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How To Clean Brass Cymbals

Basic cleaning Wipe down any and all fingerprints and grease with a clean microfiber cloth after each use. Clean any dirt or spills with a little soap and warm water. Dry it off immediately! When carrying cymbals, use your hands on the edges of the cymbal instead of grabbing them with your fingers.

What household item can I use to clean cymbals?

How to Clean Cymbals With Household Products Cut a lemon in half and squeeze the juice onto the cymbal. Rub the juice all over the cymbal using the halved lemon. Pour 1 tbsp. of vinegar on the cymbal and rub it all over the surface. Rinse the cymbal with warm water and dry thoroughly.

Can you clean cymbals with WD40?

It won’t hurt the cymbal, so if it works, try it! Incidentally, WD40 was ORIGINALLY designed as a water-displacement solution, hence the acronym “WD” (it took 40 formula revisions to get it right).

How do you remove oxidation from cymbals?

Use the propoer solutions like Sabian cleaner or at the very most, Groove Juice for a deeper clean. If you care for them from the day you’ve had them though it’ll last a lot longer, and once it’s gone a nice patina will be there to protect it. not all cymbals come with that protective coating anyway.

Can you use brass cleaner on cymbals?

Many Cymbal companies such as Zildjian, Sabian and Paiste make and sell their own brand of cymbal polish. Although they recommend that you use this polish on their cymbals, you can use just about any kind of brass polish on your cymbals.

Can you use Windex to clean cymbals?

Windex and other non-ammonia glass cleaners are by far the safest household cleaners for drum kits. You should also never use Windex on your cymbals as this will damage their sound which you can learn more about in our similar article, How to Clean High Hats Without Ruining Them.

What is the best thing to polish brass with?

Ketchup, Tomato Sauce, or Tomato Paste Tomatoes contain an acid that helps to remove tarnish on brass and other metals; that’s why applying a tomato-based product can work wonders on your brass. Ketchup, tomato paste, and tomato sauce all work equally well. Apply a layer to your brass and leave it on for an hour.

Can you clean cymbals with dish soap?

Sometimes, simple water and gentle dish soap will suffice for cleaning cymbals. Wipe them down after use with a clean, dry cloth and store them in cymbal bags or covers to protect them. By taking care to keep oil, dirt and dust off cymbals, an occasional cleaning may be all that is required.

Should you clean cymbals?

Keeping your cymbals clean is important for their upkeep. Do not play with dirty hands, and when carrying cymbals, use two hands on the perimeter of the cymbal to avoid fingerprints. Dirt and spills should be removed immediately with warm water and soap.

What causes cymbal oxidation?

Drum cymbals turn green due to oxidation of copper. In essence, the cymbals are rusting. However, unlike iron, which oxides into the reddish color we all know, copper oxides into a green color. Let’s take a look at what’s going on here with your cymbals.

Can you use Bar Keepers Friend on cymbals?

BKF or Brasso is all I use on cymbals. I’ll rub a little on, just hard enough to work it down into the grooves. Let it dry, and then a warm water rinse with a soft paintbrush after a quick spritz with Harley Davidson S-100 gets the residue out of the grooves and brings up the shine with almost no rubbing.

Does Brasso damage cymbals?

Don’t be tempted to use over the counter brass or metal cleaner/polish (such as Brasso) from your local hardware store as this may damage your cymbal or leave nasty streaks. This is especially important for Paiste cymbals, as they use a special protective coating that can be damaged by other cymbal cleaners.

Can I use metal polish on cymbals?

Use cymbal cleaner IMPORTANT: Only use cymbal polish on brilliant finish cymbals! Using a household metal cleaner may damage or discolor your cymbal and is not recommended.

What household items can I use to clean my drums?

A simple, cheap, yet equally effective homemade cleaner is a 50-50 solution of white vinegar and water. It works just as well as any store bought product…and will not hurt your drums in any way. If you have a residue of any kind on your drum shell that will not come off with glass cleaner I highly recommend GOO GONE.

How do you clean drum skins?

By far the best thing to do is try the most gentle form of cleaning possible, which is, of course, a little bit of water. Moisten a lint-free cloth (a paper towel is okay, but it will start flaking off). Rub the drumhead in a gentle circular motion to try and remove any scuff marks.

How do you remove patina from cymbals?

Very well Known Member. Lemon juice, ketchup work very well. Groove Juice is a cymbal cleaner spray I’ve used that is fantastic also. Don’t use Brasso(good cleaner, very abrasive, ruins the lathing groove), and don’t buff them with a pad attached to a drill.

How do you get rid of green spots on cymbals?

Be sure not to go in circles or across the grain as it can scratch if not careful. I use a soft sponge and rinse the sponge and cymbal with water and repeat as needed. It eventually will remove the green but it may take some added elbow grease.