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#1
05-22-2012, 01:07 PM
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Drilling Cymbals
Anyone any ideas for drilling cymbals? Drill bit sizes? Techniques for drilling? 
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#2
05-22-2012, 01:13 PM
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Re: Drilling Cymbals
I've drilled several cymbals but mainly for the purpose of putting in rivets.
http://www.drummerworld.com/forums/s...ad.php?t=80600 Here's an old thread regarding drilling for rivets but the principle is essentially the same. The main difference really isn't the drilling, it's the treatment afterwards. You will need to file the crack gently to prevent the edges of the crack from rubbing into each other. I recommend starting off with a small hole that bridges both sides of the crack and filing out from there with two parallel lines, finishing off with a fine grade of sandpaper. Make sure the edges are smooth. When you're drilling, the trick is to have a sharp set of bits. Start off with a very small pilot hole (1mm) and then work up to the size you need progressively (probably about 3.5mm). Never push the bit hard into the cymbal and let the bit do all of the work. Make sure you mask up the area to be drilled as well to get some purchase on surface for the first pilot hole. You can use some kind of lubricant if you like (ask around) but I've never felt it to be necessary if you drill slowly. Lastly, try to use a corded drill and not a cordless drill. I find that a cordless drill doesn't have enough speed at the bit to really drill effectively and you end up pushing the bit into the cymbal too hard. The more powerful the drill, the less you'll feel the need to push and the better your drilling will be.
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#3
05-23-2012, 06:46 AM
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Re: Drilling Cymbals
Quote:
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#4
05-23-2012, 12:43 PM
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Re: Drilling Cymbals
Just drilled a 19inch thin dark K and after playing it the crack line just went on.
I took "make sure you drill the edge of the crack" by setting my drill bit (1mm to start) on the edge. But you really want the edge of your final drill (3 to 4mm) to just hit the edge of the crack and start drilling in front of the crack. Later I heard the 3 to 4mm hole is because the inner crack of the cymbal can have this length and you want to get all that to stop it from going on.
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#5
05-23-2012, 01:03 PM
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Re: Drilling Cymbals
You're absolutely right. The crack often doesn't stop where you think it does. Quite often the crack is a microscopic weakness that extends further than what you can see.
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Propaganda Expert - 'FAQ' Corporation
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#6
05-23-2012, 01:14 PM
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Re: Drilling Cymbals
Right, make sure the crack and its microscopic ramifications is fully eliminated by the drilling hole so allow for some extra space.
You can always eliminate cracks by converting any cymbal (depending on the distance between the crack and the edges and/or bell) into an Ozone or Swish cymbal style one. Here's a cymbal modification I did about a month ago. Basically I bought that cymbal (used, off Ebay) to cut it down into a bell (I've made 6 bells from cracked cymbals so far) but that one sounded so good even with the crack so I thought it would be a waste to cut it completely down, just leaving the bell. So I tried that Ozone mod (in case I would have failed there's still that bell mod left as an alternative). The 6 holes actually don't reduce both the volume and sustain as much as I had expected. That crack was actually quite large so I added a couple of mm on both ends and thus, the holes actually had to be of this diameter (6 cm). I decided to make 6 holes because that configuration lined up ok with the logo (which I planned to clean off initially but decided to keep it). Just another suggestion what you can do.
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#7
05-23-2012, 03:08 PM
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Re: Drilling Cymbals
I drilled a 14" A crash with a similar problem quite successfully. If you have access to a small drill press, it would be helpful. It keeps everything steady.
__________________
Drums are the best psychiatry
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