of harm. My instrument is decidedly mid-range, as far as monetary value. If I had 10K in an instrument I'm sure I'd do alot of things different

[mandobassman]

If there is any concern about getting Finger Ease on the wood, just spray it onto a cloth, then place the cloth under the strings back by the bridge, and wipe the strings from underneath. You can wrap the cloth around the strings to wipe the top of the strings. This minimizes the amount of F.E. that gets on the wood. I used to use cleaners on my strings back before I used flatwound strings. I never liked using it for two reasons. First, I never liked the feel of the stuff on my fingers. My hands always felt oily. Second, I always felt it did more harm than good. While it cleaned the outside of the windings nicely, I felt it attracted more dirt between the windings. When you wipe that stuff on the strings, it gets between the windings and there's no way to get it out. It sits in there and collects finger dirt and oils, and any dust in the air. That junk between the windings is what kills string life.

[Bertram Henze]

I must admit I never did understand the necessity of lubricating the strings for playing. With time, a frequent player gets callus on his fingertips sufficient not to let him feel much of the strings anyway.

For me, cleaning is something completely different. I apply cleaner after playing, not before, and after a minute or so I wipe it out again, together with the dirt it has dissolved, with a dry cloth. After the cleaning exercise, my strings are as dry as an Egyptian mummy.

[TonyP]

What you are seeing Joni is oxidization that seems to come with some new strings. It usually goes away after a while.

My personal favorite for getting rid of that, and just to preserve strings is John Pearse's String Swipes. They come in a nice little round container that fits great in my case junk box. They look like the old pimple pads, but have DeOxit in them. This is great stuff, non toxic and since it's in the pad, there's no spray or mess. I like to use it with my fretting hand to impart a little of it on my fingertips. Keeps strings lasting a long time and I get several uses out of each pad.

NFI, YMMV yadda yadda.

[Steve Ostrander]

I use John Pearse String Saver but I'm not sure of the real benefit. 3in1 or WD40 proabably works just as well.

One way to spray the strings with Finger Ease and not douse the FB is to slip a sheet of paper between the strings and FB before you spray.

[Mike Snyder]

[QUOTE=Bertram Henze;1020064]I must admit I never did understand the necessity of lubricating the strings for playing.

Late summer and autumn nights around a campfire, things seem to conspire to make the strings feel cruddy. Cleaning more than lubrication, as Bertram indicated, is what is needed. Somehow in my mind the intention was to get rid of the friction but the mechanism is to remove the gunk. Extending the string life by inhibition of corrosion is a bonus in that case.

[TonyP]

Neither 3n1 or especially WD40 will actually inhibit corrosion. WD40 evaporates, and 3n1 is just plain ol' machine oil and for me would be to heavy. DeOxit is pretty amazing stuff, it's what I use in spray form to clean the potentiometers in my electronics and the bonus is it's not toxic. Not that I'm pushin' the stuff, just sayin'.

[mandobassman]

I can't imagine spraying 3 in 1 or WD40 on your strings! That stuff collects more junk between the windings than anything. There is no way I'll be convinced you can get that stuff out of there.

[mandroid]

Wipe off the strings as you put it in the case, there are micro fiber cloths treated for this,
or an old T shirt will do.. there is oil going on the strings, it comes from you.
dead skin cells too.

[Mike Snyder]

Sorry Tony, but I must disagree. 3 in 1 oil has been inhibiting corrosion for me, personally, for over 40 years on a variety of ferrous metals. I'll use it sparingly, but I encourage all mandolinists to avoid it and all the gunk and terrible nasties that it will miraculously suck into the windings of your strings. I'm gonna go now and check my firearms and planes and saws and stuff for disaster.

[Bertram Henze]

To be clear: it's not the cleaner substance that inhibits corrosion. The cleaner just helps as a solvent so the dirt can be soaked up with a cloth; removing the dirt is what inhibits corrosion.

I'd be careful with solvents containing silicon, because they can dissolve the glue that holds the instrument together. WD40... eeeuuwww!

[Ivan Kelsall]

From Steve Ostrander - "..3in1 or WD40 proabably works just as well.". I've used both. I've also used 'Servisol 10' elec.switch cleaner which has de-greaser & anti-oxidant components in it.Again,it's spray onto cloth,wipe on /wipe off procedure.The minute film of cleaner left on the strings will help keep them free of tarnish - to a degree,
Ivan

[mandroid]

Corrosion = oxidization, and we cannot get along without O2 .

