Home hammering jobs

[lossforgain]

Saw a few old As on Reverb that appear to have received some extra hammering. I obviously have no idea whether it was a homegrown job or not, but it appears that way to me. I wouldn't be opposed to buying a cymbal that has been rehammered if it sounds good, but without the chance to play and hear it I don't think I would take the chance (unless it was done by a known name in cymbal craft). What say you?

A. Zildjian 15" '60s Stamp Crash Cymbal | Reverb

Reverb is a marketplace bringing together a wide-spanning community to buy, sell, and discuss all things music gear.

reverb.com

 

[JDA]

i wouldn't trust myself to hammer a cymbal pretty sure I'd crack it so I leave that up to the pros and those that do it often.
possibly there's a window of a few hours to hammer and lathe a fresh cymbal new from the oven.. once it's years old just not into it or one that has been..
with so much great finished product out there I don't see the allure attraction.

 

[wolfereeno]

possibly there's a window of a few hours to hammer and lathe a fresh cymbal new from the oven.. once it's years old just not into it or one that has been..
with so much great finished product out there I don't see the allure attraction.

There are plenty of people reworking cymbals by hammering or lathing long after they were forged. And a lot of those cymbals are highly sought after and worth more than the commercial cymbals they started life as. Age isn't really a factor.

But if you don't know the guy reworking the pie, then don't over pay or at least hear it.

 

[varatrodder]

I don't have an issue with buying modified cymbals, as long as I know they were done correctly.

Matt Bettis re-hammered and lathed a Sabian Tosco for me. It turned out fantastic!

Before:

After:

 

[JazzDrumGuy]

I've hammered cymbals for my own use at a HIGHLY amateur level.......I have a crude basic understanding of how hammering affects cymbals based on a lot of experience and a handful of trial and (mostly) error.......

 

[Sinclair]

Is this the thread to discuss the whiskeys I've been drinking during the pandemic?

 

[JDA]

Punchline of the week

 

[RIDDIM]

Is this the thread to discuss the whiskeys I've been drinking during the pandemic?

That depends.

What was hammered? The whiskeys or the consumer? Were machines involved?

 

[JDA]

not obligated to answer that last one (ming toy, is a person, too.

 

[Sinclair]

I've had a few reworked rides that were much better afterwards. Early on I took a 22 Agop Sultan to Matt Bettis at the time when he was honing his craft. His 1st mod actually that he signed and under the bell designated 001. Hammered and lathed some weight off that brought it to life.

I currently own a 20" mod that Craig Lauritsen hammered and lathed. Starting with a rather bland Sabian that he turned into an edgy very trashy ride that would have a Z Complex looking for the door.
Of course it's about the sound but I wouldn't hesitate to buy any rehammered ride if I liked it...no matter how many whiskeys I've had.

 

[JDA]

yea that's the thing none of the cymbal I keep need work.
I could see an attempt at turning a dog into a cat
but I know some who have relathed heavy old Ks (like a 2kg 18") end........ unable to even give them away.
Rehammering on the other hand a 404 Paiste I could see as fair game; a 3000g older20" A. ( heck yea $45 cymbal what have you got to lose..)
Plus the 18" old heavy Ks they relathe- the cymbal never loses it's "heavy" sound it's just weird, worse and conflicted

 

[JimmySticks]

I’m not sure I understand.

Why would a lathed and hammered cymbal be put out from a shop ready for sale when it can become better with more hammering and lathing later on? I mean, why not just take 5 more minutes and hammer it a little more till it cannot be made better by some cymbal guru?

 

[varatrodder]

I’m not sure I understand.

Why would a lathed and hammered cymbal be put out from a shop ready for sale when it can become better with more hammering and lathing later on? I mean, why not just take 5 more minutes and hammer it a little more till it cannot be made better by some cymbal guru?

Depends on the sound that model was originally designed to make. For example, my Sabian Tosco that I posted above was basically a 21" AA Dry Ride - heavy at 3100 grams, pingy and controlled. But once Matt got ahold of it, smacked it with his hammer, and shaved off 500 grams it turned into something more like a medium weight K at about 2600 grams - dark and slightly washy. It sounds nothing like the original. I liked the nice profile and smallish bell, and I saw the potential in it to be more than a ping machine. For $75, plus what I paid Matt, it was worth the experiment.

 

[JDA]

might have been only one way but up with that tosco rat ; )

And a lot of those cymbals are highly sought after and worth more than the commercial cymbals they started life as.

that is what I know isn't always a guarantee

 

[varatrodder]

might have been only one way but up with that Tosco Rat ; )

I gotta say...if I was into heavy rides, that one would have been a keeper. It sounded really good for being a boat anchor.

 

[bassanddrum84]

I’m not sure I understand.

Why would a lathed and hammered cymbal be put out from a shop ready for sale when it can become better with more hammering and lathing later on? I mean, why not just take 5 more minutes and hammer it a little more till it cannot be made better by some cymbal guru?

I wish that was the case. When I hammer cymbals (mainly b8 and brass) I’ll do some
Hammering and let them sit a week or so. I even heat them up and quench them as a reset before and some
After. The sound I hear right after hammering is drastically different two weeks down the road just from sitting. Sometimes have to hammer more to get what I’m after. I’ve been in cymbal forums for years and chatted with a lot of cymbal makers about different techniques. It’s a lot of fun.

 

[Old Drummer]

I have an old 18" A that I'm real tempted to start smacking with a hammer just to find out. It's terrible as is, so a few amateur hammer blows can't make it worse.

 

[bassanddrum84]

I have an old 18" A that I'm real tempted to start smacking with a hammer just to find out. It's terrible as is, so a few amateur hammer blows can't make it worse.

It can lol def go slow and soft as b20 is soft and will crack easily. (Found out the hard way on b20 zildjian a) I’d recommend a decent anvil (barbel ground down to a nice curve and polished) and ball peen hammer. Bottom hammering will trash it up. If it gets wonky in shape too hammering to add tension.

 

[Sinclair]

I mean, why not just take 5 more minutes and hammer it a little more till it cannot be made better by some cymbal guru?

This is a slippery slope. I've never hammered a cymbal, not even after drinkin' whiskey. Each cymbal being different, seems to me if you're not careful you can hammer right through the sweet spot. Trying to reverse course is akin to walking out of a dark alley with eyes swollen shut after being mugged. Each stage is done after a resting period if I'm not mistaken. You've gotta now when enough's enough.

 

[jptrickster]

Nothing wrong with experimenting. That's how we learn. Do what you like ,often, life is short.
Now where's this whiskey ride?