Testing Cheap Ways to Clean Cymbals

[@bondfish]

Spreads ketchup with a toothbrush, and the toothpaste with his hands, what kind of world do you live in???

[@rdavidr]

+bondfish would you rather touch toothpaste or ketchup?

[@Bordackh]

+rdavidr They're both fluids with a high viscosity. There is almost no difference, you'll have to wash your hands either way.

[@theloudgamer9708]

+rdavidr DAVID THE KETCHUP IS BEST LOOKY THE TEXTURE IS SOO PROFESIONAL LIKE WOW IT HAS LIKE PLATNUM LIKE COLOR! USE KETCHUP GUYS

[@JulianDiezFernandez]

Think in the right way: which of them is by definition an abrasive fluid? Or: wich of them is thought to be in contact longer time with the body?

[@ND-iz6dd]

bondfish Lol

[@PNW_Sportbike_Life]

I learned that I'm going to keep using Paiste cymbal cleaner.

[@braddavison9642]

+Nicholas Paul your comment needs more love hahaha

[@PNW_Sportbike_Life]

hahaha fuck off

[@musicbruise]

No kidding, if you've spent money on a drum kit, cymbals, AND care enough to keep them clean, you'll buy the fucking cleaning product too.

[@madflynn4856]

use lemon

[@lazysod3]

😂😂😂

[@JeffreyMiddelveld]

The cleanest parts of the cymbal were the tapemarks, haha. Good vid, loved it. Thanks!

[@nicks4802]

how to remove the shine from your cymbals

[@boomerguy9935]

Back in the 60's, before cymbals came with a permanent polish, all good cymbals would oxidize immediately by sweaty fingerprints. My jazz drumming instructor gave me a solution which worked great on those cymbals which may not work as well on today's polished/coated cymbals. Here are the steps which you have to do fast: Be near a sink big enough to wash your cymbal in because you will have to move fast. While wearing rubber gloves, apply Sno-Bol toilet bowl cleaner (I don't know if it exists today. It is extremely acidic and stinks horribly.) to the cymbal surfaces, top and bottom with a sponge. IMMEDIATELY, wash the cymbal just like a dish with dish detergent and rinse very, very well. IMMEDIATELY, towel dry. Spray Pledge wax onto both surfaces, top and bottom. This whole process took less than 10 minutes total. This protected my cymbals so well that I have not had to clean/polish them in over 50 years. They are the original AVEDIS ZILDJIAN (no model names or numbers back then, other than "A" and "K".) and they have the vintage patina that makes them look much better than today's cheap "bling" cymbals. So, ACID - SOAP & WATER - DRY - POLISH. Simple.

[@EmeraldChest312]

Thats really cool honestly

[@Heath1202]

I have those same cymbals that I bought from a church for $100 and I've been trying to figure out how to clean and polish them.

[@boomerguy9935]

@@Heath1202 A simpler way may be to use Lemon Pledge Spray Polish. It has citric acid in it, so I would recommend applying a second coat with a car nano-spray polish. I am presently doing this to all of my cymbals, vintage and newer ones. Do NOT use Lemon Pledge Spray Polish on painted surfaces. I did this to a painted Ludwig drum set and the paint was ruined! This spray is powerful stuff, so just use it on cymbals.

[@keithwillb5691]

What did I learn from this? ...Never let this guy anywhere near my cymbals..!

[@isa3833]

I once bought a Zildjian rock ride for 60 bucks at some old record shop and it looked like complete shit. It was filthy and had a little bit of oxidation, so I wasn't sure if it had any potential. I took it home and because of your other video on ketchup and it cleaning cymbals, i used that method. It worked really well and gave it more shine than it had before, but it wasn't really clean enough. I ended up using a small bowl of vinegar mixed with salt and half of a lemon. I covered the whole thing in the vinegar and salt, then I scrubbed it all in using the lemon. This shit actually worked really well and made it look amazing, it doesn't even look like the same cymbal anymore.

[@Snarkapotamus]

That's actually a pretty good way of doing it...that combination of the acid from the lemon and abrasiveness of the salt works well. Makes me kind of wonder what a lemon and Ajax would do?

