Black on sticks after cleaning cymbals

by Jeff Garrison
(La Habra Ca US)

I just polished my cymbals with zildjian cymbal polish and, after playing, it's leaving a black scruff on my sticks and its scuffing up my other heads.

Why are my sticks getting the black?


ANSWER:

Hi, Jeff!

I know what you mean. Cymbal cleaner is just like any other metal cleaner or polish--the "black stuff" is the dirt and oxidization coming from the metal. This is especially pronounced on brass.
So what to do?

There are 2 solutions that I know of. One is to continue rubbing the cymbals with a clean cloth until the black residue no longer appears on the cloth. This takes a while, especially if your cymbals were very dirty.

The other solution is a bit controversial. You can use the cleaner, rub most of the black off, and then rinse the cymbals with water. Some drummers say NEVER to get cymbals wet, but I usually clean mine, rinse them good in the bathtub (use a cloth or sponge), dry them off and follow that by polishing with a micro-cloth. At this point, no black should appear on the polishing cloth. I have never noticed a reduction in sound quality from this procedure.

If you want to get rid of the scuff marks on your heads, as strange as it may sound, use a little "409". Do not over-wet the heads.

Hope this helps. Good luck with your drumming!

Lynne

Click here to post comments

Join in and write your own page! It's easy to do. How? Simply click here to return to Ask Drum Questions.