Tried cleaning/polishing some cymbals: REALLY disappointing

I started out taking jazz drum lessons as a kid, age 13, and my teacher was a bonafide serious jazz player. Unfortunately he got sick with colitis and illitiis which ultimately took his life. But he knew his music, how to excute at the highest level and knew his instrument. He always told me never to clean my cymbals. He said with age they would accumulate a natural patina on them over the years which would warm the sound of the cymbal. And I've grown to realize he was absolutely correct. As a result I've never cleaned any of my cymbals. I might dust them off with a rag but never have I considered applying any kind of cleaner or polish to them. In spite of my early learnings about not cleaning cymbals, I recently asked my good childhood friend who also plays the drums and took lessons from the same teacher that I was thinking of cleaning my cymbals, and what he thought. His answer was immediate and one single word.......NO. I just needed the confirmation of what I already knew. I'm sorry to hear of the OP's misfortunes. That is why I will ask people who's opinion I respect before I go and do something like this.
 
Yeah, it’s the jazz players who are the most serious about their vintage cymbal AND the ones who drive the used market. A little dish soap, ok. But nada mas.
 
Not to oversimplify things, but all you need to clean your cymbals is some crushed pumice stone and 80 grit sandpaper. When you're finished apply a nice coat of marine wax and it'll keep the grime off.
 
I will use simple Windex on my brilliant Cymbals to keep sticks marks down and to keep them shiny. I just keep my traditional Cymbals dusted off with a dry rag. I use gloves when I handle them, so they stay fairly clean anyway. I did use bar keepers friend (powder) once on a really filthy Cymbal at my Church and it did a great. If you want to keep them looking nice you do have to do a little work, it's all preference. But Windex does a good job and wont take off the logo's.
 
I plan on trying different products. Brasso, (suggestions).

Anyone tried Buckaroo Cymbal cleaner???
Curious- and maybe I missed it in the thread- have you attempted cleaning again with anything yet? I feel that cleaning cymbals neither ruins nor improves the sound, it just changes it. If I were playing bop or something else that needed smoky, dark-sounding cymbals, I'd get K's, HH's, or equivalent, and never clean them. I'd do the same even with A's, AA's, etc. if they were only for studio work. With the pop/rock/r&b stuff I typically play live, I use A's, AA's, or equivalent, and I choose the cymbals that sound like I need them to sound when they're new- no need to wait for them to mellow- so I keep them cleaned. It also makes them look better under stage lights, which is a good touch for showmanship & presentation. My cymbals are regular finish B20's- if I used any with a brilliant finish, I'd just clean off fingerprints with glass cleaner.

To your questions in the OP: I used Brasso on the marching cymbals back in high school, with mediocre results. It cleaned some, but not well, and kinda turned the cymbals' color. (Maybe it was residue I didn't completely remove...?) I've used Buckaroo some; highly effective, but messy, and it's a long, two-part process. You pick off a wad from the larger, what smells like light kerosene-soaked wooly wad in the container, and rub it (with the grooves, not against), and it creates a black smudge-y residue on the cymbal. I presume this is the grime that it's removing. (I recommend wearing black sweatpants, a shirt you don't care about, and hold the cymbal in your lap.) You can do a section, or the entire side of the cymbal. Then, you use a black towel or otherwise rags you don't care about, and buff off the black residue. Works very well, but will make your hands/fingers sore from all the buffing, and the black residue that will inevitably end up on your fingers won't wash off for a couple of days. The smell will linger in the room for a day or two.

I've had equal results with faster and less messy effort & process with Zims / Groove Juice. I put the cymbal in the bathtub, spray it generously with the cleaner, leaving no part of the up-facing side uncovered (if it's bell-up, start in the middle and move in a circular motion outward; bell-down, do the opposite). The instructions say to let it sit for a minute or two and then rinse it off; I scrub the cymbal lightly but thoroughly with a nylon-bristle bathtub brush in the same circular motion first. Then, rinse the cymbal. If I've let it go for a while and they're really dirty, I repeat it once or twice. I dry them with a regular towel and place them straight back in the cymbal bag. They don't end up brand-new looking, but close. Logos are gone, of course, but it doesn't matter to me, I'm gonna use them until they begin to crack, and I'm not hard on cymbals. I've had most of mine for a couple of decades.
 