[@FreeRPGer]

I found that a 3rd Lemon Juice mixed with two 3rds water works the best. Or, I saw someone else's video that showed him simply cutting a lemon in half and just rubbing the lemon on the cymbal, then rinse & dry thoroughly. And I must say, the results were awesome & VERY surprising. Lemon juice and aluminum foil wipes away rust like dirt off rims, as well.

[@Rando_Shyte]

That song in the background is fucking weird.

[@nas6132]

Yeah 😂

[@Embryoyoyo]

Just a tip, vinegar is acid, it corrodes metals. Cymbals are made out of copper mainly so rubbing it with vinegar helps to clean it ´without any big damage done since it's a pretty weak acid, but having it there over night surely does it's job too good.

[@ericklc03]

I don't even have drums, why am I watching this?

[@EndreeNerd]

Because you were looking for wok recipes.

[@sukplum]

Me too.I don't know same way

[@douglasgoomes]

it's your inner drumming calling you. embrace it

[@666blastbeats]

Because you're an idiot, you're welcome.

[@ericklc03]

You don't have to state the facts, you're just being rude dude. And if you're gonna get rude, better go and play xbox live.

[@hazenstribling2646]

*uses toothbrush for ketchup but not toothpaste

[@rdavidr]

touch toothpaste>touch ketchup

[@CrusaderDeleters]

But you can lick your fingers after the ketchup!

[@dalcala75]

+CrusaderDeleters these people are sic af!

[@사랑해-q5t]

Hazen Stribling after using toothpaste,my cymbals fucking dirty

[@VICIOUSD3M0N]

100th like

[@diogoalmeidavisuals]

It's not Ajax, it's Francis!

[@Yotrymp]

+Diogo Almeida F R A N C I S

[@BradyMatteson]

HAHAHA THIS GUY'S GONNA GET RUN OVER BY A ZAMBONI

[@zero28ism]

Deadpool: Any last words? Francis: Say my name

[@baorozzo]

Yuo ween!!1!

[@pearpiece97]

+Spoodermen Produktionz "oh I'm gonna spell it out for you"

[@mikestein1024]

Then a gentle scrub with a mix steak sauce and barbacue sauce, use handfuls of mud to exfoliate the pores of the cymbals let sit over night with sliced cucumbers on surface then polish with helavagood dip works every time

[@nickpaternostro2611]

Some of your comments to ignorant people on here make me laugh my ass off. I love your channel and the experiments that you perform on drums are awesome. Cheers!

[@rdavidr]

haha, gotta let em know whats up some times.

[@DuroSamples]

That smells great... I have used Noxon which its very strong. Which is about $3.28 online but NOXON WILL Remove the label tho. Not in the mood to smell ketchup on my cymbals... Best solution is to spend $10 bucks on the proper product.. Sabian Safe & Sound Cymbal Cleaner. Or we can just cut some branches and make drum sticks with it right? If we can't spend $10 on our cymbals to properly care for them, we are playing the wrong instrument. TAMA RULES. cheers boss!

[@MikeBritton138]

Tama does rule!! I've played Pearl's my entire life. 30 yrs... last year I got tama superstars, and I'll never play anything else. Tama has my heart

[@darienhigh]

I've only ever had TAMAs and not entirely I purpose, I just kinda ended up with them, EVERY time.

[@korn11000]

I used mothers mag and aluminum wheel polishing and I took a really old 1970 zildjan ride cymbal to make it look like a brand new one from guitar center worked really good.

[@windsofmarchjourneyperrytr2823]

Vaseline. Done. Best one so far. Cheap. Not labor intensive. Shiny. Protects from oxidation. I use it every time.

[@gokblok]

Hell yes. That sounds like a winner. Do you buff with a rag, or does it just wipe off pretty easy?

[@ericrussell2378]

I just use NeverDull on mine, cleans and polishes better than anything else I have used, is fairly safe on labels, and leaves a super thin oil barrier to keep tarnish/corrosion down.

[@DrumBeatsOnline]

#prettywell

[@MikeOrkid]

I do a lot of metal fab and other hands on stuff. I recently ended up doing a big job with copper and brass that was very oxidized. I did some hunting online and found something amazing for pretty much instantly removing tarnish and oxidation. The Works toilet bowl cleaner. I have some old cymbals in my attic. maybe I'll do a test run and see if it works. If so, I'll let you know.

