What's the best way to clean rosin off of strings? I wipe it off with a duster but sometimes they look like they could do with a bit more of a clean and I'm not sure what the best thing to use should be.

It feels like one of those things i ought to know!

A cloth, lightly dampened with meths, will do the trick. Keep any meths well away from the varnish. You can do it with the violin held upside down (ie bridge facing towards the floor) to avoid any possibility of alcohol dripping onto the instrument.

We use unwanted perfume to clean my daughter's cello strings. The alcohol content is high enough to clean off the rosin, and it makes the cello smell nice too.....

I'd agree with the others, there are also special products in string shops although the other options would most likely be cheaper

....or surgical spirit.

Any alcohol based liquid will do really.
The important thing is to keep it away from the varnish, whatever you use.
(kind of ironic, if you could see what I'm doing right now )

Sounds like i've found a use for all my half-used-and -abandoned bottles of perfume! Many thanks for all the replies.


So what are you doing now? Spill the beans!

"antiquing" a new violin by selective alcohol abuse of the varnish. Not for the faint-hearted!

My violin teacher showed me how to do it using some of her perfume.

Not having any perfume I've used aftershave to the same effect.

However, since the aftershave I use is "Brut" my wife thinks my playing has gone a bit "Gene Hunt" (Life on Mars).

Not sure if this is a good thing but it certainly smells like a rather male violin now.

Cheers,

Matt.

Just remember not to "splash it all over"!

I can just 'picture' how he smells!!! (well, you know what I mean )(Come back 'Old Spice'?!!!)

Hmmm. Am not allowed to use "Old Spice" as her father used to use it.

Am now waiting for my violin to tell me that it doesn't want to play, "that namby pamby Sevcik!" and that I should, "pick up the Bach like a real man!"

Cheers,

Matt.





You mean that's not how you antique a violin?

Cheers,

Matt.

Oddly I tried "After Shave" on my strings yesterday worked a treat. Mine is Polo.

I use ethanol, simply because I've access to an unlimited supply of the stuff via my non-musical work.