How to hang a cymbal for display?

juheimbu

Junior Member
Hi all,

I've got this little splash cymbal signed by Terry Bozzio that I'd like to hang up for display in my office/studio/game room. Obviously, I could just stick a nail in the wall and drop it on there, but I think that would require a pretty long nail, and it would look awful.

Any ideas? I'm sure some of you have done similar things.

Cheers!
Justin
 
Depending how mechanically inclined you are, my suggestion for a wall mount would be to re-purpose a cymbal tilter, mount it to a board that's a bit larger in diameter than the cymbal (round would be cool!) and display the splash in context, wing nut and all.

But for something that small, I'd personally go for a desktop vibe. Same idea with the cymbal tilter, except include more of the post. A microphone desktop base would be ideal as well as thematic, and tilt the cymbal so that it's about 45° This is where having a little mechanical background is helpful, find the right diameter cymbal pole and thread it to fit right into the base. Nothing too bulky though, it's only a splash and shouldn't be overshadowed by the hardware.

Have fun!

Bermuda
 
Here is one idea.


Wall_Mounted_Dish_Hanger.jpg


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I have one hanging and used a device used for hanging plates on the wall. Made of wire with a loop on the back. Try target or a grocery store.

Jim and I were typing at the same time.
 
You could also put in in a shadow box (Hobby Lobby, Michaels). That will keep the "touchers" from smearing the signature.
 
I just used a short loop of string and a picture hanger wall hook. One end of the string loop goes over the wall hook. The other end of the string loop goes through the cymbal hold. Then you just need any type of short rod (a pin, for example) to hold the string loop on top of the cymbal. Low tech and crude.
 
Thanks, all. Bermuda, your idea seems coolest, but I'm not skilled enough to make it happen. The collectible plate holder rig seems like the right thing. Shadow box is an OK idea, too. I'll see what I can make happen.

Cheers!
 
If you're up for a little bit more of a challenge here's how I built my two cymbal displays. I copped the concept from photos of Mike Johnston's facility, but adapted the design to work in my studio. Everything was built from scrap materials, stained and painted with surplus items laying around in my garage.

3/4" Birch base plate on the the back (stained Ebony) framed by 1 X 3" pine (painted gloss black).
I used a T-nut centered in the back of the Birch plate, then used a threaded rod into the T-nut and a black fender nut on the front side of the birch plate. I applied a few drops of Loc-tite on both the T-nut and the fender nut to keep everything tight when they were cinched down.
Then I used some thick heat shrink tubing on the threaded rod to help protect the cymbal holes. Most of my cymbals--but not all--have Grombals in them which provides additional protection hanging on the rods.
Then I screwed the birch plates into wall studs to support all the weight and hid the screw heads with small black padded adhesive caps (these are hidden by the cymbals).

I have two of these mounts and they can support all my cymbals (up to 22" diameter) when needed.

Easy solution for you would be to locate a wall stud, screw a threaded rod into the stud and then cap it off with a brass acorn nut or a knurled brass nut. Quick and simple.
 

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That's really cool! Unfortunately (or fortunately, depending on your perspective), my room has LOADS of windows, and really limited wall space. Not sure I could find a wall stud with enought lateral clearance to be able to hang my cymbals that way. Sure is cool, though. Nice pics.
 
You could also put in in a shadow box (Hobby Lobby, Michaels). That will keep the "touchers" from smearing the signature.



For a good looking display PLUS an easier project, this is also what I would have suggested. + 1 on the shadow box if you want a nice looking display that is easy to do.
 
Also, another option is a trick way to give your splash cymbal the appearance of "floating" off the wall is to use a skateboard deck wall mount. Mount it vertically. Only requires one screw into a wall stud or a wall anchor. Unscrew the lower hanger on the face of the mount, and hang the splash off of the top hanger.

Here's a used mount on eBay:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Skateboard-...721?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item3397ae9371
 
Also, another option is a trick way to give your splash cymbal the appearance of "floating" off the wall is to use a skateboard deck wall mount. Mount it vertically. Only requires one screw into a wall stud or a wall anchor. Unscrew the lower hanger on the face of the mount, and hang the splash off of the top hanger.

Here's a used mount on eBay:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Skateboard-...721?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item3397ae9371

Slick. That might work, too.
 
This might be over kill for a splash cymbal.
But, here's how I hang (and display) the cymbals that are used more often than the ones stored in the cymbal bag. It's an old school skateboard truck baseplate.
Some people might not like the cymbal hole resting on the threaded bolt but its not an issue if I don't drag the cymbal of the bolt.
 

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That is a clever idea there Foot. If you were worried about it key-holing you could always use a cymbal sleeve.

My unused cymbals sit in a bag on a shelf, if they had feelings they would feel unloved.
 
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