As I had said in one post, one of the best ways to artificially age a cymbal is to actually polish it!!! That's right- get rid of the coating of lacquer and slight patina. I old K's looked quite brown about two months after I polished off my finger prints!!! Keeping them shiny is too much work for this old guy. I hate to think what they look like now. Okay- they actually probably look pretty cool...

'scuse me while I go pee on my ddrum shade cymbal :p

Sometimes the "old fashioned" way is the best way. Technology doesn't always trump traditional methods of doing things. When they do, I am the first to embrace them. I got my first home PC in 1986 and was logging in to the rudimentatry precursor of what is today's internet that same year. I have five PC's and laptops in my house as well as one tablet, and 3 smartphones. The are all networked. I've had a smartphone for over 3 years now. I wirelessly download hi def audio files from from the internet to my stereo system. But I embrace "old fashioned" when I believe its remains the best solution.

Update: I cleaned off the patina. Everything but a couple of dark spots came off. But it is not a polished finish any longer.

I then dug a hole in the back garden, put a bit of my daughter Trixie's litter in the hole, and intend to keep it buried for a month or two.

Update to come...

I think if you peed on it first,that might help a bit..........

See I didn't know they were A.Zildjians I am unsure of how the whole cymbal thing works so thank you very much!!

Old fashioned is sometimes better. I agree, I also think that this is just a very simplistic chemical reaction that isn't by any means hard to replicate. On a atomic scale the oxygen and all the other elements it is exposed to over time are literally destroying the cymbal over time. It isn't like the oxidation just appears over time, it is the reacting with the cymbal and changing its properties of a metal. Its changing the way the cymbal sounds alright. Not in a good way either.

My girl's litter (w/pee and poopy doops) is in the hole, and I sprayed the cymbal with pickled onion vinegar before burying it. I have also peed in that spot.

Nothing was really etched into the shade when I cleaned it. But I used food grade stuff, not industrial cleaning products. And now that it's buried, it is just being patina'd by old' momma earth!!!

I love it. I don't think burying a cymbal for a couple of months will do anything. I don't get all these quick solutions to accomplish what occurs naturally over time. Not everything can be accomplished faster and better with new techniques. Some times the old way is the best way.

OK.....I think that will work fine.........

I am not buying his pooped on cymbals. I don't care how good they smell...er, sound!