Sgt. Pepper Posted February 10, 2020 Share Posted February 10, 2020 (edited) I know Gibson Cryogenically enhanced there frets a few years back and Dean Markley dips there Blue Steels (used to use them when I was an electric guy) in Liquid Nitrogen(LN2). I work at a place that makes it on site and today I brought in a set of Martin SP strings and I dipped them in LN2. Tomorrow I have a few frets to take care of on my D-41 and I am going to put the ones I dipped on to see if it actually does anything or its just Snake Oil. I'm thinking Snake Oil personally. Edited February 10, 2020 by Sgt. Pepper 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
uncle fester Posted February 11, 2020 Share Posted February 11, 2020 10 hours ago, Sgt. Pepper said: I know Gibson Cryogenically enhanced there frets a few years back and Dean Markley dips there Blue Steels (used to use them when I was an electric guy) in Liquid Nitrogen(LN2). I work at a place that makes it on site and today I brought in a set of Martin SP strings and I dipped them in LN2. Tomorrow I have a few frets to take care of on my D-41 and I am going to put the ones I dipped on to see if it actually does anything or its just Snake Oil. I'm thinking Snake Oil personally. interested to see your results... more alarming is you've got a few frets to take care of, on the D41?!? I thought you got that new. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rct Posted February 11, 2020 Share Posted February 11, 2020 I'm not a metallurgist but I'd be happy to play one on the internet. For two decades of my young life I boiled every set of strings that went on every guitar, every time. Boil water, plunk them in there, sit a few minutes, take them out, dry them, put them on. Not to clean them, but because Eddie and a couple others known for violently wang barring said it stretched them. It did. They expand as far as possible and contract as far as possible as they cool. I stopped eventually because I didn't violently wang bar on my best night. I still feel weird not boiling them but that's ok. So I'm guessing that lowering the temperature so far causes them to expand as far as they can, then contract as far as they can as they return to normal sub-zero temperatures. It might make a bit of difference in their response to bending and returning to pitch. Or not. I don't know what the hell I'd put on a D-41. Gold strings or something. Platinum maybe. I sure wouldn't play the damn thing, that would wreck it. rct Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Big Bill Posted February 11, 2020 Share Posted February 11, 2020 28 minutes ago, rct said: I'm not a metallurgist but I'd be happy to play one on the internet. I have to admit that was funny!!! 🤣 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rct Posted February 11, 2020 Share Posted February 11, 2020 Have you seen the new early am weather on 3? She is a fantastic color that I can't even describe. Talk about morning wood! rct Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Big Bill Posted February 11, 2020 Share Posted February 11, 2020 Gotta let age a little... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sgt. Pepper Posted February 11, 2020 Author Share Posted February 11, 2020 (edited) We are testing in the Wind Tunnel I work at and when we test I go to nights. Should be might last night of nights for this week. I hope so cause The Wood Brother are playing in Richmond Wednesday and I want to go. So just got up, gonna get a few gulps of coffee in me and the strings are coming off. Gonna rock the frets one more time as I lowered the action last time. I did it and did not go back a second time to double check to see if I have a fret of two that need more attention. Its not like the frets are steak knives on the ends like some Gibbys I've owned. Yes the D-41 is new. Yes rct sometimes I just want to look at it, but its an instrument and I play mine. Just cause it cost a pretty penny doesn't mean it ain't getting played. Leave the house, no way, put played, oh h-ell yes. Results in a few hours. I should have taken pics after I dipped them, but I left my phone at my desk. Edited February 11, 2020 by Sgt. Pepper Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rct Posted February 11, 2020 Share Posted February 11, 2020 I'm with you brother. I'd take it out and bash at it and I'd let others use it too. It's only a guitar. rct Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sgt. Pepper Posted February 11, 2020 Author Share Posted February 11, 2020 Polishing it up then on go the cryogenically enhanced strings. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kidblast Posted February 11, 2020 Share Posted February 11, 2020 cryogenically enhanced strings I feel as if I've been living under a rock or something, Do tell more when ya can! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sgt. Pepper Posted February 11, 2020 Author Share Posted February 11, 2020 After all that, they sound like strings on a guitar. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rct Posted February 11, 2020 Share Posted February 11, 2020 2 hours ago, Sgt. Pepper said: Polishing it up then on go the cryogenically enhanced strings. Hey that sounds like me on a date. rct Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sgt. Pepper Posted February 11, 2020 Author Share Posted February 11, 2020 54 minutes ago, rct said: Hey that sounds like me on a date. rct Is Big Bill with you? