Skin rash from strings

fourths_tuning

Another noob question: Can the coating on the strings cause skin problems? I've had some upper respiratory issues lately and was rubbing my eyes during and after playing without thinking about the black stuff on my left hand fingertips. Now the skin around my eyes is hypersensitive and inflamed. The only new factors I can think of are the new to me strings and my illness. Has anyone else had a similar experience?

Bob Holo

Nope- I've blackened my fingers on many occasions and come home from jams with black smudges on my face from rubbing/scratching with blackened fingers.

But... allergic reactions are very individual so YMMV.

djadam

Actually, a fair number of people are alergic to silver, so theoretically it could affect you somewhat.

fourths_tuning

Very interesting! I'll be researching this today.

I was using Newtones which didn't give me this problem, but had the 4-day wonder G-string, and switched to Argentines which have already doubled the string life but that's when the skin rash around the eyes showed up.

Last night I didn't rub my eyes (unusually strong will power on my part) and washed and scrubbed after practice and today my problem is significantly diminished.

Maybe it's a combination effect of the string coatings and my skin oils making a nastier brew.

Another interesting effect is that my left hand fingertips look worn, like someone who's just starting out on the guitar. As I've been playing jazz for 40 years and haven't had this problem since I started I attributed the wear to the thinner strings and the bends. Maybe the tips are corroding away : (

Is there a good string cleaner out there?

Heretic

It's a fairly good guess that the blackening of the fingers from Argentine strings is a metal oxide, as a reaction to your body chemistry. Metals such as nickel and silver, and particularly copper are well known allergens.

You may want to try Newtone Gitane Jazz strings. They don't turn your fingers black, and are made of different alloys. They are also rather long lasting. You can purchase them through this site or a few others.

djadam

fourths_tuning wrote:

Is there a good string cleaner out there?

I was just about to recommend that - I've found that my Savarez strings last much longer if I clean them thoroughly after a gig with a cleaner called Fast Fret. It is mineral oil based and even the G string seems to last significantly longer when I keep it clean like that. I'm guessing the oil helps keep the strings from oxidizing so quickly and I'm sure the oxidizing helps kill the winding on the G string, along with the brute force of your fingers.

I'm somewhat alergic to silver (as I found out with an ear ring in my younger days) and my fingers get much less black when I use the cleaner.

AJATango

you may have nickel sensitivity

fourths_tuning

My brief internet research suggests that nickle is the culprit. I couldn't find much to support silver unless it was a corrosive combination of silver and sweats. What confounds me is all my years of playing nickle electric strings with no problem.

Newtones were what my guitar came with. They sounded great but had the G-string problem discussed in another thread. I couldn't get more than four days out of them before the winding frayed on every fret (the core always seemed okay though).

Is there a way to get more life out of Newtones? ....or another brand to consider besides Argentines?

AJATango

allergies and sensitivities develop during the course of a life. kinda like spicy food sensitivity your burrito of yesterday could be the atom bomb of today.

Heretic

I might be entirely off-base with this hypothosis; but there are some points to consider. Savarez Argentine strings might be named as such because the Latin word for silver is argentum, hence the chemical symbol Ag for silver. The package has a Argentine bloke pictured on it. Argentina is/ was the land of silver mining.

Silver nitrate can and does turn the skin black. I don't know what's in your particular sweat, nor do I know if it's forming silver nitrate. Just something to consider. Individuals can have sensitivities to various metals that most other people don't find to be an allergen.

If you go back to the Newtone strings, just replace the broken G with spares, bought as individual strings. Having 5/6ths non-irritating is better than a full set of irritating strings.

fourths_tuning

My big mistake....and apology javascript:emoticon(':oops:')
Embarassed

I thought I had been using Newtone strings, I hadn't. It was the Vintage strings that had the short life expectancy for the G-string. I got confused and misspoke...miswrote. Again my apologies to Newtone.

I'm going to order the Newtone phosphor Gitanes to see how they work.

Does anyone know if the Pearse Nuage strings are also phosphor bronze?