35 replies to this topic

[Little Jimmy]

Any ideas on ink (logo) removal and some sort of wash that might help a cymbal look older? I'm just trying to get a more consistent look. I've got older hats and crashes with a vintage kit and my newer ride just looks out of place. I know it's silly but I'm stupid that way.

Edited by Little Jimmy, 12 March 2011 - 07:05 AM.

[vintagemore2000]

True story. I bought a closed music stores cymbal Inventory out in mid 2000. had around 500+ cymbals, I had heard the myth about old jazz and blues drummers used to take their cymbals and bury them in the back yard for a couple of months to age and patina them.
So I decided to try it, this is the test subject. a Sabian 16" HH med/thin crash brilliant finish, I like the cymbals sound but it was to bright sounding.
I had been experimenting with aging metal grommets and what not for awhile, so I used the liquid concoction I had come up with that does age brass and buried this cymbal for three months. here is what it looks like now all labels are gone and it looks like it's been through a rough patch.here are after and before pics of the cymbal

[Little Jimmy]

Wow, That's a trip.
Do you remember the liquid mix you used? I was hoping for a faster method , I only have the one ride.

[vintagemore2000]

I'm a non smoker but I had friend that smoke save their used cigarette butts and a uric acid mixture discusting and all natural!

[Little Jimmy]

I'm a non smoker but I had friend that smoke save their used cigarette butts and a uric acid mixture discusting and all natural!

You're serious aren't you.
I can certainly supply the uric acid, cig butts might be a problem.

[vintagemore2000]

I'm a non smoker but I had friend that smoke save their used cigarette butts and a uric acid mixture discusting and all natural!

You're serious aren't you.
I can certainly supply the uric acid, cig butts might be a problem.

Unfortunately yes! you'll need the nasty cig butts also, it all works in conjunction together.

[Little Jimmy]

I'm a non smoker but I had friend that smoke save their used cigarette butts and a uric acid mixture discusting and all natural!

You're serious aren't you.
I can certainly supply the uric acid, cig butts might be a problem.

Unfortunately yes! you'll need the nasty cig butts also, it all works in conjunction together.

Please tell me you wore protective gloves when applying... or did you spit it on?

[K.O.]

Modern cymbals almost always have a protective clear coat on them to keep them shiny longer. Vintage ones didn't and that is why they oxidized more and also more evenly. To get that vintage look you'd first need to remove the clear coat. I'm not sure what is the best thing to use...I'd think acetone ought to work...I know it will take off the ink stamps.

I believe Zildjian leaves the clear coat off their Armand series so that they will eventually get a patina like the 60's cymbals they are designed to replicate.

[vintagemore2000]

I'm a non smoker but I had friend that smoke save their used cigarette butts and a uric acid mixture discusting and all natural!

You're serious aren't you.
I can certainly supply the uric acid, cig butts might be a problem.

Unfortunately yes! you'll need the nasty cig butts also, it all works in conjunction together.

Please tell me you wore protective gloves when applying... or did you spit it on?

absolutely I did, hell I would of worn a welders mask if I would of needed to, Here is how I did it, I collected the acid and cigarette concoction and let it age outside in a gallon container for a month, yes absolutely disgusting, dug a hole in my garden, poured some of the mixture into the hole first then placed the cymbal in the hole pored the remaining mixture all over the cymbal with some dirt on it, then buried it for three months, this was during summer, and the pic I showed you is what I ended up with.It changed the look and the sound very much to my liking.

[GregNoiz]

I've wondered if liver of sulfur solution could be used to "age" cymbals. It's used to give bronze sculptures a brown patina. Anyone ever experiment with this?

[Little Jimmy]

I'm a non smoker but I had friend that smoke save their used cigarette butts and a uric acid mixture discusting and all natural!

You're serious aren't you.
I can certainly supply the uric acid, cig butts might be a problem.

Unfortunately yes! you'll need the nasty cig butts also, it all works in conjunction together.

Please tell me you wore protective gloves when applying... or did you spit it on?

absolutely I did, hell I would of worn a welders mask if I would of needed to, Here is how I did it, I collected the acid and cigarette concoction and let it age outside in a gallon container for a month, yes absolutely disgusting, dug a hole in my garden, poured some of the mixture into the hole first then placed the cymbal in the hole pored the remaining mixture all over the cymbal with some dirt on it, then buried it for three months, this was during summer, and the pic I showed you is what I ended up with.It changed the look and the sound very much to my liking.

