I seem to have quite a few old strings around and wondered what everyone does with their old strings? We've got into the habit of keeping them all "just in case" a sting should snap but now we have a collection for instruments which have been grown out of. I'm hopeless at throwing things out but there is a limit to what can been stored!

I threw out the last lot I changed, because after all, the reason they needed changing was that they were past their best and didn't sound as good any more.

But I did wonder, is there anywhere that recycles used strings?

Just changed the strings on my daughters cello as there is an exam coming up (and as a side note for people who sometimes ask - there is a significant difference, audible to the listener, after only about 9 months with the last set). At about £90 to buy a new spare set I will keep the old ones as spares for the moment but will definitely throw them out as soon as I have bought a new set of spares. Have also made a note to try to change my own violin strings soon, as they are over a year old and my son's as well. Gets expensive.

My son (age 7) always wants to keep his old bow hairs when they break (unicorn hairs are very valuable apparently, something to do with Harry Potter)

I keep one set of used (but not particularly old) strings as spares. I took them off my viola as I didn't like the sound of them, but they are OK to put on in an emergency.

I know this is going to sound a bit weird. When strings are too far gone to be used for playing, I check the type of windings. Some strings have very pure silver windings, purer that sterling silver. I unravel the silver windings of these strings and save them. I discard the rest of the string. I have a decent sized ball of the silver now. My intention is to make some silver jewellery out of them related to the viola ( I have been working on some designs based on the alto clef and on some of the very decorative Baroque bridges). There are some silversmithing courses locally so I will enrol on one of them to actually make the jewellery when I have enough silver. I'm doing it because it would be special to me to have something actually made of the strings that I have spent so many hours practicing on.

What a great idea!

Why don't you ask as many people as you can to 'send you their old siver windings' then? It will make it quicker to make your collection more bulky I can save mine for you if you like

Thanks for the offer, but I have to be really sure about the exact composition of each winding. Not all of them are pure silver. Some of them are tungsten, aluminium or other metals. If I were to melt the silver with other metals then it would probably make the silver unusable and/or destroy the crucible.

Wow! I wish something similar was possible with clarinet reeds... growing new civilisations on them nonwithstanding.

I've only ever changed my violin strings once (in 7 years) but I'm keeping the old set as spares because I've never carried spares either.

I think my bow could do with a rehair too

I remember sitting down with a box of old clarinet reeds and a tube of glue. I tried all sorts of things and even glued them to the outside of a plantpot (which was quite interesting.. wish I still had it). In one orchestra we used them as airborne tiddly-winks and catapults.

I know some bands sell jewellry such as necklaces made out of their old instrument strings... also many guitarists save their strings to make bracelets or choker-things, so you could try something similar. I made a couple with old guitar/violin strings - you just twist them all together into a sort of circle, like the way the string is winded when it arrives brand new in the packet. After that bind the ends with wire to secure. All 6 steel guitar strings usually make a nice chunky one. And they look pretty funky. I remember seeing a tutorial online too.

I thought that Mina Mozarta was unique when she said she wanted to keep her old guitar strings in her jewelery box!

Very cool! I'd love to try silversmithing...

Yes, I keep the silver windings too, with the thought in mind that I might have a piece of jewellery made one day. I don't know how "pure" the silver is though.

Any very old aluminium wound strings are used to tie up climbing plants in the garden. The strings tend to be more rot-proof than general garden wire.

Old strings make good strong wires to hang a framed picture from!

That's very practical indeed. Given that my viola strongs are going to be quite tough, I'm sure to find a use for them like this one!

Now, just need to play it enough to wear the strings out!! (I have just done 20 mins prac, honest!)