Hand-hammering and re-creating cymbals

Believe me, Tooldrums, you wouldn't be able to do this work. There are only a handful of people in the World who can do it, and Johan is definitely one of the best.
 
tooldrums1000 said:
You don't even know me. Think before you speak. I could be Robert Zildjian.
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Believe me, if you were Robert Zildjian, you wouldn't be on here. He can't even create good cymbals these days anyway. I put a lot of thought into my post, more than you put into your reply in fact.
 
Try burying them in the ground for a year.

I'm not even joking, either.
 
Hey. I have an old solar chrash ride kicking around. I was wondering what i should do to it. What do you suggest, and what kind of tools do i need. Can you also give me what i should do in steps?

Thanks Alot.
 
Mediocrefunkybeat said:
Try burying them in the ground for a year.

I'm not even joking, either.
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The local studio likes to take rides and soak them in a tub full of soapy water... then lay them out in the sun for a bit... Gets a great ugly finish and definitely "ages" the sound. =)
 
Johan VDS said:
It's brass and probably sounds dead. Nothing you can do with that I'm afraid if you hope for a decent sound. But you can experiment with it and do some hammering, you may learn a thing or two about tension and shape. It's the only way to learn the skill.
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How do i hammer the cymbals, do i just take a regular day hammer and bang?
 
I have an old Meinl crash cymbal with some scratches and a keyhole, so it's pretty much worthless. It sounds great though. I have been thinking about hammering it for an experiment, but I can also sell it for 20 euros... which sounds like a better idea?
 
Well it's a Meinl Sterling, not sure about the alloy but it's probably not brass ;) And I dont think having just one cymbal to spare to hammer on will fully teach me to hammer. But it's a fun experiment nonetheless.
 
ok this is my first cymbal overhaul (or whatever you call it)

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(http://photos-433.ak.facebook.com/photos-ak-sf2p/v79/8/57/842345446/n842345446_402433_530.jpg just incase it doesnt work)
It used to be a 10" Wuhan splash, and it sounds like its name now, dark. I have no lathing machine, so i just tried to polish it really good, and it didnt turn out to bad. It would sound loads better if there would be more sustain, the sustain pretty much is near to dead... do u have any tips on how to keep sustain? P.S. I have a slight feeling it could have been when i slightly damaged it with the hammer :( ... or should i say cracked it
 
Hint for sustain: Don't start with a 10" cymbal =) Splashes aren't exactly known for having sustain
 
Hi, Johan.

This is probably a silly question, but...
Do you know of anyone or any cymbal company that I could send some old broken cymbals to be melted down and cast into blanks? I'd pay for it of course. It sure would be great if someone offered that service for those of us learning the art.
 
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