Where the
world gathers for metal finishing
Q&As since 1989


-----

Buffing or Rubbing Cymbals

I'm am a Drummer and own many cymbals which have to be cleaned on a regular basis. Needless to say I go thru a lot of Brasso [on eBay or Amazon] and other similar products to retain their luster. This cleaning ritual is becoming tiring. I'm thinking of purchasing a 3400 RPM buffing wheel to do the work. Is this a good or bad Idea? Do you have any other possible solutions? Some of my cymbals are a brilliant shine finish were as others are more of a rough finish. Thanks for any assistance.

Jeff Broom
- Port Clinton, Ohio
2002

Try liquid drain cleaner. There are both acid drain cleaner [on eBay or Amazon] and lye or sodium hydroxide types available, see which one works better for you.

Tom Gallant
- Torrance, California
2002

---

If you say so, Tom, but it doesn't sound like a safe or workable idea to me.

Ted Mooney, P.E.
Striving to live Aloha
finishing.com - Pine Beach, New Jersey
2002

---

2003

I have been dealing with cymbals for over 30 years... The answer to your question is two-fold... Your cymbals must be divided by finish, TRADITIONAL, the natural bronze without the shiny buffed finish and BRILLIANT, the mirror finish that was achieved by high-speed buffing.

Traditional finish cymbals are best cleaned with a non-abrasive liquid or paste that contains MILD solvent(s) to remove only stick residue and fingerprints,etc. You certainly don't want harsh chemicals that will react with the metal itself. The Big 3 cymbal manufacturers (Paiste,Sabian,Zildjian) all market cleaners designed for their cymbals. Other brands like Groove Juice are also recommended. The most important thing to remember is to rinse well, and then rinse again. A toothbrush is useful for stubborn stick marks that collect in deep tonal grooves. DO NOT BUFF with any machine! The heat generated will wreak havoc with the metal's temper, with fatal results.

Brilliant finish cymbals are buffed using high speed,high pressure machines while the cymbal spins freely to prevent any build-up of heat in the plate. This process smooths down the lathed tonal grooves and partially "re-tempers" the outer surface "skin" of the instrument, giving you the harder, brighter and quicker stick response associated with brilliant cymbals. This is a designed process, part of the sound quality of the cymbal, and must be respected when cleaning. An inexperienced attempt to buff again for cleaning will result in the same counter-productive problems mentioned previously. These cymbals are much easier to keep clean without the deeper tonal grooves of Traditional finish cymbals. Clean often with a cotton towel dampened with a little water, and dry immediately...no pastes or powders. Paiste Cymbal Cream is the best for Brilliants. For more info on cymbals, tune into Cymbalholic.com

Mike Skiba
- Brick, New Jersey

---

Don't polish your cymbals on a buff . Hi I work with alloy and stainless steel for a living and I thought I would put my ride cymbal on the peddy buff at work to make it look like it has a bit of life in it but I don't think it was to cleaver coz now it is black and I can't do any thing about it so if you're thinking about it, don't.

Michael Krycki
- Coomera, Queensland, Australia
2006

---

Toothpaste.

Eric Alexander Smith
- Tokyo Japan
April 11, 2009