I have a set of Zildjian K Sweet cymbals, all traditional finish obviously, and these things are super prone to stick marks that stick out like a sore thumb. I like the way they look when they're cleaned up but after playing them it looks like they were murdered with a stick.

Anybody have any of the traditional Ziljdian K series cymbals and clean theirs? What's your method? I've read several online but I'm so worried I'll mess these things up. They're too expensive for me to experiment on with weird chemicals and such. The Zildjian cymbal cleaner only works for Brilliant finishes unfortunately or I'd buy a bottle.
 
I have a set of Zildjian K Sweet cymbals, all traditional finish obviously, and these things are super prone to stick marks that stick out like a sore thumb. I like the way they look when they're cleaned up but after playing them it looks like they were murdered with a stick.

Anybody have any of the traditional Ziljdian K series cymbals and clean theirs? What's your method? I've read several online but I'm so worried I'll mess these things up. They're too expensive for me to experiment on with weird chemicals and such. The Zildjian cymbal cleaner only works for Brilliant finishes unfortunately or I'd buy a bottle.

I have honestly been using Simple Green to clean my cymbals for the past few years. We started doing this with all of the marching cymbals (a mixture of many different Zildjian series) where I teach and it works really well...I had always used the Paiste cleaner before, which was also not bad, but seemed to be a little more messy and labor intensive, for just about the same results as Simple Green. I have even tried it on my 40's and 50's era Zildjians and it worked fine too. I find the SG does not take the logos off as aggressively, and i like my cymbals to have the logos and stamps

All of my Zildjian K's are from either the 90's or 2000's. I have K's, and K Dark Customs.

we use a diluted version of the large bottle of concentrate. I do about 2 cap fulls of SG in a medium sized spray bottle filled with water. It definitely gets fingerprints and (wood) stick marks off pretty well. It does not make them shine like factory new, but neither does the Paiste stuff when I have used it. You can play with the mixture as you see fit.

I spray on the SG solution (and previously the Paiste stuff), and then use a medium bristled toothbrush and go in circles around the cymbal. After doing that, I rinse it off, and then go around with a towel. Depending on the time in between cleanings, I sometimes have to do that again.

On a side note, I NEVER use nylon tipped sticks b/c I hate when the nylon gets into the grooves of the cymbals. (I also don't like the sound or feel) I also rarely get stick marks from using wood tipped sticks, so most of the "dirt" on the cymbals are finger prints or just collected dust.
 
If anyone wants to polish their cymbals to a high shine, Wrights Silver or Copper cleaning paste really works. Not logo friendly, but your cymbals will look like Buddy Rich's cymbals. You cloth will be pure black, and the black never stops. Meaning you could polish it to a high reflective shine, and polish it some more and the black just keeps coming.

Me I couldn't be bothered. I'd rather play them than clean them
 
If anyone wants to polish their cymbals to a high shine, Wrights Silver or Copper cleaning paste really works. Not logo friendly, but your cymbals will look like Buddy Rich's cymbals. You cloth will be pure black, and the black never stops. Meaning you could polish it to a high reflective shine, and polish it some more and the black just keeps coming.

Me I couldn't be bothered. I'd rather play them than clean them

yeah...for my set cymbals, I think I can count on one hand the number of times I have cleaned my cymbals in 40 years

the marching cymbals get it every other weekend during the fall though
 
My cymbals have been out on my kit in my living room for I guess 16+ years. There is a decent layer of dust and just residue, they don't really wipe off. The set is a mix of mostly A series (traditional), one A custom (brilliant), and one K custom hybrid. For better or worse I have used the old Sabian spray cleaner and Zildjian polish on some of them in the past.

I don't really care about getting them to a crazy high shine, particularly the K custom. I would certainly not like to change their color or take the logos off. However, I would like to get them clean so the residue doesn't contribute to stick marks and so they look like someone cares about them. It seems like the product for the A custom would be Zildjian polish, though it would look out of place with a like-new shine. For the others...

1. Is there any reason not to just clean them with dish soap and warm water? I hardly ever see this recommended; maybe I'm missing something.
2. Has anyone tried Meinl cleaner? This is the one for traditional and brilliant finishes. I hardly see it mentioned here
3. There is an interesting Youtube video where the guy is using diluted Groove Juice. What say you about that?

Thanks.
 
I have a set of Zildjian K Sweet cymbals, all traditional finish obviously, and these things are super prone to stick marks that stick out like a sore thumb. I like the way they look when they're cleaned up but after playing them it looks like they were murdered with a stick.

Anybody have any of the traditional Ziljdian K series cymbals and clean theirs? What's your method? I've read several online but I'm so worried I'll mess these things up. They're too expensive for me to experiment on with weird chemicals and such. The Zildjian cymbal cleaner only works for Brilliant finishes unfortunately or I'd buy a bottle.
My cymbals have been out on my kit in my living room for I guess 16+ years. There is a decent layer of dust and just residue, they don't really wipe off. The set is a mix of mostly A series (traditional), one A custom (brilliant), and one K custom hybrid. For better or worse I have used the old Sabian spray cleaner and Zildjian polish on some of them in the past.

