How to Polish Cymbals
Fill the tub with lukewarm water., Soak the cymbal., Dry the cymbal., Apply the polish., Rinse off the polish.
Step-by-Step Guide
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Step 1: Fill the tub with lukewarm water.
The tub has to be able to fit the cymbal in it.
If the water in your tub is too hot or too cold, it will ruin the cymbal and possibly crack it.
Make sure that the water in your tub is nice and warm.
A good mix is 1/3 of cold water and 2/3 of hot water.
To test the water, stick your hand in the tub.
Your hand shouldn't get cold but it shouldn't burn either.
It should feel like a relaxing bath. -
Step 2: Soak the cymbal.
Take your cymbal off it's stand and gently lay it down into the tub.
It should be face up like you'd have it mounted on your stand.
The cymbal doesn't have to be soaking in the tub for hours, just leave it in there for 1-3 minutes.
This will help loosen visible dirt and will help with the rest of the polishing process.
Leaving the cymbal in the tub for too long can damage it so be sure to not leave it in there for longer than three minutes. , To dry the cymbal, take it out of the tub and lay it on a dry towel.
With another separate, small cloth, pat the cymbal dry.
Don't hit the cymbal really hard, a small and light pat will do.
For one or two minutes, focus on getting the cymbal dry by patting it.
Never scrub the cymbal as this can completely ruin the sound and looks of it. , Put some cymbal polish (whatever one you've chosen) on a small, dry, clean cloth.
Clean a small area of the drum cymbal and wait for the polish to soak in.
If you try to clean the whole cymbal in one go, the polish will dry and become very hard to remove.
If you're not sure about what way to clean the cymbal (I.e, Clockwise or Anti-clockwise) just keep in mind that you need to follow the grooves engraved in the cymbal.
Keep repeating this step until you've cleaned the whole cymbal. , Dip another small, clean cloth into the lukewarm water tub and gently wipe the polish off.
You still want to follow the grooves in the cymbal and you should avoid scrubbing the cymbal too hard.
Every time you rinse off a small part of the cymbal, dry it using the same technique described in step
3.
Keep repeating this step until the whole cymbal is rinsed and dried and you're pretty much done.
Enjoy your shiny, new cymbals! -
Step 3: Dry the cymbal.
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Step 4: Apply the polish.
-
Step 5: Rinse off the polish.
Detailed Guide
The tub has to be able to fit the cymbal in it.
If the water in your tub is too hot or too cold, it will ruin the cymbal and possibly crack it.
Make sure that the water in your tub is nice and warm.
A good mix is 1/3 of cold water and 2/3 of hot water.
To test the water, stick your hand in the tub.
Your hand shouldn't get cold but it shouldn't burn either.
It should feel like a relaxing bath.
Take your cymbal off it's stand and gently lay it down into the tub.
It should be face up like you'd have it mounted on your stand.
The cymbal doesn't have to be soaking in the tub for hours, just leave it in there for 1-3 minutes.
This will help loosen visible dirt and will help with the rest of the polishing process.
Leaving the cymbal in the tub for too long can damage it so be sure to not leave it in there for longer than three minutes. , To dry the cymbal, take it out of the tub and lay it on a dry towel.
With another separate, small cloth, pat the cymbal dry.
Don't hit the cymbal really hard, a small and light pat will do.
For one or two minutes, focus on getting the cymbal dry by patting it.
Never scrub the cymbal as this can completely ruin the sound and looks of it. , Put some cymbal polish (whatever one you've chosen) on a small, dry, clean cloth.
Clean a small area of the drum cymbal and wait for the polish to soak in.
If you try to clean the whole cymbal in one go, the polish will dry and become very hard to remove.
If you're not sure about what way to clean the cymbal (I.e, Clockwise or Anti-clockwise) just keep in mind that you need to follow the grooves engraved in the cymbal.
Keep repeating this step until you've cleaned the whole cymbal. , Dip another small, clean cloth into the lukewarm water tub and gently wipe the polish off.
You still want to follow the grooves in the cymbal and you should avoid scrubbing the cymbal too hard.
Every time you rinse off a small part of the cymbal, dry it using the same technique described in step
3.
Keep repeating this step until the whole cymbal is rinsed and dried and you're pretty much done.
Enjoy your shiny, new cymbals!
About the Author
Emma Wallace
Committed to making creative arts accessible and understandable for everyone.
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