[@davidschenk7320]

barkeepers friend is only 2 bucks..and works great.. but thanks for trying all that stuff.. I tried to clean my cymbals for years.. nothing worked.. until barkeepers friend..love your videos.. I have learned a ton !!!

[@mikey41rules]

I like how you used a toothbrush to spread the ketchup but not the tooth paste. You're a mad man.

[@arturolinares4469]

All I learned from this video is how to ruin, and mess my cymbals so no thanks, I'll stick to actual cymbal cleaner.

[@madcatproductions69]

The reaction you're seeing is the acid washing that occurs with the high copper content of bronze. it just removes the protective layer applied during manufacturing. When I cook pasta, i save a bit of the tomato sauce from the bottle and apply it to the bottom of my copper bottom pots to clean them

[@Lou.B]

I liked the warm tone of the Ketchup treatments!

[@drhappyyy]

BKF also comes in a liquid - maybe will work better or worse than the powdered paste? The alloy of the cymbal also makes a difference. BKF works much better on B20 than B8. I have read a very stron recommendation not to use BKF on B8, as it can totally ruin it.

[@servandogonzalez248]

You're the channel that does the things to cymbals that I'm too broke to do

[@hoganbentle3582]

Over 100 thousand views. Congrats my friend!

[@Preston-bi1vc]

Just a couple weeks ago, I have a antique box that's covered in 3D brass, pictures of horses Etc. I gently rubbed ketchup on the entire box, you can't just apply and leave it sit, you have to rub it in gently, as far as symbols go you would rub with the grooves. I was out of my normal brass cleaner rag, amazing result from ketchup. Today my drum cymbals need cleaned, I don't feel like going to the store but I have plenty of ketchup and that's what I will use. Rinse with Warm Water rug lightly. When finished Acure dry cloth, t-shirt and shine your cymbals like new

[@timsears951]

I actually tried toothpaste today on a pair of new beats from 86' ...and I must say they came out pretty good ...the difference between how David did it and the way I did it was I worked the toothpaste in with a damp gritty sponge with toothpaste waited about 10 minutes poured some water on it went over again with a damp sponge then buffed it ...wasnt perfect but it took the dullness & some other dirt ....pretty satisfied with the results

[@adanvaldcontreras4283]

I use mothers aluminum polish and a buffing wheel and it works incredible. try it.

[@icedink87]

I just use brass/bronze polish and it works really well... Most cymbals are bronze so make sense to me. Brasso is only like $3. Have to be careful around the lettering though because it will remove it. I personally like my cymbals without labels.

[@ThatOneDude88]

That particular cymbal has a special coating due to its "entry level" quality. Not sure if that's a B8 or B8PLUS models. They used to have a special spray for that line of cymbals. Try that on an upper line cymbal.

[@guiltyspark343able]

Love the soundtrack of this video L0L

[@djoc417]

the cymbal is b8 bronze so the ketchup brings the cymbal back to its raw bronze state

[@Haiasiriku]

perhaps

[@JohnLeaf]

+JBHviews but for some reason there another metal coating and ketchup removed that , thats not good.

[@aldo.express]

+John Leaf non-newtonian fluid to the rescue

[@christophercedricbautista9098]

JBHviews

[@tristanrockwell2146]

The outer coating is copper oxide, the citric acid found in the tomatoes dissolved it revealing the bronze underneath. The vinegar also dissolves this as well at the non-oxidized copper in the bronze, and leaves behind a tarnish. The toothpaste looks funky because of the silicates and other polishing agents left behind. The Ajax would do the same, but it's more water soluble whereas the toothpaste is not so much. Thank you for attending my TED talk

[@MYNAMACHEF]

ketchup contains vinegar

[@Relbac3]

I made my cleaning experiment on my cymbals with some few lot of cleaning ingredients it has salt baking soda two powder cans of bar's keeper friend then the lemon juice vinegar and coke mix let it sit for like 6 to 24 hours over day and night in 6 hours it needs to let it soak All the chemicals And in 24 hours it needs to let it sizzle so the rust can easily removed then after that take the cymbal out from the cleaning recipe then dump all the chemicals in the sink or dump the chemicals on the grass then clean it with soap and water and finish off with pledge and and it's a rust removable cleaning recipe and also you can finish cleaning it off with a cymbal cleaning polish then polish it wait until 15 seconds then clean off again and see the shining results and all that stuff

[@LanceCampeau]

YESSSS.... cymbal porn ;P

[@Sauceboss421]

No..... Just no....