I don't really care about getting them to a crazy high shine, particularly the K custom. I would certainly not like to change their color or take the logos off. However, I would like to get them clean so the residue doesn't contribute to stick marks and so they look like someone cares about them. It seems like the product for the A custom would be Zildjian polish, though it would look out of place with a like-new shine. For the others...

1. Is there any reason not to just clean them with dish soap and warm water? I hardly ever see this recommended; maybe I'm missing something.
2. Has anyone tried Meinl cleaner? This is the one for traditional and brilliant finishes. I hardly see it mentioned here
3. There is an interesting Youtube video where the guy is using diluted Groove Juice. What say you about that?

Thanks.
What causes stick marks in the first place? Do all sticks do that?
 
What causes stick marks in the first place? Do all sticks do that?

Pretty much all of my sticks leave marks, especially on the hi-hats. I primarily use hickory Pro Marks and Vic Firths.

Right now I basically use a little spray bottle of water and spray them down and dry them off quickly with a microfiber cloth. That seems to work okay at the moment.
 
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I have honestly been using Simple Green to clean my cymbals for the past few years. We started doing this with all of the marching cymbals (a mixture of many different Zildjian series) where I teach and it works really well...I had always used the Paiste cleaner before, which was also not bad, but seemed to be a little more messy and labor intensive, for just about the same results as Simple Green. I have even tried it on my 40's and 50's era Zildjians and it worked fine too. I find the SG does not take the logos off as aggressively, and i like my cymbals to have the logos and stamps

All of my Zildjian K's are from either the 90's or 2000's. I have K's, and K Dark Customs.

we use a diluted version of the large bottle of concentrate. I do about 2 cap fulls of SG in a medium sized spray bottle filled with water. It definitely gets fingerprints and (wood) stick marks off pretty well. It does not make them shine like factory new, but neither does the Paiste stuff when I have used it. You can play with the mixture as you see fit.

I spray on the SG solution (and previously the Paiste stuff), and then use a medium bristled toothbrush and go in circles around the cymbal. After doing that, I rinse it off, and then go around with a towel. Depending on the time in between cleanings, I sometimes have to do that again.

On a side note, I NEVER use nylon tipped sticks b/c I hate when the nylon gets into the grooves of the cymbals. (I also don't like the sound or feel) I also rarely get stick marks from using wood tipped sticks, so most of the "dirt" on the cymbals are finger prints or just collected dust.
Does this work for fingerprints as well?

Someone was playing on my kit a couple of weeks ago and left their fingerprints all over the cymbals. I tried just water and buffing with a microfiber cloth. It helped but the fingerprints markings are still there. I don't expect my cymbals to remain factory new looking but the fingerprint areas do stick out.

Stick marks, meh. I figured I'd have to live with them. They seem to buff right out with just a dry microfiber cloth but I'm not currently bothering with it.
 
Does this work for fingerprints as well?

Someone was playing on my kit a couple of weeks ago and left their fingerprints all over the cymbals. I tried just water and buffing with a microfiber cloth. It helped but the fingerprints markings are still there. I don't expect my cymbals to remain factory new looking but the fingerprint areas do stick out.

Stick marks, meh. I figured I'd have to live with them. They seem to buff right out with just a dry microfiber cloth but I'm not currently bothering with it.

it can...I think it depends on how oily the fingerprint was....when I do the Simple Green, I use a soft bristled tooth brush and do small circles going along the lathe-groove to get stubborn stuff out...and again, I am more going for getting the actual residue out than I am going for a certain look.
 
Pretty much all of my sticks leave marks, especially on the hi-hats. I primarily use hickory Pro Marks and Vic Firths.

Right now I basically use a little spray bottle of water and spray them down and dry them off quickly with a microfiber cloth. That seems to work okay at the moment.
My cymbals have been out on my kit in my living room for I guess 16+ years. There is a decent layer of dust and just residue, they don't really wipe off. The set is a mix of mostly A series (traditional), one A custom (brilliant), and one K custom hybrid. For better or worse I have used the old Sabian spray cleaner and Zildjian polish on some of them in the past.

I don't really care about getting them to a crazy high shine, particularly the K custom. I would certainly not like to change their color or take the logos off. However, I would like to get them clean so the residue doesn't contribute to stick marks and so they look like someone cares about them. It seems like the product for the A custom would be Zildjian polish, though it would look out of place with a like-new shine. For the others...

1. Is there any reason not to just clean them with dish soap and warm water? I hardly ever see this recommended; maybe I'm missing something.
2. Has anyone tried Meinl cleaner? This is the one for traditional and brilliant finishes. I hardly see it mentioned here
3. There is an interesting Youtube video where the guy is using diluted Groove Juice. What say you about that?

Thanks.
Water and metal don't like each other very much, BUT...when I buy a used cymbal (all of mine are), I first wash it with mild detergent like Dawn and warm/hot water, and then rinse it thoroughly and dry it immediately.
Then I will spend however long it takes meticulously rubbing away any residual stubborn grime or oxidation using a clean soft cotton cloth and lightweight oil like WD-30. If one is careful, this can be done without removing the logo ink.
I like to wipe all of my cymbals down every few months with oil, usually after playing a long set, just to relax. It's therapeutic. And I prefer shiny cymbals to dull.