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hall Posted February 13, 2020 Share Posted February 13, 2020 Verdi-grease Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rct Posted February 13, 2020 Share Posted February 13, 2020 On 2/11/2020 at 6:03 PM, Sgt. Pepper said: Is Big Bill with you? He had to get home early but left some DNA here. rct Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jaxson50 Posted February 14, 2020 Share Posted February 14, 2020 (edited) A friend of mine has several patents for cryogenic technology he has developed and markets and installs his equipment all over the world, He started in the business treating metal for military applications, There is much more to it than dipping stuff in liquid nitrogen. Metals are subjected to cooling in phases until the desired temperature (-360 f) for the metal being treated is reached, then the temp is maintained for a precise amount of time before being brought back to normal temperature, again slowly raising it incrementally, The process actually changes the molecular structure of the metal., binding the larger molecules to each other and likewise the smaller molecules to each other . There is a breakthrough on the horizon with a new technology that would use cryogenic systems to super cool CNG for use in railroad engines and over the road trucks as well as ocean freighters, using a newly developed dual nozzle injector, large displacement industrial diesel engines could be converted to use this super cooled CNG as an maximizing agent when injected into the combustion chamber milliseconds after the diesel, reducing the amount of diesel required for the same torque (or much more), The application primary goal being to reduce carbon emissions from railroads and large ships, converting in service equipment to this new technology. Edited February 14, 2020 by jaxson50 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jaxson50 Posted February 14, 2020 Share Posted February 14, 2020 The theory is basic. The colder the fuel the greater the expansion when ignited, the injector uses an inside channeling injector to supply the super cooled compressed natural gas with a extremely fine mist while the larger o shaped diesel injector supplies a smaller than normally required amount of diesel. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sgt. Pepper Posted February 14, 2020 Author Share Posted February 14, 2020 I'm just a dumb electrician and I know we make liquid nitrogen in the plant next to the wind tunnel I work at. We inject liquid nitrogen into the tunnel to cool it down to -250 F for a lot of the testing we do on the models of planes and wings and right now there is some model of a rocket they are testing for a planed trip to one of the moons of Jupiter, I think. Whenever a tour comes through they have a dewer (thick plastic bucket) filled with the stuff and we do demos with it. I though it would be cool to dip my strings in it. I've eaten cheese its dipped in liquid nitrogen. There cold and make your breath foggy. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JO'C Posted February 14, 2020 Share Posted February 14, 2020 Hi Sgt. Pepper, I've been watching this thread with some interest. Working in the laser industry for nearly 40 years I've spent a lot of time with liquid nitrogen and cryogenics. I remember back in the 80's the big rage was to treat machining tools like end mills in liquid nitrogen to super harden them. Jaxson50 is right. There is a specific time process involved, especially bringing the metal back to room temp. With cryogenically cooled lasers, the process to bring them safely back to room temp is on the order of about 3 hours. Otherwise the metals could be shocked and actually become brittle. Also to properly treat the strings they should be extended linearly and tensioned as they would be in use. If you just take the strings from the pack all looped in circles the thermal contraction would be around the curvature rather than linear. A dip in liquid nitrogen and then a quick rise to room temp could cause weakening of the strings. Every metal or alloy has a unique coefficient of thermal expansion. The metal wound around the lower pitched strings is different than the solid inner wire so if the strings are coiled and dipped, the windings could get damaged to the point of breaking worst case or at least a shortened lifetime. I think your snake oil assumption is correct but if you give it a try be sure to let us know what happens. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SteveFord Posted February 14, 2020 Share Posted February 14, 2020 (edited) I can say that the cryo treatment to tubes does make them sound better. Years ago I did an experiment with the fellow whose business was dipping the tubes. I thought he was full of crap but nope. This was for stereo gear, I don't know if it would make a difference for guitar amps. Edited February 14, 2020 by SteveFord Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jdgm Posted February 15, 2020 Share Posted February 15, 2020 (edited) Re the cryogenically treated frets; according to this 2018 Sweetwater article, Gibson started doing it in 2014. Think we had a thread about it sometime back then too. https://www.sweetwater.com/insync/first-look-gibsons-2018-models-heres-whats-new/ Edited February 15, 2020 by jdgm Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jaxson50 Posted February 15, 2020 Share Posted February 15, 2020 The theory is basic. The colder the fuel the greater the expansion when ignited, the injector uses an inside channeling injector to supply the super cooled compressed natural gas with a extremely fine mist while the larger o shaped diesel injector supplies a smaller than normally required amount of diesel. Here is a video about Westport Industries and the use of cryogenic technology as it applies to the future of transportation and lowering our carbon emissions Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sgt. Pepper Posted February 16, 2020 Author Share Posted February 16, 2020 Well they haven't broke. Yeah I just dipped them a few times in a small vat of LN2 then the just came up to room temp. And like I said they just sound like strings. They look no different maybe a bit less shiny. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jaxson50 Posted February 16, 2020 Share Posted February 16, 2020 I tried some when they first came out on a strat I once owned and they seemed like great strings. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sgt. Pepper Posted February 27, 2020 Author Share Posted February 27, 2020 (edited) I dipped another set tonight and I am going to put them on my 000-28 tomorrow. Here is a pic a few seconds after they came out of the LN2. I left these in there for about 5 minuets this time. http:// Edited February 27, 2020 by Sgt. Pepper Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.