How to hammer a cymbal?

[Maggot]

I'm a beginning drummer, but I've been a musician forever. A local studio owner/drummer hooked me up with a pile of broken and reject cymbals. Most of them are cracked name-brand cymbals, which I plan to use until they fall apart and sound bad, but some of them are intact, bad-sounding cymbals.

I was thinking of trying to hammer away at a Scimitar ride, or another entry-level ride to see if I could get it to sound better. Any advice? Do I have to worry about the temper or do I just start hammering?

Obviously the stakes are low. I'm not expecting miracles, but is this worth doing? It sounds like fun.

 

[mountainhick]

http://web.mac.com/craiglauritsen/iWeb/www.cymbalutopia.com/Cymbal%20Workshop.html

 

[drums101]

Matt Bettis YouTube video

http://www.rarevintagecymbals.com/

 

[NUDrums]

http://web.mac.com/craiglauritsen/iWeb/www.cymbalutopia.com/Cymbal%20Workshop.html

Thats cymbal on the site, the first one on cymbal 101, has to be the most beautiful cymbal i have ever seen. Only wish i could hear it...

~Nik

 

[mbettis]

The Scimitar is a great place to start, because it's B8 (soft and forgiving bronze) and you can't really make them sound worse.

I suggest staying away from B20 until you have an anvil that will allow you to maintain good contact between the cymbal and the anvil. Without good contact, B20 will crack.

Later,
Matt

 

[korangeb]

matt

i watched the youtube link of you hammering an latheing and had questions about the lathe that you use.

Did you buy iut like that(as it was seen) or did you create it out of an electric motor and then created your own gear systems?



cheers
kyle

 

[mbettis]

I built it myself. Fortunately, a lathe is about the simplest power tool known to man, so even a dude like me can put one together!

Later,
Matt

 

[Bluesman]

Rule #1
If you ask "how do I hammer a cymbal?"
You probably shouldn't be thinking about hammering a cymbal.

 

[BennyK]

Rule #1
If you ask "how do I hammer a cymbal?"
You probably shouldn't be thinking about hammering a cymbal.

 

[lovethemGretsch]

Matt Bettis YouTube video

http://www.rarevintagecymbals.com/

Wow ! Did you see him pop that thing in and out like it was nothing ??!! Had no idea a cymbal could do that w/o disastrous results !!

Interesting and dangerous looking vid.

 

[BoxMonster13]

Matt Bettis YouTube video

http://www.rarevintagecymbals.com/

Wow ! Did you see him pop that thing in and out like it was nothing ??!! Had no idea a cymbal could do that w/o disastrous results !!

Interesting and dangerous looking vid.

One time I ordered a cymbal in the mail, and the FedEx guy must have put something on top of it, because when I got it it was flipped inside out looking like a china! Just a little pressure and I got it to pop back into shape though.

 

[Maggot]

Rule #1
If you ask "how do I hammer a cymbal?"
You probably shouldn't be thinking about hammering a cymbal.

I'd have to disagree. If you have to ask, you probably shouldn't be thinking about hammering a good cymbal. I've already hammered a 14" ZBT crash. It didn't make it sound great, but it made it sound like something you might want to hit with a stick from time to time - kind of a decent splashy china sound as opposed to a tiny crash sound with awful overtones.

Next stop, Scimitar!