Wiping cymbals?
Is it alright for the cymbal if I wipe a cymbal (specifically a zildjian K) with a slightly damp cloth? Would the water rust the metal even if I dry it off right away?
Posted Apr 11, 2016, 10:48 PM UTC
210
Perfectly fine. My cymbals get a little wet from mist during outdoor gigs sometimes (under a canopy), and they've been fine.
2
Damp cloths are fine. If you use a chemical cleaner though, the branding will fade
2
If you ever want to shine up your cymbals real nice and good, cut a lemon in half and squeeze the lemon juice into a paper towel and rub them down with that. This will take the ink off any logo though so be careful. -Gil
1
I think you'll be ok. Cymbals are made of brass metal, very resistant to rust. That is why a lot of plumbing components are made of brass.
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Cheap cymbals are brass. Everything else is bronze
3
Thankfully it has been years since I've had to play a brass cymbal
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Whoops, my mistake. Google is tellling me they are made of bronze and brass alloys. Must be mostly Bronze for good cymbals?
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Bronze doesn't rust. Water won't hurt it, neither will sweat or the oils from your hands.
Just don't make a habit of storing them in industrial chemical baths and you should be just fine.
Thanks! Luckily I don't have industrial baths lying around so I should be set
They won't rust, but the copper content can oxidize. Most cymbals these days have a super thin sealer on them to prevent this.