[@vossburton3437]

Okay...lance whatever works for you, I guess?

[@adamwrightdrumming]

You both clearly dont know lances channel, the dude LOVES his cymbals 😎

[@borredinho3184]

LanceCampeau LMAO

[@AbsoluteAbsurd]

>.>

[@blackcar3540]

From my military days. We used Never Dull to clean brass. Have you tried that?

[@jings1926]

i know you didnt want to scrub. but ajax has an abrassive in it/ im sure. like comet does. so you it works best when scrubbed.

[@akagordon]

Bar Keeper's Friend is what my college drumline used and I still use it on my personal cymbals. I wouldn't use the toothpaste too often since it acts as a polish and removes a portion of the alloy.

[@gokblok]

BKF is a polish as well, it's just a finer abrasive than toothpaste.

[@WildChildMcCloud]

When you started coughing I fell on the floor.. LOL

[@dennisn1672]

I have axx brilliant shine. I use brasso on a old t shirt. Do not spread brasso all over the cymbles. It will take the paint off. Ive had the same cymbles for ten years. They still look showroom clean.

[@nealixd.3011]

I used a few different things once on some inexpensively acquired cymbals and/or soiled Paiste and Zilco Hi-hats, and the WHITE vinegar worked best and very quickly. I would not leave it on long at all, as it works quickly, and you can cut it with some water too, it can be diluted. Scrub, rinse, and dry in whatever time it takes to simply rub the cymbal down both sides and rinse and dry, and walla, an old set of Zilco H-hats looked much cleaner and even Guitar Center gave me some decent dough for them the next day. It worked so well I used it on a set of soiled by time Paiste 802 hats I had and they cleaned up nicely too. WHITE vinegar IMHO works better than Brasso, and some other hack fluid I used that I can't even recall now, ha. For my money and time, White Vinegar is a very cheap and effective cymbal cleaning hack. I became aware of it from its use in cleaning out coffee makers (put some in a pot and run it through the cycle), which you always follow with a similar water rinse of one or two pots, and that basic method seems to work on cymbals nicely too.

[@nealixd.3011]

It may not clean up every single spot or corrosion, but it make a nice and notable difference overall in cleanliness and sheen.

[@johnstitcher1640]

Brand new b-8s have that reddish tint to them, I don't think it's from the ketchup. It's just that it cleaned it that well.

[@TheVirakahScale]

Vinegar actually works better if you make a Flour-Based paste, and cover it with something to lock the moisture in. I cleaned an old Brass lamp that had blackened from age. Sometimes you need to do it 2-3 times. Soak, Scrub, Rinse, Repeat. Works best on heavy corrosion, or discoloration.

[@BIGSNAKE16]

The Mean Green, if you read the directions, you aren't suppose to let it dry. I use it around the house cleaning different shit. It's some really stout shit man. I usually dilute it though because it will take the clear finishes off most surfaces.

[@nojnoj3069]

I swear by bar keeper's friend......I then use silver and or jewelry cleaner.....They come up like mirrors....once you've polished the cymbal, take it outside, turn it round so you're looking at the bottom and then swirl the cymbal round until you catch the sun. .....how amazing is that? the heat is Incredible!

[@augustburnsred3541]

wow that ketchup cymbal looks awesome super rusty and idustrial

[@rdavidr]

+August Burns Red wait til you see tomorrows video!

[@augustburnsred3541]

rdavidr ahaha ill be waiting

[@petarpavasovic6333]

Hey pal, can you make a cajon???

[@carlphileps2910]

Yeah you should do that

[@josehinojosa5688]

Baking sofa and lime juice always works best for cleaning copper. Seriously you should give it a try.

[@justanotherguitarplayer9767]

Baking sofa. Does it look like a couch by chance? 😂

[@migtex25]

I'm new to this but isn't bad to clean your cymbals because you can make them sound different if you clean them?

[@jamesbashaw5831]

I've used a homemade cleaner before that I read about online. You mix flour, vinegar, and salt to make a paste. It works pretty well. I had to scrub it a bit for any real results. I think you need something with the vinegar to act as an abrasive.