[Bertram Henze]

Corrosion = oxidization

Not exclusively - some of what goes on in wound strings needs no O2 for ion exchange.
But the presence of O2 certainly does not help to prevent it...

[TonyP]

You have a good point Mike. I should have known better than make a blanket statement like that. I've been using 3n1 most of my life as it's been in the house since I was a kid. But I'm with those that see oil as also a magnet for schmootz, where DeOxit is purposely a barrier to oxidation with a little lubricating properties. To each their own. I just find the swipes easy to carry with me and use them after I play when I put the mando back in the case. I don't see me carrying 3n1 cans around in my case as they are way bigger and messier than the swipes.

[Mike Snyder]

I'm a scrubber. I saw J. Staats scrub hard on his strings, years ago, between songs and that just kinda reinforced my habit. I suppose I've used a wide variety of stuff on my rag, but it's always a rag in a ziplock bag. The scrubbing is what moves the schmutz off the strings. I can see it on the rag. The oil, whether it's Remoil, 3 in 1 or Singer sewingmachine oil, is secondary in importance to me. A little corrosion resistance is all I'm looking for from it. I hate that gunky, sticky feeling on the strings and I am thrifty by necessity. I'll use any fairly light petroleum-based non-silicon lubricant that doesn't smell bad and is cost-effective.
By the way, Tony, you along with Big Joe, sunburst and several others at the cafe have always seemed to be the voice of reason when things get snarky or contentious.
You're OK by me.

[Hendrik Ahrend]

I found that any string cleaner brightens the sound, but a few days later, the strings seem to go dead quicker than before without any cleaner. So I just stayed with wiping off the strings now and then. Also, playing usually moistens the fingerboard. To my experience, if you put the mandolin back in its case right after playing without allowing the fingerboard to dry first, corrosion will come quickly. Furthermore, has any of you ever observed that different people have different sorts of acid on their hands, one being more aggressive than the other? My brother doesn't seem to sweat more than I do, but he kills string tone in a few minutes. I wonder if diet makes a difference.
Hendrik

[Varin]

I'd like to pass along a trick I found years ago for bringing life back to old strings. This is not for casual cleaning, but rather a way to get a little more life out of strings that are about ready to be changed. 3M makes a product called "Metal Cleaning Pads" or something like that. It's a dark reddish brown nylon woven pad treated with abrasive. Most folks who work with metal will be familiar with it. Most hardware stores stock it. Cut a small piece about 2" by 4". Here's how you use it:
Step 1) Very important! This will create abrasive dust. Place a piece of cloth under the strings that covers as much of the instrument that you can to catch the dust.
Step 2) Loosen two strings at a time, enough that you can pull them away from the fingerboard a couple of inches. Wrap the pad between and around the two strings. Holding the pad firmly between your fingers, slide it up and down the strings vigorously for 10 seconds or more. If you are doing this correctly, the strings will get warm to the touch and you'll see a bit of dust accumulating on the cloth. The strings will be a bit shinier.
Step 3) Once you have cleaned all the strings, remove the cloth carefully, wipe the strings and the instrument down with a clean cloth, and tune up.
There's a limit to how many times you can do this to one set of strings. The first time it really brings back a lot of tone. Third or fourth time, not so much. You wouldn't want to do this every day. I clean my strings this way whenever I notice them sounding noticeably dead. Of course, I don't think you'd want to try this on coated strings. I have used it on regular bronze and PB strings and also on D'Addario flatwounds with success.
I have told a number of friends about this, and as far as I know, exactly none of them has tried it, which kind of baffles me, since it's easier than changing strings. So if you try it and it works for you, let me know.
If this is an old trick that everybody knows already, please pardon the post.

[Phil Goodson]

Another product, that is my personal favorite, is Stringlife by DR (NFI) . I apply when I put on new strings and then occasionally. Seems to make the strings last a little longer and stay slicker longer.

[joni24]

What you are seeing Joni is oxidization that seems to come with some new strings. It usually goes away after a while.

Update: I've gotten in the habit of religiously wiping down my strings with a microfiber cloth before putting my mando back in its case. Not sure if it's this action or simply the lessening of "new string oxidation" but my white Wegen pick is no longer turning grey (or at least not nearly as bad as it did previously).

[i-vibe]

color me a WD40 user.