Dick Hauser - Posted - 03/10/2010:  10:54:30

When I first started playing, my instructor recommended that I protect my instrument and clean my strings using alcohol. Later I started using a piece of pantyhose and it works very well. I have a couple of questions for an experienced repairperson -

1. Is the liquid string cleaner sold commerically any better than alcohol ?

2. Like I said, I clean my strings with a small piece of pantyhose when I finish playing. In addition to doing that, would cleaning the strings every couple of weeks with a liquid solvent help maintain the playing condition of the strings ?

Edit - Well, lots of people have ways of cleaning their strings. But I still don't know if the cleaning solvent is any better than alcohol or if cleaning strings every coupld of weeks ago will keep them any cleaner of rosin.

Edited by - Dick Hauser on 03/11/2010 14:27:13

RobBob - Posted - 03/10/2010:  11:23:14

Dick,

I use a wine cork and/or a microfiber cloth. I don't use anything else on my strings but I clean them off daily.

fiddlepogo - Posted - 03/10/2010:  12:17:58

I agree, cork works great- I just use a slice of it- makes it easy to get inbetween the strings to the sides which is where the rosin actually builds up. In fact, you don't need to clean the top- the action of the bow tends to push the rosin off of the top of the strings anyway.

jtallant - Posted - 03/10/2010:  14:18:46

I agree with RobBob.

When I first heard the tip about the cork, I went to my local hardware store and bought a 50 cent cork. It was kind of small but still worked ok. However, I have found that a wine cork works much better. Corks from premium wines seem to work better than the ones from cheaper wines. It has NOTHING to do with the actual cork, the wine just taste better.

woodwiz - Posted - 03/10/2010:  15:53:50

Cork works very well. I used to use an alcohol wipe, but cork is quicker and easier, works fine.

I'm always leery about solvents around violins. Murphy was an optimist.

jtafaro - Posted - 03/10/2010:  18:49:11

I have used methyl alcohol and ethyl alcohol and they both work fine. Isopropyl alcohol will work too. I had access to all three alcohols a few years ago and tried them all. They all work fine but too much can drip on the fiddle and ruin the finish. I actually still have a liter of 80 proof acohol at home to clean strings. I haven't used more than a few mls of it. I keep alcohol preps in the fiddle case and squeeze them out before I wipe the strings. Wine corks must have some residual alcohol in them to be so good. The idea is to clean off the rosin and alcohol will dissolve it completely. Panty hose should do the trick too because of the weave in it that would trap the rosin particles. We are talking about some very small pieces of rosin here.

Fiddlepiper - Posted - 03/10/2010:  23:16:15

Hmmmmm...pantyhose?? Will have to try this instead of throwing all of mine away. I just wipe off the rosin after each play with a bandana. I will try the cork too.