< Back to Articles
An Explanation of Leather String Washers
Leather washers help to keep the string knot from marking an indentation on the underside of a historical tailpiece, or when used with a modern tailpiece, they help to keep the string knot from pulling through the string slot.
The washers with the 3.80mm outside diameter are intended for smaller instruments such as violins, treble viols and so on. The washers with the 5.00mm diameter are designed for larges instruments like the cello and bass viol. Of course, you are welcome to use any size on any instrument.
When choosing the hole size, select the one that is the same as the diameter of the string you want to use it on, or a little larger than the intended string.
We sell leather washers for all strings that accommodate them, as well as in packages of one dozen.
What Are Those Little Black Squares That Came With My String??
Those little black squares are anti-tarnish strips put in the envelopes of strings wound in sterling silver to avoid tarnish. Sterling tarnishes, turning black-ish in color, and cosmetically looks bad. The anti-tarnish strips react to hydrogen sulfide and other tarnish-causing gases to neutralize them. If the silver string tarnishes it is still perfectly fine, but these little squares help prevent tarnish.