Cymbal Cleaning

Nick003

Junior Member
My cymbals have the manufacturer name in black (sabian) on them.

What was used to put this on... was it paint?

I'm using brass cleaner and the cymbal comes out beautiful... until I hit the black. It smears all over the cymbal. Any idea of what this could be and how to take it off? I figure the best thing to do is get rid of it first and then clean the cymbal.

Thanks in advance.
 
Yes... I searched Cymbal cleaning before I posted and found the thread you recommended. There wasn't anything specific to my question.

If it is ink, then I'm thining some sort of ink remover. I was actually thinking mineral spirits. I'm reluctant to use something like that because I don't want to damage the cymbal.

But thanks for the response!

Nick
 
Do a search for "removing logos"...there are literally hundreds of them.

In my experience, any product that claims NOT to remove logos, generally makes light work of the job. Any of the branded cymbal cleaners will do the trick.
 
cleaning cymbals is a horrible idea in my opinion

the older they get ....the more grime in the grooves ....the better they sound

dont clean 'em
 
Most liquid cymbal cleaner will take the logos right off. I avoid the logos when cleaning my cymbals as I like them on there but I know guys that remove them as soon as they buy a new cymbal, they just use a generous amount on the rag till its gone.
 
cleaning cymbals is a horrible idea in my opinion

the older they get ....the more grime in the grooves ....the better they sound

dont clean 'em

If you like dark sounding cymbals why not just buy a dark cymbal instead of a bright one and have to wait for it to get that way? When I buy a cymbal I buy it for the way it sounds right then not that way I hope it will sound in 5 to 10 years.
 
If you like dark sounding cymbals why not just buy a dark cymbal instead of a bright one and have to wait for it to get that way? When I buy a cymbal I buy it for the way it sounds right then not that way I hope it will sound in 5 to 10 years.

because they dont sound dark when aged ...they just sound better

cleaning cymbals is extremely pointless in my opinion

Elvin Jones once told me....to clean a cymbal is take away all the character and work you've laid onto it like cleaning the patina off an antique gun
 
because they dont sound dark when aged ...they just sound better

cleaning cymbals is extremely pointless in my opinion

Elvin Jones once told me....to clean a cymbal is take away all the character and work you've laid onto it like cleaning the patina off an antique gun

To each his own, I find they loose their crisp sound even after a few months without cleaning and even if I buy a used sabian cymbal that is so bad I cant clean it I will ship it back to sabian to get buffed to brilliant finish and re stamped to make it look and sound like new again. That being said every Elvin Jones video Ive ever saw his cymbals had more of a shine than mine do. BTW antique guns should be kept for show only and I strongly recommend cleaning a gun that is used on a regular basis, I assure you the outcome will not be good if you dont..
 
To each his own, I find they loose their crisp sound even after a few months without cleaning and even if I buy a used sabian cymbal that is so bad I cant clean it I will ship it back to sabian to get buffed to brilliant finish and re stamped to make it look and sound like new again. That being said every Elvin Jones video Ive ever saw his cymbals had more of a shine than mine do. BTW antique guns should be kept for show only and I strongly recommend cleaning a gun that is used on a regular basis, I assure you the outcome will not be good if you dont..


its Elvins quote not mine....you might wanna take that up with him
 
I like the look of older cymbals that weren't varnished at the factory like today's cymbals are. That varnish inhibits the natural patina process (and preserves the logos). But I also like the look of a cymbal fresh of the lathe - meaning I like how they look when they're brand spankin' new.

I don't do much to my As and Ks, but my brilliant finish cymbals... man, I hate the way they look when get a layer of funk on them. I'd rather clean them once in a while.
 
But I also like the look of a cymbal fresh of the lathe - meaning I like how they look when they're brand spankin' new.

Me too, I love the fact that you can send any sabian cymbal back to them and they will buff to brilliant finish and restamp the logos for $25 a cymbal plus return shipping. Next time I am going up that way I am taking all 10 of mine and dropping them off. For the price of one new cymbal I can have them all looking and sounding brand new again.
 
Me too, I love the fact that you can send any sabian cymbal back to them and they will buff to brilliant finish and restamp the logos for $25 a cymbal plus return shipping. Next time I am going up that way I am taking all 10 of mine and dropping them off. For the price of one new cymbal I can have them all looking and sounding brand new again.
Liquid bar keepers friend $3.50 u.s.d. just gotta be careful around logo's. I know a lot of drummers that like the patina on there cymbals but I like my shiny pies..lol

just don't. use any petroleum cleaners like brasso they will put a film on them & it will affect the sound.

Bonzolead
 
+1

I love patina on top grade, hand hammered and lathed pies; tomorrow's heirlooms today!

GJS

exactly

and they sound amazing.

I have a set of Zildjians from the 1960s that are amazing.....I dont play them ...they are packed away in a closet.....but they are gorgeous....and sound absolutely amazing.....and if they were ever cleaned with any product they would be close to worthless...
 
Liquid bar keepers friend $3.50 u.s.d. just gotta be careful around logo's. I know a lot of drummers that like the patina on there cymbals but I like my shiny pies..lol

just don't. use any petroleum cleaners like brasso they will put a film on them & it will affect the sound.

Bonzolead

I will have to give that a try, the best I had found was the zildian clean cream in a tube but they dont make it any more and the liquid stuff works pretty good but it takes more work than the old cream did. It smells the same so I think its the same stuff just not as concentrated. And also stay away for the logos if you want to keep them. The sabian cleaner is crap, I use it to clean my stands and hardware just to use it up. It works quite well for them, just not for cymbals.
 
I just keep my cymbals clean to the point of them sounding very much the same for the reasons I bought them. Dish detergent and some hot water usually cleans them well enough if the process is done every two or three months.

Dennis
 
I did not know bar keeper friend came in a liquid.Ii have been using the powder.

on the west coast Kleen King is the same thing, YOU MUST GO WITH THE LATHE GROOVES!

I personally prefer the sound of clean cymbals.
 
You should try ye olde SPIT AND POLISH! Here...use mine!

HOCCHHHH— HOOOOOCCHHHHHHH— HACK— PATEWY! There. That'll get that logo off!
 
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