Zildjian - How Cymbals Are Made | Home Of Drums Stories

[@HomeOfDrums]

This documentary shows how Zildjian Cymbals are made. Let us know what's your favorite cymbal and why? What sequence did you like the most?

[@Savantjazzcollective]

Zildjian constantinople bounce ride! Great pitch and character...

[@rnm723]

Love the philosophy of putting YOUR emotions into the sound of the cymbals! My favourite sequence was the cymbal testing at the end. So jealous at the guy :D Though I don't own them yet my favourite cymbals are probably the Constantinople Hi-Hats because they have the perfect blend between a bright and a dark characteristic, making it so convenient adapting the sound to whatever musical style. Brilliant:)

[@davidmcaninch4714]

Zildjian A Custom cymbals.

[@scaley5]

Love the guy who does the testing. It's nice to see someone who loves what he does.

[@PaulDes]

Great !! very nice upload !!

[@ducky_mono]

Awesome work!

[@Shrimpy08]

Really interesting

[@JakePresnallPercussion]

Paul is the GOAT

[@corneliusknudsen670]

good video !!

[@wildbumbylee6731]

I'm a Zildjian Z or Z customs guy. I wish y'all would bring them back into production! I need 2-crashes,splash and CHIna. They LAST!

[@BBT609]

Replying 3 years later, they are BACK!!

[@crazydogsrockcover8483]

K's. I love them.

[@pastilance1]

Well, now I understand why cymbals are so expensive!

[@kr1340]

I wish it was more acceptable to actually hit cymbals in the store before buying them. I do wish some sort of tech. was being used to classify cymbals more accurately so you know your old cracked 17" K will sound 95% like your new 17" K.

[@Lo-bp3zn]

I love my Planet Zs! (not really lol)

[@ChristopherLopezDrums]

They are great feeling cymbals for someone with a low budget or a beginner, no shame in having them!

[@Lo-bp3zn]

@@ChristopherLopezDrums I still have em, and they are good enough for what I do (my shack is small and got no sound proofing, which means I have to wear general purpose or noise cancelling headphones to practice anyway, so really as long as the cymbals sound like cymbals I have no reason to change hardware), but I still dream that one day I will be able to get some decent ones.

[@remygaron8311]

Is that thrue that old cymbals have more silver than the new one🧐🧐🧐

[@cjbartoz]