Curious- and maybe I missed it in the thread- have you attempted cleaning again with anything yet? I feel that cleaning cymbals neither ruins nor improves the sound, it just changes it. If I were playing bop or something else that needed smoky, dark-sounding cymbals, I'd get K's, HH's, or equivalent, and never clean them. I'd do the same even with A's, AA's, etc. if they were only for studio work. With the pop/rock/r&b stuff I typically play live, I use A's, AA's, or equivalent, and I choose the cymbals that sound like I need them to sound when they're new- no need to wait for them to mellow- so I keep them cleaned. It also makes them look better under stage lights, which is a good touch for showmanship & presentation. My cymbals are regular finish B20's- if I used any with a brilliant finish, I'd just clean off fingerprints with glass cleaner.

To your questions in the OP: I used Brasso on the marching cymbals back in high school, with mediocre results. It cleaned some, but not well, and kinda turned the cymbals' color. (Maybe it was residue I didn't completely remove...?) I've used Buckaroo some; highly effective, but messy, and it's a long, two-part process. You pick off a wad from the larger, what smells like light kerosene-soaked wooly wad in the container, and rub it (with the grooves, not against), and it creates a black smudge-y residue on the cymbal. I presume this is the grime that it's removing. (I recommend wearing black sweatpants, a shirt you don't care about, and hold the cymbal in your lap.) You can do a section, or the entire side of the cymbal. Then, you use a black towel or otherwise rags you don't care about, and buff off the black residue. Works very well, but will make your hands/fingers sore from all the buffing, and the black residue that will inevitably end up on your fingers won't wash off for a couple of days. The smell will linger in the room for a day or two.

I've had equal results with faster and less messy effort & process with Zims / Groove Juice. I put the cymbal in the bathtub, spray it generously with the cleaner, leaving no part of the up-facing side uncovered (if it's bell-up, start in the middle and move in a circular motion outward; bell-down, do the opposite). The instructions say to let it sit for a minute or two and then rinse it off; I scrub the cymbal lightly but thoroughly with a nylon-bristle bathtub brush in the same circular motion first. Then, rinse the cymbal. If I've let it go for a while and they're really dirty, I repeat it once or twice. I dry them with a regular towel and place them straight back in the cymbal bag. They don't end up brand-new looking, but close. Logos are gone, of course, but it doesn't matter to me, I'm gonna use them until they begin to crack, and I'm not hard on cymbals. I've had most of mine for a couple of decades.

Yes, this thread has been back n forth, I was called a moron, lots of interesting things being said here. :rolleyes:

I simply used Dawn dishsoap and warm water and a lot of elbow grease. (y)

I'll let you review how things went if you want. :cool:
 
Over the years I've used many of the same methods meny have mentioned: Groove Juice, Brasso, BKF, lemons..... The last time I cleaned them (lemons, years ago), I swore was the last. Now, after every gig or even practice where I might be choking the cymbal (yeah, I know what's coming now...), I just wipe 'em with a barely-damp micro-fiber cloth. More than enough to keep crud, stickmarks & fingerprints to a minimum while they grow old...
 
I notice someone used sandpaper in a different thread started earlier this year. And, I saw some vids. . .

So this guy rigs up a drill press I think. Uses a sanding bar/pad. This was on a cymbal that was DANG old. He said 30 years or more. It was definitely 50 yrs old or more. As you can see, the cymbal looked AMAZING! There is no before and after sound test. Obviously, it removed any "finish", that had been applied.

In cleaning a cymbal with sandpaper or a scratch pad, etc---what are the bad things that can happen? Rust? Sonic differences?

Uhh you don't SAND CYMBALS. Especially not very old K. Zildjians or any K. Zildjians or any cymbal of any value whatsoever. Struggling to respond to that video WITHOUT a torrent of f bombs frankly
 
Yes, this thread has been back n forth, I was called a moron, lots of interesting things being said here. :rolleyes:
Hm, yes, there's a few classless folks on here. I've learned they're still the overwhelming minority here; they're only noticeable because they like to hear (see?) themselves bark. I find it amusing and let it roll off like water off a duck's back. ?(y)

I simply used Dawn dishsoap and warm water and a lot of elbow grease. (y)

I'll let you review how things went if you want. :cool:
If you have before/after pics, or at least after, I (we?) would love to see.
 
Hm, yes, there's a few classless folks on here. I've learned they're still the overwhelming minority here; they're only noticeable because they like to hear (see?) themselves bark. I find it amusing and let it roll off like water off a duck's back. ?(y)


If you have before/after pics, or at least after, I (we?) would love to see.