Very cool results, I definitely like the look you ended up with.

[lossforgain]

WOW. vintagemore, I just gained a whole new respect for you.

[vintagemore2000]

WOW. vintagemore, I just gained a whole new respect for you.

Jeremy, thank you fine sir.

[Leffler]

Wait, wait, wait.... Did you pee on your cymbals?

[blueshadow]

Haven't tried it but I think Dillo Dirt would work well to bury cymbals in. Anyone tried it?

[69OysterBlue]

Haven't tried it but I think Dillo Dirt would work well to bury cymbals in. Anyone tried it?

As in "Armadillo" ? That's the state mascot down there isn't it?

I'm with KO on this one. I think there are commerically sold chemicals (like Acetone) that would produce these aged results much more quickly and easily.

However, I am amazed at what road salt and a few months in the snow do to cars up here in this part of the world.

[vintagemore2000]

Wait, wait, wait.... Did you pee on your cymbals?

Mitch, Not directly, but that was what was used, and good ole Terra firma and 3 months in the ground I only did just the Sabian I have pictured, my motivation was as I mentioned in the first post,from the tales of ole blues and jazz drummers burying their cymbals to darken the sound, and The K Zildjians that I bought from the Closed music store, I also wanted to change the Brilliant finish of this particular Sabian HH. But it was so disgusting that I will not ever do it again. here are some brass ludwig grommets I aged also.

[thecanyonbehindher]

Any ideas on ink (logo) removal and some sort of wash that might help a cymbal look older? I'm just trying to get a more consistent look. I've got older hats and crashes with a vintage kit and my newer ride just looks out of place. I know it's silly but I'm stupid that way.

It's not silly at all. Whenever I get a new cymbal I always take the label off and give it a good patina treatment.
Logo removal is usually easy, depending on what type of cymbal you have. Istanbul Agops are the hardest, and need a paint or graffiti remover. Most others will come off with paint thinner or nail polish remover.
Some cymbals have a clear coat and will require laquer thinner to take off if you want to patina the cymbal.
The following will give you a beautiful, natural looking patina.
You will need:
windex
steel wool
clean rags
White vinegar
sea salt
a brush or sponge (brush works best IMO)
oil (mineral/vegetable/olive)

clean the cymbal thoroughly with the windex to get all of the fingerprints and oils off. Any amount that you miss will show up later, as the patina wont take to oily/dirty area's. Using latex gloves to avoid prints after the cymbal is clean is a good idea.
Next, get some light steel wool and give the cymbal a once over (lightly), going around with the grooves. You aren't looking to scratch the bronze, it just etches the surface slightly. (this is totally optional, and NOT RECOMMENDED with brilliant/buffed cymbals.)
Mix your vinegar and salt. Say, a tablespoon of salt to a cup of vinegar. Something like that. It doesn’t need to be exact.
Lay some newspapers down on whatever surface you are working on and brush the cymbal with a liberal amount of the solution. Let it dry. Do the underside. Repeat. Do that a bunch of times. The cymbal will look weird at first, kinda splochy. After a few coats it will develop a layer of bright green (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Verdigris). Keep going. It’s important to let it dry between coats, and doing this in a hot area will speed the process up. I use a space heater. I suppose a hair drier would be even better, if you’re in a hurry. Each new coat will kind of wash away the green coating, but it will come back when dry.
The more coats and the longer they are kept on, the darker the patina will be.
When you think you’re finished (for a nice chocolate color, there should be quite a layer of green stuff on it) wash it off with a hose or in the tub.The green stuff will wash away easily (WARNING: if the cymbal has very deep grooves and deep, deep hammer marks, such as a K Constantinople, then getting the green off will prove harder) to reveal a lovely patina. If you aren’t satisfied with the color, throw some more coats on. If you hate it, it will polish off no problem.
When the cymbal dries from the wash, you will notice that the surface looks hazy, like it’s been etched. Don’t fret. Take a small amount of oil and work it on with a rag. Don’t glop it on. Use a small amount and kind of polish it on. Do small areas of the cymbal at a time. The haze will be gone forever.
I wish I had more pics, but here’s a beautiful kontroversial I did. This took about two days of me putting coats on whenever I could find the time.

Edited by thecanyonbehindher, 16 March 2011 - 03:14 PM.

[vintagemore2000]

Awesome, thank you!!! good to know I'm not alone in this area.

[Leffler]

This thread is full of piss and vinegar.