How can I reuse or recycle guitar strings?
We’ve had another email from Am (aka Delusion):
Ahh yes I’m back with yet another suggestion!
My partner is an avid musician and with three guitars, 2 x acoustic and 1 x electric, he often needs to restring them.
Does any one have any idea how to recycle or reuse them? We have both the nylon and the metal kind of string!
John plays guitar too and I’ve got an old set of metal strings in my “things to do stuff with” box. The thicker strings – which look to be tight coils rather than a single straight ‘string’ – might work for jewellery but I’ve not tried it yet. Anyone else used them to make anything? Or got any other suggestions?
(Photo by CraigPJ)
You could make flowers:
http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=361039
I guess they could be used for anything where you might use a bit of bare wire, e.g. as ties, but the ends tend to be sharp.
I have a couple of guitars, but I don’t play very much and so don’t change strings that often.
I wonder if you could twist several together to make the wire to hang pictures? I do know you should be careful to store them neatly and not leave them laying around. I vacuumed one up once and had to take the vacuum in to be repaired–the strings are sharp and it cut the belt.
Mary
I’ve used them to hang plants, picture frames, lights, etc. The thin strings are great because they’re hard to see and give hanging items a look of floating. The thicker, coiled strings are good for heavier things, but they work best if they’re straightened out.
I use my snapped guitar strings to make bangle-type bracelets.
http://www.cutoutandkeep.net/projects/guitar_string_bangles
there is a group that sends strings to south america to struggeling musicians to re use…. strings 4 ???? something like that but they are out there.
the website is: http://www.secondstringsproject.org
You can make simple sculptures out of them, add clay, and start your fruitful career in animatronics.
Worked for me.
The bracelet idea is great!!!
Also, the wire bends in such a way that with a pompom or something covering the end, my cats go wild with it!
Even if you don’t have cats, if you know a freind with ’em, I’m sure they’d be greatful for such a cheap, easy toy!
Cut cheese?
I think you could use them to make mobile hangings like mobile art. they also could be covered with material fuzzy, cloth, etc to add to the look. ART.
wound steel strings lose the brightness from the sound when they get dirty.
boiling those strings in water will extend its life by another few months.
I use them to make leftover homemde instruments lol.
i love guitars so should you
Some people wind two strings together then weld them and make twisted rings, I have one I bought off of a christian company and I haven’t seen anyone else with one, so it’d be unique.
There must be a whole load of uses for guitar strings in the garden
I am making art work out of guitar strings to raise money for a schalarship that benefits foster children. if any one would like to help me out and send me their strings you can contact me at cwall2@unh.newhaven.edu
The last way I used old strings was to use them as a way to support tomato plants. I got some slim round wooden poles, drilled holes at certain intervals and threaded strings through to make a trellis. It worked very well.
Classical guitar bass strings can also be turned around so that the unused portion that was wound at the headstock is the new playing surface. They’ll sound new for quite some time. The metal is soft enough not to cause tuning problems.
Does anyone have advice on how to make a guitar string bracelet?
Hello!
we are a french association who recycle all guitars and bass strings. In 60 years we won’t be able to find more Nickel…so we have to change our behaviour now!
All the money earned is dedicated to solidarity action in health, sustainable developpment…
Please come on and visit our web site (in french for the moment)!
http://www.musicsolidarity.com
You can also find us on Facebook!
Thanks to everyone
hello@musicsolidarity.com
If you have an old guitar and do not know what to do with it, go to http://www.instructables.com/id/Guitar-Shelf/ and make a set of shelves out of your old guitar
I am interested in buying used strings to make bracelets; the cost of regular copper or stainless steel wire is nominal but I’d feel better about using the string to upcycle them. I have made several for friends who didn’t want to get rid of strings because of sentimental reasons. When I showed them what I could do with them they gladly handed them over (providing they got a custom bracelet in return haha). My email is freak369xxx@yahoo.com. I am looking for any strings from guitars or cellos; minimum length I can work with it 36 inches (1 yard)