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Cleaning cymbals by Andy Gone. Part 1.
Hi!
We get plenty of questions at our site drummer.org.ua
about how to clean cymbals safely, what to use, etc, etc.
Thus I've decided to make this short video to show you in real time how I clean a cymbal.
Here is one of my crashes. You see that it is polished (brilliant finish).
As you can see, Carbostick® carbon sticks that I use to not stain them with "terrible black spots",
unlike my hands when I grab the cymbal...
...this side also...
...because I often play so called chokes.
This is when I strike with a stick and then muffle with a hand, -- this kind of accent.
So the cymbal is stained with my hands, and now we together will try to get rid of these.
To clean our cymbal, let's place it on a soft horizontal surface, e. g. this poor carpet.
But to keep it away from all the dirt from our cymbal,
I prefer to put here some paper.
I won't use old newspapers, because the ink could stain the cymbal, so I prefer plain paper.
So I put the cymbal here.
To clean a cymbal, I use several means I'll show you right now.
Many people ask what exactly cleaner should they use.
I personally prefer not doing any home-made experiments.
For severe stains I use Dunlop Intensive Cymbal Cleaner -- we will use it in a minute.
For moderate stains I use a standard cleaner.
In my case it is by Sabian, but you can use a cleaner made by any big company for all cymbals,
because generally all of them have very similar composition.
As to tissues, many like kitchen tissues, like micro-fiber, and so on and so forth, with various surfaces.
It is a question of convenience. You have to try using several different kinds and deside for yourself.
Personally I like using plain paper towels, -- the same as toilet paper but twice as wide.
This is because tissues get really dirty after you clean a cymbal with them -- you will see that right now that laundry won't help,
while with paper towel you just throw it away after using.
I take Intensive Cleaner by Dunlop, press where "PRESS" is written, and a hole is open.
I put several drops of it on the cymbal.
Like this.
You put just enough of it to damp down the whole surface of the cymbal.
To do so, I take a paper towel and smear it over the surface without any pressure -- just spread it.
Now I apply it where I can see stains.
You can see the towel immediately goes black.
Now I start rubbing, and you see the cymbal goes black.
Don't be afraid of this,
because it will stay on the cymbal only if you are not quick enough to wipe it away.
Of course I'm not going to wait, I rub it and apply pressure now --
quite strong but not enough to twist the cymbal, of course.
I try to wipe well everywhere I have put the cleaning liquid
in order to remove all these oxides, stains and dirt from the cymbal.
As you can see, you gotta be quick, or this "patina" will stay on your cymbal.
...And the same for the other side, of course.
Now I'll do it --
What the... forgot to open it.
Now I'll do the same for the other side of the cymbal.
It's not so easy to clean it from the bottom side, because it bends this way,
...so the cymbals tries to escape when you apply pressure.
Here you can see that it is very dirty, because I grab it too often.
In some parts it is quite clean now,
but in some it is still stained.
Now there is an issue. If you are not experienced or quick enough to wipe out the black stains,
or due to some other reason, the cymbal still might be dirty.
In this case I try to remove this with water and soap.
Many are very afraid of this and are surprised --
"Wow! Are you serious to put it in water??"
Don't be afraid, because cymbals are made of bronze, not steel, so they won't rust.
Yes, it can oxidize, but if we wash it with water and soap and dry it immediately,
nothing terrible will happen to it. Moreover, some cymbals...
...like Zildjian ZXT Titanium for instance...
well... it is not allowed to clean them with Dunlop cleaner or so,
and even with normal mild cleaners like Zildjian and Sabian,
because their finish cannot withstand it.
So water and soap is the only way to clean such cymbals.
Regular cymbals are cleaned with usual means, but if we need, we could wash them with water and soap.
To show you it is no problem, I will do it right now.
So we are in my bathroom.
My hands are really black now,
because all the dirt we remove from the cymbal --
puts stains all over the place.
So I gently soap up our cymbal.
Well...
You can use any kind of soap.
Just I have to warn you against using various kitchen cleaners
for tiles, bath, etc, like Cilit or like,
because they may stain your cymbals so that you'll never clean them up, so do not experiment.
Now it is simple. Just wash off the soap.
Now it looks much more clean but too wet, so we go back to dry it up.
End of part 1.