Cleaning cymbals

toilet bowl cleaner and steel wool? Every one sure this isnt going to mess up the finish? Is there somthing i should put on after to keep it from oxidizing ?
 
I was wondering if anyone knew if anything takes off those nasty white marks from the Travis Barker Signature sticks.
 
alright, here's my verdict
never use steel wool on cymbals- sure it cleans them well with the toilet bowl cleaner, but thats largely because its removing the surface of the cymbal. Only a small amount is being removed, but after a while it will affect the cymbal.

toothpaste + rust stain remover worked very well. If you get a soft buff and put it on a dremel or drill, you can really buff stuff out without damaging the cymbal other than removing the labels. Good old paper towels work too, but require some elbow grease.

BKF and similar products- good products, I find doing that plus another cleaning of toothpaste works well.

Finally, my dad runs an industrial abbrasive and polishing company and had a deal with Zildjian at one time to polish the cymbals in the factory and put on the brilliant finishes. So really, I can get them to shine like new, but it still takes some work, and we just use a soft buff on a dremel and some industrial grade metal polish- cleaned up 30 years of patina pretty nicely, but they weren't my cymbals so we didn't want to apply anything stronger.
 
go with the PAISTE CYMBAL CLEANER. i bought it for 10dollars at guitar center, and my cymbals look newer than when i got them. and the logo's dont rub off
 
Using Paiste polish

I've got some Paiste 802's, Alphas and Rudes which I'm about to polish up with the Paiste stuff (unless anyone has any advice to the contrary!), but I've also got a pair of Zildjian New Beat hats - should I use the Paiste polish on those? Thoughts?

Thanks!
 
I have 3 1950's Zildjian crashe's and a Zildjian Ride (all old) The Ride i dont even know how old it is, anyway they are extremly dirty they are literaly brown, i dont want to mess up these Babies they are my prized possesions, also i have two Mica Sonic Cymbals from Germay i want to find out about them im assuming they are junk but if you know anything at all , anything email me at [email protected]
 
I would like to preface what I am going to say about Cymbal cleaning by saying that I recondition Vintage, and some not so Vintage Drums & Outfits, 6-8 hours a day, 7 days a week and have a close relative that has owned their own cleaning business for over 25 years. Based on our experience in cleaning & polishing neither of us will use anything that contains abrasives (no matter how fine,) ammonia or acids on any metals that someone plans on having around awhile. This is due to the fact that acids & ammonia can get down into the microscopic pores of the metal and break down the alloys over time so all may appear to be fine but as time goes by bad things could start to happen. Abrasives, well, they speak for themselves.
The key phrase above is “on any metals that someone plans on having around awhile” and is what we base our “philosophy” on, longevity………………..

Cymbals, being the mysterious instruments that they are, will change character when exposed to dirt & dust, which usually gives them a mellower tone, as these build up over time they can give you the sound that you're looking for even though the Cymbal didn't "sound right" when you first added it to your Kit. The same can be said of cleaning, but here a person has to very careful. Many polishes will round off the tonal ridges and, or, alter the tonal grooves thus changing the Cymbal's tonal character, which is nothing more than how the ridges & grooves allow the vibrations to move through the metal of the Cymbal. This change is permanent I might add...............

Because of this I would urge caution when contemplating using anything other than warm soap & water or something along the lines of Groove Juice, which you always have to thoroughly rinse off after use. Many a fine Cymbal has been altered by someone that just had to get rid of the tarnish and those unsightly fingerprints. Don't get me wrong and think that I am saying that if you use a polish on a Cymbal that you will ruin it, you could in fact, based on your preference, actually improve the sound. If this is the case always keep in mind that subsequent polishing may take it beyond that "sweet sound" that you love so much..............

Always keep in mind when polishing that most, if not all, of the "black crud" showing up on your rag is actually part of the Cymbal so you are removing metal and more than likely changing how the tonal grooves & ridges allow the vibrations to work their way through the Cymbal..................

Bottom line, if you must clean, or polish, your Cymbals be very careful as you could be making changes that can't be undone by hitting the "back button," and once the metal has been removed from your Cymbal {investment,} it's gone forever..............

LVDC
 
I use Sabian Cymbal Cleaner

i'm not very happy with it.

It maybe make the dirt go away but it do it with sabian logo too! :(
 
LarryMullen3 said:
My old drum teacher said "Never Clean your Cymbals. The Dirty sound is better"
Click to expand...

yea.....isnt it better not to clean the cymbals?......thats what i was told too......when i get new cymbals i always put lotion on them...and then in like a week the dust just from floating around gets them dirty.....i love that sound....but thats what i do
 
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