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
