Members Mikeo Posted February 22, 2016 Members Share Posted February 22, 2016 To clean or not to clean? I have cleaned my cymbals many times before, but I an wondering if there's really any advantage in doing so. Well it does keep the ugly off off the drum sticks, which in-turn gets on my snare drum head. I have a cymbal cleaner made by Zildjian and it seems to work fine for the brass, but is there a tone advantage, and do they sound darker with a slight nicer? IDK There's probably a million articles written about this and I will do a search afterwards. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Voltan Posted February 22, 2016 Members Share Posted February 22, 2016 when your cymbals get dirty they are shot, send them to me and buy new ones. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Mikeo Posted February 23, 2016 Author Members Share Posted February 23, 2016 when your cymbals get dirty they are shot' date=' send them to me and buy new ones.[/quote'] I'm melting them down for you and put em in a box. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members 1001gear Posted February 23, 2016 Members Share Posted February 23, 2016 I use windex for the atmospheric debris. Enough gunk will dull cymbal sound so cleaning will stave that off if you so desire and they'll look better - matters to show people I guess. I clean my cymbals every few years so they still age but won't petrify in my lifetime. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Voltan Posted February 23, 2016 Members Share Posted February 23, 2016 im laughing my asterisk off!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Voltan Posted February 23, 2016 Members Share Posted February 23, 2016 a high quality drum tech is teh best ive found for getting cymbals clean and shiny. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members FitchFY Posted February 23, 2016 Members Share Posted February 23, 2016 There's plenty of debate on "to clean or not to clean," but it really comes down to personal preference. I did a blog on it a little while ago and inspired myself to want to clean them again. To my ears, I thought they sounded a wee bit crisper, but that may be "hearing what I want to hear." Visually, however, I thought they looked great and that inspired me, and at the end of the day, your gear should turn you on. I picked up a container of Bar Keeper's Friend and some gloves and gave it a go and it definitely made a difference. My main advice would be to start on a back-up or cracked cymbal so you see the effects of the polish first. It's REALLY easy to take off some of those logos! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members twosticks Posted February 25, 2016 Members Share Posted February 25, 2016 First: to the average person or even drummer. a dirty cymbal will sound the same as a clean cymbal in GENERAL. A clean cymbal will be somewhat more brighter and Maybe a tad more responsive?? Unless your cymbals are caked on dirty or all green from pantia (See pic with heavy patina or greening of metals like copper or tin) Do NOT worry and even then, do not worry, dirt and patina sometimes mellows clangy cymbals and smooths them out. Bottom line: I will say normal fingerprints and some dirt and age, I wouldn't clean. bunches of fingerprints, dirt scum and over growth of Patina (green) I would do a deep clean with a cymbal OR a light brass, tin or metal cleaner. But yes! Like Fitch said, it is WAY easy for anything to erase the logos and brand names on cymbals so use sparingly around them or go around the Ink Logos on the cymbals! Then, every now and then, just a good light cleaning to keep them looking sharp! Hope this helps! [ATTACH=CONFIG]n31700594[/ATTACH] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Mikeo Posted February 25, 2016 Author Members Share Posted February 25, 2016 Mine are on the darker side in color, but not even this dark yet. I may leave em alone this this time. Looks like they sell pre aged cymbals Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Dendy Jarrett Posted February 25, 2016 Members Share Posted February 25, 2016 Well, Sir - That is a pre-aged cymbal so it probably came new with a little patina. If you want to preserve your ink, try this: 1) Buy BarKeepers friend - BarKeepers friend is a powder cleaner that is in a can like comet but not abrasive at all. (I have even used it to get some stubborn stuff off my truck's paint). 2) Fill a bath tub with about an inch of water and place the cymbal in the water. 3) Get a soft cloth that you don't mind disposing or getting soiled. Saturate it with water and then sprinkle bar-keepers friend in it. You can even sprinkle it directly on the cymbal. Then just wipe gently the cymbal holding in slightly out of the water and then dunking it occasionally. Do NOT apply much pressure to preserve your ink. You'll note that if you sprinkle the cymbal with BK's friend that it will even leave little stars where it hits the cymbal until you start to wash it around the cymbal. It is a pretty amazing and cheap cleaning method that I have used for years. My cymbals have a brilliant finish (came new that way) and this stuff will not scratch unless you got crazy aggressive with it. Hope this helps. D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Dendy Jarrett Posted February 25, 2016 Members Share Posted February 25, 2016 Nice cymbal by the way!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members FitchFY Posted February 26, 2016 Members Share Posted February 26, 2016 Found it! https://fitchdrums.wordpress.com/2014/10/03/i-hope-you-have-awesome-toys/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Carminemw Posted March 1, 2016 Members Share Posted March 1, 2016 I don't subscribe to keeping the ink. I don't advertise a brand or am not associated with a brand. I am strictly sound conscious. I have junk cymbals and great cymbals. I have found some of the trashiest god awful cymbals sound great when used correctly in their proper place. With being said, I clean mine but not very often. Night club smoke and daily grunge gets in the grooves, and no matter how cool it looks, they start to get dull in sound. If I find an overtone that starts to pop thru because of crustiness, or I just want to refresh the sound, I use a non abrasive cleaner. I don't want to take any metal off the cymbal if I can help it. Been using Twinkle Copper Cleaner now for years. Doen't make them look like new or shiny glassy, but it do clean the crud when needed. JMO Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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