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cleaning cymbals

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1cleaning cymbals Empty cleaning cymbals Tue Jan 15, 2013 3:55 am

kenny

kenny

Is there any reason to other than looks? what with? can it ruin the sound? or enhance it?

http://www.balkanmusic.org

2cleaning cymbals Empty Re: cleaning cymbals Wed Jan 16, 2013 10:07 am

Daveonskins

Daveonskins

I think that Cleaning your cymbals keeps them as they were intended to sound. After all..they were made that way.

As for the sound, I think it does change if you Don't clean them. They don't vibrate quite as much due to the oxidation in the tonal grooves.
That's not a bad thing at all..You may have heard of some people burying they're ride cymbals in the ground to dry the sound out..most notably for Jazz applications..

But today there are so many options for getting the sound you want that you don't have to go to that extreme. I have a 20'' Zildjian K Constantinople Ride that I haven't cleaned since the day I bought it about 10 years ago, and when I first got that cymbal, I used to put a small piece of tape on it to dry out the sound. Now I don't have to do that anymore due to the build up.

Cleaning Cymbals actually takes a small amount of metal out of them.. That black stuff you see on your cloth when you clean them is actually metals.. So if you clean them a lot, this will weaken the cymbal over time.

I prefer to keep my cymbals relatively clean, I think they do sound a little clearer, and I like they way they look clean as well.


3cleaning cymbals Empty Re: cleaning cymbals Wed Jan 16, 2013 3:46 pm

D. Slam

D. Slam

Agreed, D.L.

Incidentally, I use Comet or Ajax with a soft towel
and rub with the grooves.

4cleaning cymbals Empty Re: cleaning cymbals Sun Jan 20, 2013 7:08 pm

Asaph

Asaph

The only time I use powder is if I purchase a used cymbal that's all green or something. Otherwise I use ammonia to deal with typical fingerprints and stuff. No loss of metal, and no residue to keep cleaning off. Lemon ammonia, then some Clear Glass window cleaner and they stay new looking for me.

http://drumsinhisheart.weebly.com

5cleaning cymbals Empty Re: cleaning cymbals Mon Jan 21, 2013 2:38 pm

D. Slam

D. Slam

Asaph wrote:The only time I use powder is if I purchase a used cymbal that's all green or something. Otherwise I use ammonia to deal with typical fingerprints and stuff. No loss of metal, and no residue to keep cleaning off. Lemon ammonia, then some Clear Glass window cleaner and they stay new looking for me.

Ammonia!!! Cleans the cymbals while frying the bronchioles in your lungs both at the same time. affraid lol!

6cleaning cymbals Empty Re: cleaning cymbals Mon Jan 21, 2013 4:08 pm

Asaph

Asaph

Yeah, it can definitely do that if you aren't careful. Using a spray bottle alleviates a lot of that. I don't even notice it.

http://drumsinhisheart.weebly.com

7cleaning cymbals Empty Re: cleaning cymbals Mon Jan 21, 2013 7:15 pm

D. Slam

D. Slam

That's good... Ammonia's no joke... Not inhaling those fumes!

8cleaning cymbals Empty Re: cleaning cymbals Tue Jan 22, 2013 2:44 am

Asaph

Asaph

I began using ammonia when I noticed it's the base for most cymbal cleaners. Just decided to bypass the rest of the stuff that made my cymbals black and left residue which became as problematic to clean off as the built up grime.

One company came out with a cleaner which had a citrus base. Now others have found various methods.

There was a guy in Montana, if I recall correctly, who developed a system of some kind, who not only cleaned cymbals but could turn a regular finish into a brilliant finish. I called to talk to him about price. His wife told me he stopped doing it because too many drummers were not paying him for the service. Sad.

I started mounting my cymbals to my drills and cleaning them as they spin. Gets kind of crazy with larger cymbals, though. And now they have the machines designed for it. Very expensive.

http://drumsinhisheart.weebly.com

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