Uses for old strings? :-D

[Paul Busman]

I just changed my mando strings and as usual, I sort of hated to just throw the old ones away. I got to wondering if anyone here has any interesting uses for worn out strings. Post your real or humorous uses here.

For example, how about dipping the loop ends in soap solution and using them to blow reallytinybubbles?

Dental floss for elephants?

[Tracey]

String beads on them and give the necklace to your daughter?

[mandolirius]

I just changed my mando strings and as usual, I sort of hated to just throw the old ones away. I got to wondering if anyone here has any interesting uses for worn out strings. Post your real or humorous uses here.

For example, how about dipping the loop ends in soap solution and using them to blow reallytinybubbles?

Dental floss for elephants?

There's been an ongoing drive among the bluegrass community here for years to collect used strings and send them to various places around the world where strings are hard to come by. There was someone doing this in the last place I lived, too. You never know, there may be someone, or some organization, doing it in your community. Groups that work in the immigration field may know about that. If not, you could start a program. Such a simple thing for us results in something practically unobtainable for others.

[carlnut]

I keep a real short piece of the A string in my tools in my A model ford in case I have to clean out a carburator jet . It has not happened it me yet but I have seen it happen to others with old cars. They can be cantankerous sometimes.

[Mike Bunting]

A garrotte?

[Rob Giuffrida]

I use em to cut cheese. You know, blocks of cheese? They work fan-TASTIC! :grin:

[Patrick Sylvest]

I'm saving them for an artist I know who's done some wire sculptures. I think something interesting could come of a mixture of mandolin and guitar strings. When she's done it, I'll post a pic.

[Mike Snyder]

Rabbit snares. Bon apetit!

[Mandoviol]

Entertainment for cats?

[Willie Poole]

I`ve heard that people actually wash them in alcohol and they say they are like new, I`ve never done it, I`m not that cheap...I might start doing it tho if my retirement don`t go up soon....

[JeffD]

I cut several inch lengths and save them. I figured out a way to make my fishing jigs more weedless by using couple of short lengths of A string hanging across the open end of the hook. Works kind of well I think, and the jig, when used with a chartruse Mr. Twister, catches walleye very effectively. I also made a threader out of a hunk of E string, for threading tippet through the eyelet of a #20 Adams.

Other than fishing...

I fixed a charcoal grill once with some G strings. It did't last long however.

Now that I am diabetic, I suppose I could use an E string if I run out of lancets for checking my blood glucose (ouch).

[michaelpthompson]

I used an A string to repair a cajon this past week. It's a kind of drum that's basically a box, but it has a couple of wires inside the front that act like snares. One of them broke and upon examination, turned out to be a wound string that looked for all the world like a string from a guitar or mandolin or something.

[Andrew B. Carlson]

I know the E strings work great for unplanned blood letting....:crying:

[Mandobart]

I use ~ 1 ft lengths of used wound strings for nut files/dressing. Helps to smooth out the nut groove when I make a new nut. I also use the cut off ends of new A's for my cheese slicer. I save all the balls from ball end strings to use on one OM, my electric mando and my mandocello, since they take ball end strings.

[michaelpthompson]

I know the E strings work great for unplanned blood letting....:crying:

I've experienced that one first HAND.:whistling:

[Chip Booth]

I use em to cut cheese. You know, blocks of cheese? They work fan-TASTIC! :grin:

I prefer new strings for this use!

I sometimes use them to get other old strings out of my Statocasters when changing them.

[barney 59]

The carburetor jet cleaner idea does work. I don't actually keep strings for this purpose but I will use strings to clean out plugged gas jets or the orifice of a garden sprayer,pressure washer etc. From this thread I am concocting an idea to snare GOPHERS!

[Paul Busman]

I use em to cut cheese. You know, blocks of cheese? They work fan-TASTIC! :grin:

Good idea-- the wound strings would give a nice decorative cut...

[D C Blood]

Hey Willie, Back in the old days when we didn't have the price of a set, we'd take them off and boil them for a few minutes and presto, just like new. For a quick fix 3-in-1 oil on a cloth did a great job also...

[Robert Mitchell]

"d" strings make excellent short leaders for bluefish rigs

[AlanN]

I remember the old 'boil and re-use' advice. Problem is once you take them off, it's hard to put them back on if you nip the ends.

[Mark Hudson]

I know the E strings work great for unplanned blood letting....:crying:

Some blood, but would have been worse is that I almost managed to run the string under my fingernail!

[0018g]

I have a body shop friend that will occasionally come get one to cut out a windshield installed with butyl tape. Works like a champ. Normally a high e off of my guitar.

[HoGo]

I wouldn't suggest anyone doing this. We had a party at friends weekend house and one fuse kept on burning because we used couple heaters and electric stove at the same time. Those were the old ceramic fuses with small piece of wire. We ran out of fuses so tried duitar d string - that burned just like the original wire, but A string worked well (and perhaps is still there few years later). Anyone measured resistance of strings? :-)

[jim simpson]

I like to use old ones for temporary use when working on instruments where I have to take off and put on strings before I'm done.