[@septariannodule]

That's basically what the ketchup is doing, it's thickened vinegar

[@WAFFLES081]

The thing with toothpaste, its a micro abrasive. So i think it would be best to just rub that in with a rag for a little bit. Ive done that to some belt buckles I got handed down.

[@willsmith5426]

Love your videos man keep it up

[@officerdavedean3071]

"Read the title. "TESTING" not "HOW TO." Yeah all these suck, great we all can see that. And no one cares that you dont clean your cymbals. People always seem to brag about how they dont clean their cymbals, because "it makes them sound so much better," like anyone gives a shit. I dont clean my cymbals and guess what, they sound the same." LMAO, What a legend.

[@LoveLee-jz1tj]

What brand of ketchup catsup? The chemical ratios ckmbined with the metal combo seems to actually matter.

[@dhannysanjaya9737]

clean the cymbal with Lime ?? does it work ??

[@garypugh1153]

l have always used brasso. its abrasive so scrub only lightly. let dry 10 min. then wash with dish soap. they will look new. amazing. use in ventilated area. im 65 and used this since high school

[@kemokhoabane8231]

I like the way he uses the toothbrush for the ketchup and he's gloves for the toothpaste 😂

[@remedy3107]

Vasiline works great if you use the scrubby side of a sponge use medium pressure and wipe it off and it glistens

[@GeekyGarden]

Brasso is the way to go. In high school marching band we had huge gong in the pit. We would buff it before every competition. More than one percussion judge commented that it was blinding to look at. LOL!

[@Rubs33]

Dude Love the vids!!!, You should try a lemon next the Natural acid in the lemon does a great job.

[@Rubs33]

+Ruben Groenewald And best of all it doesnt smell bad like the damn vinigar

[@NiKenDaCk]

You gotta seal the surface after cleaning. Something containing lanoline (like handcream) would be fine. Every cymbal cleaner is a combination of fine abrasive (like ajax) and not-concentrated acid (like vinegar) to remove oxidised top layer of cymbal...

[@markwiitanen8949]

IT'S A DESERT TOPPING AND A CYMBAL CLEANER!

[@kotomile]

Necro comment but the toothpaste is a polish, aka it's mildly abrasive, you have to scrub with it to get any effect. You don't just put toothpaste on your teeth and then rinse them off, right?

[@81wildbore]

Perhaps someone else has suggested it- but to get around the blecch scent of vinegar- use apple (cider) vinegar, it costs the same but smells just different enough that you may develop a mild tolerance for it.

[@lemonworm]

Cant speak for all vinegar smell haters out there but for me personally, ACV smells much worse than white vinegar by an enormous factor

[@Yotrymp]

It's cool seeing all these methods right next to each other. I feel like the coating was eaten away by the acids on the first cymbal. lolol Ketchup works great with a light coat. Mixing vinegar with flour makes a paste you can rub on the cymbal. But ketchup is a lot quicker since you'll have to clean off the vinegar paste anyways. There are some pretty in-depth instructions on cheap cymbal cleaning on the internet.

[@drummergurl0561]

When I put ketchup on my cymbals,It worked!A made it a great shine!Thx!

[@pbldrum]

A damp sponge and Noxon works well. It has an ammonia base. Time tested

[@juansantiago5623]

Another trick to cleaning from what I have read in drum magazines. (I think it was a 2010 guitar center or something similar) is lemon juice. The citric acid is supposed to be a great cleaning agent. I think it was mixed with vinegar but not sure.

[@squealingandpeeling2188]

Hey mate , i have zbt hi hats that are pretty much all red from sitting in a shed. What can i use to clean them up? I can send you photos if youd like to help me. Thanks

[@jessekirkbride6326]

You should do a video about making your own CrashGuard Drum Mic Shield and have a sound test with and without.

[@colewoodard8920]

I've found that comet (ajax) works really well to remove corrosion from cymbals.

[@TubbyLumpkins]

me and my mom poured vinegar and ketchup and salt all over my cymbal and scrubbed it with toothbrushes and it is really shinny and cleaned it good.

