Hi brethren drumists!

I am new on this board, but not new to drumming (been banging on for 20 years lol)!
However I have a q: Does any of you know about a natural, non toxic liquid or concoction one can use to clean one's brass collection?

I don't particularely like using nasty chems ...
Any suggestions?

Thanks !

I have used lemons before. You squeeze out the juice on the cymbals and then scrub with the lemon. You need a lot of lemons though and if you dont clean them good you can see the spots that are still dirty.
It kind of turns the cymbals a bright color, I used it on old paiste alphas and they turned pink, but it still works good. Then dont let heat get near them for a while or they will turn a bunch of different colors.

Afterwards the cymbals smell good. If you try it on a little splash you can see how it works before using it on big cymbals.

I heard something called groove juice but i don't know if it's non toxic....

the lemon idea should work... if u can clean a BBQ plate with it then in theory...








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You can use baking soda! 3 parts baking soda to 1 part water. Rub the paste on and scrub with a cloth and rinse. Works very well. Make sure that you dry thorougly. Good cleaning and welcome to the forum. Peace on ya!








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Some white vinegar will really make that baking soda go to town. I use that to clean the smell of onion off of our cutting boards.








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SGarrett wrote:

Some white vinegar will really make that baking soda go to town. I use that to clean the smell of onion off of our cutting boards.

couldnt that corrode the metal? cause that is a pretty violent reaction








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Zildjian, Wuhan & Istanbul cymbals
Pearl & Mirage kit.
Crappiato Snare
Steve's Back! ..............kinda

No more than rubbing highly acidic lemon on them.








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Dr. Rodney McKay wrote:

Well, I only know one thing and that is that flying darkness that eats energy can only be very, very bad.

http://www.MySpace.com/PageFive

coke-a-cola!!!!! I use it for mine alot. let it soak if you can.








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J0k3r wrote:

coke-a-cola!!!!! I use it for mine alot. let it soak if you can.

wow! Thats a good idea. A good question about using non toxic. Thats half the reason I almost never clean my cymbals. I hate that polishing stuff.

White vinegar and baking soda

Water and baking soda


Great ideas. Ill try those!

Ps; bienvenido a los Forum-O's!








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Groove juice doesn't work good. all it did was turn the cymbal brown.








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hmm coke.

Ill try that on an old cymbal.

I may just drink it instead though








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Out of curiosity, how often do you usually clean cymbals? I think mine sound better a bit dirty and dusty..








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Never.

My Paiste's have this coating on them so they look brand spankin' new, and I've had them atleast 5 years, and they're wayyy older than that.








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_...:::/ Jimbob2020 agrees \:::..._

ketchup actually works but I don't use it on my Paistes due to the protective coating. I've used it on other cymbals with success.








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k0staZ wrote:

I heard something called groove juice but i don't know if it's non toxic....

That's what I use and I'm pretty sure it's toxic..








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god I haven't cleaned my cymbals in years. I like em dirty.








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I have used tomato sauce/ketchup and then rinsed them off in the shower. Works well but the room you're in will smell of tommy sauce for a while

Now, I don't clean them. I like em dirty, particularly the dark jazzy ones.








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yeah just an FYI: Don't use groove juice on untreated metals (Meinl Byzance Dark series as an example). They MAY turn all the hammer marks pink. Just maybe. I learned that one the hard way about an hour ago.








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I tried the baking soda idea. Worked like a charm








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metldrummer2112 wrote:

yeah just an FYI: Don't use groove juice on untreated metals (Meinl Byzance Dark series as an example). They MAY turn all the hammer marks pink. Just maybe. I learned that one the hard way about an hour ago.

Does it still sound the same though?

I used coke to clean my top hi hat and it turned out really well, its shiny enough to look as though it matches the bottom hat!








_________________
Zildjian, Wuhan & Istanbul cymbals
Pearl & Mirage kit.
Crappiato Snare
Steve's Back! ..............kinda

I know of a guy who tried the ketchup thing, but I guess he didn't remove it properly or quickly enough, because it left his cymbals tarnished and discolored with something that appeared to be mold spreading over it in areas.

Something I've also used before was stainless steel polish, but you have to make sure you wipe it down well with a dry cloth afterwards, otherwise you're left with an oily film. Also, it seemed like it was a little more prone to beading up with condensation in higher humidity situations, which is not so cymbal-friendly.

Of course, this stainless steel polish was used on some Zildjian titanium ZXTs, so that might not work so well for most normal bronze finishes. Haven't tried, I dunno...

antiunderscores wrote:

metldrummer2112 wrote:

yeah just an FYI: Don't use groove juice on untreated metals (Meinl Byzance Dark series as an example). They MAY turn all the hammer marks pink. Just maybe. I learned that one the hard way about an hour ago.

Does it still sound the same though?

I used coke to clean my top hi hat and it turned out really well, its shiny enough to look as though it matches the bottom hat!

it still sounds the same and if you leave the cymbal in a damp, cool place the pink fades away. its still there but a lot less noticable








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Dream Endorsement:
Pearl Drums(Masters Series)
Meinl Cymbals(Byzance, MB10, MB20, Soundcaster Custom)
Vic Firth Sticks(X5AN)
Aquarian Drumheads(SKII, Regulator, PerformanceII)
Gibraltar Hardware
Axis Pedals(Longboards)
Danmar Kick Pads

wow im learning on tons of stuf here...
lol great ideas...
baking soda with the water...
by the way coke... ive heard of before that it can clean silver and stuff but i didnt think of it as a cymbals cleaner sounds cool

I still have to make some time to clean with coke. I will see if I have time monday or tuesday. They really need a good shining. Infact my whole set could use a detail...does anyone do detail work on sets?








_________________
Han Solo: Fast ship? You've never heard of the Millennium Falcon?

Luke Skywalker: What a piece of junk!

Han Solo: She'll make point five past lightspeed.

Chewy: Word

I just don't clean mine... I happen to like the timbre of the cymbal with a bit of tarnish buildup.








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when it comes to cleaning cymbals, ive only done that once, on a set of zil k customs, it worked ok, but with my new cymbals i have yet to shine them or polish them. although i do remember back several years ago, in marching band, after every game we would clean our cymbals with water and then dry them.

I use Goo Gone. It's this orangey smelling stuff you get at home improvement stores. I've only used them on ZBT's and they work great. I'm terrified of trying them on my new Byzances. The bottle says non-toxic and i've used them a few times on brilliant cymbals successfully. Just put some on a towel, wipe the cymbal until they get clean, and then get a water dampened towel and wipe away all the goo gone. Then get a dry towel and dry them.

Like I said, works great on brilliant cymbals, but haven't tried them on traditional finish cymbals.








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