[pickloser]

Double a string, push the doubled string thru a ping pong ball, attach the other end to a sweat band, and then attach another ping pong balled end string to the sweatband. You will need to reinforce the place where you attach the doubled strings to the sweatband with a piece of cardboard or the like, and duct tape is very useful. Wear this with a yellow tee shirt striped horizontally with electrical tape. You have a cheap halloween costume. You're a bee, or a not-ready-for-prime-time player. The ping pong balls don't bob convincingly, unless you double the strings.

Unwound strings are good to clear out clogged windshield wiper fluid sprayers.

[Steve Ostrander]

Years ago I saved all the ball ends from guitar strings and strung them on a fishline to make a necklace for my GF. She was not impressed...

Actually, ball ends aren't little balls, they are more like little spools. Why don't we call them spool ends?

[Marcelyn]

There's a fun instrument called a didley bow which can be made in under 10 minutes. Basically, you put a nail or screw at both ends of a piece of wood, wrap the old string around each screw, and wedge a tin can under the right end to make the wire taught. You play it by tapping on the wire with a stick in your right hand and sliding a glass bottle neck up and down the wire with your left. It's a one string slide guitar, and apparently a lot of great blues players got their start on them. They're lots of fun, and can actually sound pretty amazing

I've also used the old strings for cookie tin banjos and stick dulcimers. I'll bet you could easily make one of those door chimes too.

[Perry]

I used old strings to hang Christmas wreaths and other heavy decorations. Would make good picture frame wire too I suppose.

[300win]

A old guitar player friend of mine use to boil his old strings in a water-vinegeor mix. I can testify that they sounded pretty new when they were put back on..... but...... I can also testify that on guitar I've run the strinngs down one at a time to where they were really slack... pulled them out hard like a bow string then release them.... wind them back up to tune.... and they sounded brand new. Probably a lot of you on here that have done that, it's no big secret. My take is whenever you do that it knocks all the dead skin cells out of them and streaches the flat places out, who knows, but it does work and I still do it. I've tried it on mandolins before without getting the same results with guitar, because I guess the mandolin strings are really too short.

Now as far as uses for old strings, never tried it before, but I expect theywould make good leaders for say.... catfishing.

[300win]

There's a fun instrument called a didley bow which can be made in under 10 minutes. Basically, you put a nail or screw at both ends of a piece of wood, wrap the old string around each screw, and wedge a tin can under the right end to make the wire taught. You play it by tapping on the wire with a stick in your right hand and sliding a glass bottle neck up and down the wire with your left. It's a one string slide guitar, and apparently a lot of great blues players got their start on them. They're lots of fun,

thanks for this info... I'm gonna make one for my little nephew, he's interested in music. Last year I bought him a little cheap guitar that he bangs away on, but I figure if I made this for him he could actually get some king of musicial tone out of it....... again many thanks for posting this.

[Randi Gormley]

The cheese grater thing reminded me that you can cut cake with tooth floss; I'd imagine a (clean) used mandolin string would work as well.

[blawson]

Guitar string bracelets. (http://www.uncommongoods.com/product/guitar-string-bracelets) For mandolin, one could use four courses in the braid?

[journeybear]

I use em to cut cheese. You know, blocks of cheese? They work fan-TASTIC! :grin:

That's what a mandoline is for! :grin:

Someone once upon a time mentioned a school in Arizona I think that accepts these and puts them to use for their students somehow. A few months ago I found an old stash of these and so I asked about that, and a reply did emerge eventually. Perhaps it will again, and perhaps I can find this on my own again. Somehow ...

Meanwhile I always keep the set I just took off the mandolin neatly rolled and in their sleeves in my case four use as a spare in case I break a string at a gig. A used string is going to be already stretched out and otherwise in a similar condition to a string that breaks. Closer than a new one, anyway.

I tried to offer a used G string to a dancer once but she was not interested. :confused:


A garrotte?

Just remember to take the canolli. ;)

[MikeEdgerton]

If you've gt a really old set of mandolin strings that's good a rusty wind them up, get a picture of Monroe playing the mandolin from the 40's and put them on eBay as strings once played by Bill Monroe. Use the picture as proof. You can do the same thing with old rusty guitar strings and a picture of Elvis. You generally can't get away with it with banjo strings as everyone knows that no banjo player, not even Earl ever changed his strings. :cool:

[journeybear]

Here 'tis:

http://www.ffotm.net/YoungJammers/

and the thread (http://www.mandolincafe.com/forum/showthread.php?69205)I started about this, FWIW (still hoping other suggestions pop up).

[Tom C]

You can buy bracelets made from strings used by pros over here...
http://wearyourmusic.org/catalog/product_info.php?cPath=21&products_id=103
Pricey but cool.

[dunwell]

I use an old E for setting intonation at the bridge for both guitars and mando. Lift up the strung-up string and slip a loop of used E under it between the string and the bridge. I then scoot it back and forth till the intonation is just so and mark the bridge. Then I ramp the bridge to that marked spot. Works slicker than <<ahem>> on linoleum.

Alan D.

[billhay4]

Try this (http://www.darrylpurpose.com/2ndstrng/2ndstrng.htm)
Bill