How to clean singing bowls

[@misteryofnada4660]

I totally agree with you about not cleaning a very old singing bowl. Some have a kind of dark green patina which is amazing, and I am sure that even if it will be cleaned that patina, the sound will not be much different. I think the sound of an antique singing bowl stays also in how the bowl aged during the years, and if the patina it builds nicely, it will contribute positively to the sound. From an antique singing bowl, I want to hear a mellow tone and not a crispy tone with the harmonics sounding too harsh. My cleaning method of the antique bowls it is very simple, some lemon juice mixed with sodium bycarbonate and maybe I will add some earth powder, like diatomaceaus earth, it is even finer like wood ash. And this I will use just to get off the green oxidation and maybe some layer of dirt or whatever it is that is not patina. But I can hear many recommendations about cleaning even the nice patina antique bowls because of the enhancement of the sound. ”Silence in sound” cleans all the bowls until they are very shiny. Personally, I prefer the antique bowls to have their own history ”written” on them and this is what makes them unique, the different colors of patina. And keeping this sign of antiquity, for me it is also a sign of respect and preserving a heritage in the most authentic way. And in the same time, using this instruments for their own sound and vibration.

[@singingbowlmuseum]

thanks for sharing. I think it really depends on the bowl. The change to the sound due to patina is extremely small. The main change is not due to the surface but due to molecular changes in the metal as it ages. See my book, articles and other videos where I talk about that. The state of the metal changes over time. I agree the patina can slightly mellow the sound because the high harmonics are dampened when the surface is not cleaned. I know other dealers who not only clean the surface, but smooth the edges to make them smoother to rub. This is a huge mistake because so much of the history is about the rim of the bowl. If it's an antique, people should be careful with the surface. That's the main point.

[@halfknots]

I'm curious why you use lemon juice and sodium bicarbonate as they neutralize each other

[@misteryofnada4660]

@@halfknotsI didn’t asked myself and I don’t know what happens with them. I just noticed that are two good cleaning agents for green oxidation and they don’t affect the patina.

[@halfknots]

@@misteryofnada4660 lemon juice is acidic and sodium bicarbonate is basic. They foam up and neutralize each other, making a basically water and CO2 gas

[@singingbowlmuseum]

the chemical reaction could have an effect but mostly the sodium is an abrasive agent. Basically any cleaning you are using an abrasive agent. A good bronze polish has enough fineness, like using finer sandpaper. It's just not easy to find anymore because there's not a lot of bronze anymore.

[@des8616]

I would like to try and polish off the paint on my singing bowls. It feels like a rougher surface, which makes the mallet not glide very smoothly. It gives the sound a weird tone, like static on a radio, for lack of a better word. I have not had that problem with smooth bowls, which don't have any painted designs on them. Have you encountered this issue? I am assuming that mine are cheaper bowls, probably meant for tourists. I found them thrifting. Still I believe they could produce nice enough sounds.

[@singingbowlmuseum]

cleaning will not change the sound