The cymbals are made of approximately 80 percent copper, 19 percent tin and 1 percent silver. The exact mixing process and chemical formula which marries the metals together is, of cource, the Zildjian secret. When they are mixed in the electric furnaces, we pour the resulting secret alloy into the casting bowls where they emerge as circular ignots. The casting bowls are filled half with boiling water so that when the melted bronze is poured into the bowls the circular ignots won’t stick in the bottom. Zildjian cymbals, own much of their unique sound and mechanical resilience to the fact that their original cast preform is tested by striking to see if the material has a ring in its cast state. If it does not, it is remelted. After the castings cool, they are sorted by weight into different bins. The weight of the castings determines the size of the final cymbal. All Zildjian cast cymbals, are fashioned from this one type of bronze ingot, the difference is what happens further down the line. A big part of it is not only the secret alloy, but knowing what to do with it once the casting is made. Different thicknesses of the castings are being slowly carried through a large rotary hearth (or oven) on a conveyor. The temperature inside the oven reaches about 1,500 degrees Fahrenheit. Peering into the oven’s opening you see the castings glowing bright orange in the intense heat. Every cymbal that goes in there gets heated for the same amount of time. A casting will travel through the oven from four to 25 times, depending on the size and thickness of the final cymbal. After each trip, the crude cymbal will be gradually flattened in the rolling mill. As the discs are rolled again and again, a dense interlocking weave is formed in the granular structure that prevents warping and weak spots. Once the required thickness and size is achieved, the center is marked with chalk where the hole will be drilled. During the previous procces of thinning, the colour of the discs changes from silver to a deep purple. When the latter colour is reached, the discs, are subjected to two further temperings, first in a chemical solution (a Zildjian formula) containing herbs and oils, and secondly in cold water. This cold water bath tempers the hot metal and makes it malleable enough to shape the casting into what will eventually resemble a cymbal. The metal changes instantaneously once it hits the cold water. It’s called ’quenching’ the metal. Because we have 19 percent tin, we are going from a very brittle state, and we are trying to achieve a ductile state so we can do all our ’cold’ work on the cymbal. After the metal has been quenched and is no longer brittle, the hole is drilled and a heavy stamping machine presses the cup. With the center and diameter of the cymbal determined, a craftsman can now shear the jagged and uneven edges off the blank disc. Over the last few steps the once unrecognizable piece of bronze begins to take on the shape and profile (but not the finish) of a cymbal. The main spec is a weight parameter, depending on what cymbal it is going to be. Every single model we make, from a 6″ splash to a 24″ ride has a specific weight tolerance within a certain amount of grams. Then there is the visual inspection. We take a look after each stage, making sure everything was done properly - if a mistake was made you’d be able to see it. We have team leaders who lead each process and inspect each cymbal. And everyone is empowered to halt the process if they see a mistake. It’s really a team effort. The next stage of the operation requires a craftsman to first backbend the cymbal by hand on a jig before it is placed in a shaping press where 80 to 100 tons of pressure will come down and give the cymbal its shape and profile. At this point the cymbal is very malleable and you can really work the metal. In the old days this is where the hammering would start, but because of the new methods we have, we can press an initial shape that the cymbal will eventually take. Because every cymbal and every size has a different shape, there are different stamp dies used for each model. Once the cymbal is pressed into a basic shape it’s ready for the hammering machine, this one-of-a-kind proprietary hammering machine plays a major role in creating the mystical Zildjian sound. Unique (and costly) “chucks” with raised hammer patterns are used in the state-of-the-art, computer-controlled machine. The machine brings a previously unheard of consistency to each model family of cymbals. Basically the human hand is not strong enough or consistent enough to make the cymbals the way we feel they should be made. Some cymbals go through a very quick hammering process, and some go through an over-hammering stage. Obviously Constantinoples are very different from A Zildjians and they require very different hammering techniques. An A-line cymbal gets hammered just once, a K Custom Dark Crash will get hammered several times in different stages of its creation, which helps dry out the sound. Constantinoples get hammered quite a bit. Depending on what we’re trying to achieve, that’s how much work goes into the cymbal. It’s all about the end result. After being hammered, the cymbals are taken to lathing machines to be turned. Each cymbal is secured vertically on the lathe and as it spins, the lathe operator leans his weight against a large cutting knife and begins to cut sound or tonal grooves into the cymbal. One craftsman will do a rough pass on a cymbal and another will do a finish pass. Finish lathe operators have more time on the job. They’re more skilled so we can ensure the cymbal comes down to its final weight and thickness. It’s one of the most critical parts of cymbal making, you can make the cymbal come out right, or you can just ruin everything everyone did before you. There are small but discernible differences between cymbals that are the same size and type. This is where the human touch comes particularly into play, because no matter how consistent a lathe operator is, there will always be minute differences in the way he cuts a groove. The sound grooves help define the sound of the cymbal. Just the slightest variation in lathing will create a different sound. We want each cymbal to have its own character. Unless you were doing it robotically, it would be virtually impossible to lathe two 12″ splash cymbals exactly the same way. Each step of the process is as important as any other. It’s like a cake recipe: if you change one of the steps or do it incorrectly it throws everything off. Before the cymbals leave the main production room, the edges are made as smooth as possible. Some models are buffed and finished on the way to the quality control area where longtime employee Leon Chiappini personally oversees the testing of each and every cymbal made by the company. Chiappini has been with Zildjian for over 40 years, and chances are, if you own a Zildjian cymbal, he played it before you. With the help of “tester” cymbals, which represent a range of what the cymbal is supposed to sound like, Leon goes through the cymbals one at a time. He hits them a few times and makes sure they fall in line with the tester cymbal. Once Chiappini signs off on the cymbals, they need to be sprayed with a protective coating and then taken to a laser etcher to engrave a unique serial number and have the logo printed onto the cymbal. The finished cymbals are then wheeled to the legendary Zildjian cymbal vault to rest and age and await shipping.

[@davidmcaninch4714]

Their A Custom cymbals? Change your life!!!!! 😃😃😃😃😃😃😃😃😃😃😃

[@fab2031]

Zildjan the only serious choice.

[@chsemaphor]

No.

[@JakePresnallPercussion]

@fab2031 you better believe it