[@lukasbeter6156]

You can just buy cymbal cleaner for the type of finish for the cymbal, and is not actually that expensive. My cymbals have a bronze finish and I use cymbal juice to clean them. Bought it for $15.00 at my local music store. Always make sure you use the correct cleaner so it does not ruin your finish. I know the video is for finding cheap ways, but I gave my way as well. Also, I gave it a thumbs up, because I enjoy your experiments.

[@lestat-td6tn]

How does it sound??

[@billmatthews2463]

Believe it or not, Lava soap. It has pumice in it which is a natural cleaner and polisher. I clean the cymbals with the lava, dry them off and they look almost new. Then to really make them shine I use Brasso. You just might want to have a pair of sunglasses handy, though.

[@flotuc]

i ve learnt, that the best way , to remove rests of gaffa tape from the cymbals, is with olive oil,...btw.... great work on ur channel !!

[@AcapRoseknightDrummer]

would love to see how does it sounds like after you cleaned it with all the solvents haha

[@ralphgallegos5287]

Lemon juice and toothpaste mixed works great!

[@pinoyprogrammingtuts8929]

What ketchup brand, did you use?

[@giantsonicmonster4088]

I make ketchup in my day job, and one of the main ingredients is vinegar. Vinegar is an acid that dissolves your cymbals, ketchup contains vinegar as well as ascorbic acid and citric acid. Ketchup will react with anything you put it on including your teeth. I clean my cymbals with a mild solvent and a microfiber cloth. and gloves.

[@NZCLUB_reals]

Thanks but they all looked like they damaged the metal but you didn't say that... Oxidized isn't good

[@krasiomilchev160]

I think cleaning results depend a great deal on the cymbal brand. I've got a Zidjan zbt and planet-Z and nothing cleans them better than a degreaser. However the degreaser doesn't work for my other cymbals which are Istanbul and Paiste 2002.

[@jasminerosa2814]

This video made my heart smile. SCIENCEEEEEEEE

[@Scubadog_]

Finally, someone who hates the smell of vinegar as well. I can't stand any sauces with a lot of vinegar or cooking with it, mostly because of the smell.

[@michaelharrington5914]

Easy Off Non Toxic oven cleaner. Be prepared to lose your decals but they look awesome!

[@MegaShortvideos]

Ever try WD-40 Oil Sprayed on and wiped off?

[@lajeanette33]

After testing myself my champions are: lemon: easy to apply, efficent and no nasty smell. And for spots that won't come of with lemon: products for silver utensiles.

[@rockhard2654]

bar keepers friend is bassically ajax with oxalic acid best stuff in the world for metal a billion times better than vineger try lemon juice and salt together as a paste super cheap works great

[@hhasslinger9601]

rockhard I know right. Bar Keepers Friend is the best I know of. It's cheap too

[@horowizard]

Is there something wrong with Brass polish?

[@musamnguni510]

What's the name of the track playing in the background?

[@DemetrioAlbidrez]

I use Colonel Brassy works really Well !! With a Moist Damp Sponge !

[@Amarilliobrillo]

Lemon juice and a microfiber towel and paper towels works amazingly

[@Freogeteknet]

I used ketchup once and it really cleaned my cymbal well but after just a short time it got alot worse with the patina! As I understand it the manufactures put some kind of protection on the cymbals and it gets washed off with the ketchup method!? Is there away to get it back or have I misunderstood?

[@bumble669]

+Freogeteknet If you look at the videos LanceCampeau did where he re lathed the Paiste 502s you will see he uses a sealer after he is done. If you drop him a note I'm sure he will tell you what he used. He's a good guy.

[@rdavidr]

+Freogeteknet yeah once you clean a cymbal you need to seal it. Lance uses spay lacquer, but another option would be paste wax.

[@ethan043]

I just noticed those 8 tracks on your garage wall, what's the story behind those?

[@rdavidr]

I was going to cast it in epoxy and make an end table, but I was too poor to buy enough epoxy at the time. and now I dont feel like finishing it. and epoxy is still super expensive lol

[@ethan043]

It would've been so cool.

[@VideoGuy]

Thanks for reassuring the ketchup method.

[@numbvocations63alphachime18]

If you soak the simbol in vinegar then scrub it will clean pretty good

[@johnsteed2399]

I love how he used his toothbrush on the ketchup, but not the toothpaste.