* Zildjians are made with 80% copper and 20% tin, so the oil helps keep the tin man from getting rusty and cranky.

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Water and metal don't like each other very much, BUT...when I buy a used cymbal (all of mine are), I first wash it with mild detergent like Dawn and warm/hot water, and then rinse it thoroughly and dry it immediately.
Then I will spend however long it takes meticulously rubbing away any residual stubborn grime or oxidation using a clean soft cotton cloth and lightweight oil like WD-30. If one is careful, this can be done without removing the logo ink.
I like to wipe all of my cymbals down every few months with oil, usually after playing a long set, just to relax. It's therapeutic. And I prefer shiny cymbals to dull.

* Zildjians are made with 80% copper and 20% tin, so the oil helps keep the tin man from getting rusty and cranky.

View attachment 103610

hmm...never thought of using the oil....I do that to all of my swords and axes, but use WD-40

...I do the Dawn thing all the time..and Simple Green on the cymbals. Gonna try that this weekend with one of my splash cymbals that is pretty grimey....where do you get WD30? I can't find it online....10W 30 just keeps coming up...is that the same stuff?
 
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hmm...never thought of using the oil....I do that to all of my swords and axes, but use WD-40

...I do the Dawn thing all the time..and Simple Green on the cymbals. Gonna try that this weekend with one of my splash cymbals that is pretty grimey....where do you get WD30? I can't find it online....10W 30 just keeps coming up...is that the same stuff?
hmm...never thought of using the oil....I do that to all of my swords and axes, but use WD-40

...I do the Dawn thing all the time..and Simple Green on the cymbals. Gonna try that this weekend with one of my splash cymbals that is pretty grimey....where do you get WD30? I can't find it online....10W 30 just keeps coming up...is that the same stuff?
Oops that was a typo WD 40 is the intended. It’s really just about as good as it gets for a polishing rub for cymbals.
 
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Re: What kind of cymbol polish do you prefer?

In my opinon, Paste makes the best cymbal polish. It took of all the dirt and made it look like new. Other cymbal polish doesnt work as well and it takes of the cymbal logo. I would deffenetly go for the Paste Cymbal Polish.
I play Paiste PST7's and I will take a look into this.
 
I no longer clean/polish my cymbals (Paiste GBs, 2002's, sigs, 7's, 5's...) I let the dust cake on them for a while then lightly dust them. I want them to look vintage sooner. My 7's are starting to sound closer to 2002's as they tarnish. I might just bury them in the ground for a while.
 
I no longer clean/polish my cymbals (Paiste GBs, 2002's, sigs, 7's, 5's...) I let the dust cake on them for a while then lightly dust them. I want them to look vintage sooner. My 7's are starting to sound closer to 2002's as they tarnish. I might just bury them in the ground for a while.


burying cymbals- videos ;)
 
I’ve got a friend who sells a cleaner and polish on eBay that I tried on my AAX’s. Before and after photos provided.

A12D5B17-5CE8-482D-83C7-CC5A8E72A43B.jpeg69811DB0-EBD4-4666-BAEA-1692459E839F.jpeg786D03E0-2D8F-4A01-A499-1217497B0569.jpeg22B46AEE-1E84-4207-87BF-5859EB70A519.jpeg6077916C-4E04-4B91-8449-1B4749EC1663.jpegA50FD477-F5D4-4364-94B3-334E5DB36EA1.jpeg17E47173-65A2-4D7C-84DA-824C598077FF.jpeg8E21628C-BF9B-462B-9E1D-5BE76F53CCAA.jpeg48EE5FB6-876C-474D-A022-3A13F6D7E35C.jpegA9414E53-994E-47AE-B605-0AFA04BEAAFA.jpeg
 
Yeah, since the early 80s I've been under Paiste's spell of consistency and the ability for each series to actually sound/be musically compatible with rest of the entire line. No easy feat. So I don't have much use for other brands. Mysteriously, their highly acclaimed cymbal cleaner and protectant are unavailable. Anywhere. On this planet.
So as not to compromise the coating applied to these beauties, I use nothing but unicorn tears to clean and protect mine. Try and get the distilled kind.
Seriously, tap water, a drop or two of Joy dishwashing liquid, MAYBE a fresh half lemon lightly applied in the direction of the lathing (no rubbing, scrubbing or back and forth motions) use a new micro fiber cloth. Rinse generously, then some more. Dry with same motion, different, clean, new cloth(s). Done. Go back to the woodshed and work on paradiddle permutations or whatever all this polishing and steel wooling is keeping you from being a more accomplished musician....
Just sayin.
 
guys save your money and just wipe a piece of lemon on the cymbal for a couple minutes and viola, all fingerprints and oxidization comes off no hassle (seriously). Logos stay intact as much as you do it. Make sure to wash with water and dry asap when you're done. thank me later.
 
I've never boughten cymbol polish and i was just wondering what's the best polish to get and if there's and specail technique to use when polishing it. Thanks.
I used to buy cymbal polish, but I just discovered that baking soda works extremely well
 
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