Tim, there honestly wasn't much change AT ALL as far as how they looked. I probably won't put the effort into that, sorry.


New cymbals require very little to keep them looking like new.
I think this thread is more about when you get a used cymbal that's been neglected or abused.
I've bought some used cymbals that looked like a dog threw up on them, then baked in an oven,
and then left outdoors for a decade or two. Cymbals like that require a bit of work, but it can be done.
If you ever run across cymbals given a urine patina like these, you'll need more than water to clean them:

I would also definitely recommend using disposable gloves and a face shield if cleaning those,
or whenever you don't know what caused dirt/grime/corrosion/patina,
or any other discolorations.


WildBill! You seem to be one of few that get it. Not saying others are wrong. But Bill seems to understand a little more of the why. THEY'RE DIRTY.

Luckily there was no dog vomit, but some serious funk.
 
Tim, there honestly wasn't much change AT ALL as far as how they looked. I probably won't put the effort into that, sorry.
Oh, you never attempted another cleaning after the polish incident? I still recommend trying the Zims / Groove Juice process- I get great results with minimal effort.
 
Oh, you never attempted another cleaning after the polish incident? I still recommend trying the Zims / Groove Juice process- I get great results with minimal effort.

Tim, I had replied to one of your posts previously. I did clean them, with Dawn dish soap. It removed some of the black and gunk. But I took no before pics. It simply didn't shine them up or change them much at all.
 
I've tried cleaning cymbals with several of the methods mentioned - Magic Eraser (abrasive, leaves residue), Zildjian polish (polishes, obviously), soap and water (does nothing), and I've been disappointed every time, so I don't do it anymore. I like my cymbals to look new, so now I mostly just buy new or mint-condition cymbals when I need one. It costs me more money, but not a LOT more - cymbals hold their value quite well. If I have one that gets nasty-looking for some reason, I'll sell it and get a new one, but that generally doesn't happen because I handle my cymbals carefully. I lift them by the edges or by putting my finger underneath the hole. I even do cymbal chokes by putting my palm to the edge of the cymbal so I don't cover it with fingerprints. A dry microfiber cloth will get rid of most stick marks, but fingerprints are pretty much permanent.

I wish I wasn't so particular about it, I see other drummers eating fried chicken and then doing 5-finger cymbal chokes without a care in the world, and they look so happy. But I can't let anyone touch my cymbals.
 
Tim, I had replied to one of your posts previously. I did clean them, with Dawn dish soap. It removed some of the black and gunk. But I took no before pics. It simply didn't shine them up or change them much at all.
Oh, dang, that's right, I recall seeing that now. My bad. I'd still try once more with the cleaners I mentioned, because they practically do all the work; it really is very little effort. Even with the nylon bristle brush I mentioned, I don't work at it very hard. Maybe if that doesn't do it, they're too far gone, barring something extreme like the sanding mentioned above, and I wouldn't go that far.
 
I like Groove Juice because I like my cymbals to be shiny. Peace and goodwill
 
In the 70's, the last time I tried cleaning cymbals, I used Wrights silver polish. It's a thick pink paste that needs a lot of elbow grease to work, but the results are spectacular. This black oxide rubs off on the cloth and I could clean it for a hundred years and the cloth would still get black. Silver needs a gentler cleaner than most metals, so it shouldn't harm brass. I remember my cymbals being as shiny as Buddy Rich's cymbals on the Tonight Show. He always had beautifully clean cymbals. I always lusted after that look.

Anyone ever use the silver paste polish on their brass?

I also used Tarn-X once. My cymbal looked like an old penny. Took the brass finish right off.
Brass? You mean bronze?
 
Original Lysol toilet cleaner is hydrochloric acid and tallow (to make it thick), correct?

Rubbing H2O:HCl and pig fat on a cymbal to clean it is possibly the most Canadian thing I've ever heard.
Well friend it works.. big time and yes I have to rinse them off a few times with straight water but they come out great.
My old cymbals need cleaning about twice a year and the Lysol makes it a cinch. A piano tuner/restorer came up with this as he had to clean brass hinges, pedals, etc. Yes it’s an acid so I don’t leave it on more than a few minutes.. and as I said it’s a heck of a lot easier and effective than so called Cymbal cleaners out there, I know as I’ve tried them ...Eh ?
 
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