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Topic: Strings rusting in the packs(.011-.022) plain |
Dwight Lewis
From:
Huntsville, Alabama
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Posted 6 Sep 2014 9:02 am |
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In my experience the SIT strings tend to rust easier than my Ernie Ball strings(which tend to show little to no rust)...What say my experienced gentlemen out there?
Thanks
Dwight
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Dekley 7p4k(PRS-10C), BMI S12 5p5kn |
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Ned McIntosh
From:
New South Wales, Australia
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Posted 7 Sep 2014 2:16 am
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I've noticed that too, but I just put 'em on and use them and they seem to sound all right and don't break.
I have tried polishing them with Mothers Metal Polish to remove the worst of the rust and it seems to help a little bit.
Next time I make a bulk purchase I'll keep the strings in a plastic sealed food-container with some silica-gel sachets in it and see if that stops the corrosion. It might work, but overall it doesn't seem to be a great problem, for me at least.
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The steel guitar is a hard mistress. She will obsess you, bemuse and bewitch you. She will dash your hopes on what seems to be whim, only to tease you into renewing the relationship once more so she can do it to you all over again...and yet, if you somehow manage to touch her in that certain magic way, she will yield up a sound which has so much soul, raw emotion and heartfelt depth to it that she will pierce you to the very core of your being. |
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Robert Leaman
From:
Murphy, North Carolina, USA
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Posted 7 Sep 2014 8:53 am
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| Tool and Diemaker machinists use moth balls in their tool boxes to keep their extremely expensive tools rust free. You might take a hint. |
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Glenn Uhler
From:
Trenton, New Jersey, USA
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Posted 7 Sep 2014 6:23 pm Stored string corrosion?
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There are a number of things that can cause stored strings to corrode. As Ned points out, humidity is a big factor. They need to be stored in as dry a place as possible. That can be difficult in the SE, Dwight. As Robert points out, the vapor from the moth balls displaces the water vapor in the container.
The kind of paper used for the envelope is also important. The paper should be acid-free. Acid in the paper and water vapor can cause rapid corrosion on the strings. Long ago, I remember strings packaged in smaller rice paper envelopes inside the regular paper envelope. They never corroded.
Finally, how the strings are handled when they aare packed and unpacked can be a cause. Oils and acids from your hands can cause spots anywhere you touch the unused strings. Always wear white cotton gloves when you touch bulk strings that aren't in envelopes. The string makers and sellers should always wear gloves when packaging the strings, too. I'm not even going to talk about the coatings that are used when the strings are made.
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1974 Marlen S-12 1968 Tele 1969 Martin D-35H |
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Bobby D. Jones
From:
West Virginia, USA
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Posted 9 Sep 2014 7:42 pm Strings rusting in packs (.011 21 plain)
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| Are the strings rusting uniform all over in the package? Or just in small areas on the strings? If it is all over uniform rust, Either the packs have some acid in the paper or the strings are exposed to excess moisture or humidity somewhere along its travel. If the rust is in small concentrated areas, Some one who packed them may have packed them without wearing gloves. I would call the company and talk to them. If the rust is in small concentrated areas, The string wrapping employee may be not wearing proper equipment. Good luck in finding a remedy to the problem. |
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Butch Pytko
From:
Orlando, Florida, USA
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Posted 10 Sep 2014 4:44 pm
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| I always wondered if you could do a few light swipes on the rusted string with steel wool--lightly, and just enough to eliminate the rust? |
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Sid Hudson
From:
Virginia, USA
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Posted 10 Sep 2014 5:32 pm
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Some of the larger companies make tens of thousands of strings in a given run.
Tens of thousands of 11s, tens of thousands of 12s and so on.
These strings are stored at the manufacturer until someone places an order. Music store, dealer etc…
When a dealer places an order the strings are then shipped. The strings lay on the dealer’s shelf until they are sold to the public/customer.
Customer buys 6 sets of E9 and 3 C6th sets from the local music store.
How old are these strings from the time they come of the machine to the time you use your last set of strings? Good grief who knows! Years?
I can tell you this. If they have rust on them, they are already old strings. How can one know?
All plain strings are coated with tin. Tin will not rust. Tin does not rust.
As a string ages the tin coating starts to decay, crack and break apart from the high carbon steel music wire. Now you have the metal exposed that will rust.
Taking steel wool your favorite metal polish or Blitz does not restore the integrity of the string!
You will remove the rust from the string this is true but… one of the secrets to making a string that sustains for long periods of time is balance.
A string like a pendulum must be perfectly balanced when made to sustain indefinitely.
Like a crankshaft in a race motor. If that baby is going to turn high rpms without shaking everything apart it has to be perfectly balanced.
I realize that $10 to $13.50 is a lot of money to some. But for those of you that experiment with pickups, amps etc… The cheapest and most sure way to improve your tone is a fresh fresh set of strings.
What is fresh? Strings that were made last week or last month. |
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Bob Cox
From:
Buckeye State
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Posted 10 Sep 2014 6:06 pm
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| One of those food saver vacs does great if u need to store strings for a while and the strings will never rust as this takes the air out and vacs displaces moister |
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