Try here, it has been somewhat useful for me

BBK

The size, weight, and a few photographs of the cymbal, including a clear closeup of the stamp would be useful. Is the hole smaller than a modern cymbal? BTW as a general rule don't clean vintage cymbals.

I'd rather keep it clean, brass tends to tarnish which in time can and will eat it. they sound better when they are clean too! and i still use out, but hey thanks for commenting and i'll try to get some close up's to put on here. i did check the stamp and it looks like it's from the 50's, but i'll still post them.

Most collectors of Vintage cymbals do not want them cleaned. If the cymbals is from the 50's it may be worth a lot more than you think and you can significantly hurt the resale value by cleaning it. In addition most drummers I'm aware of who own and play vintage cymbals would never consider cleaning them because of the impact to the sound.

I once cleaned a modern Sabian AAX studio crash several years ago whenI did not know better. It was less than 10 years old at the time but had a nice patina. It was a great cymbal but once cleaned it sounded way too bright and I stopped using it.

"brass tends to tarnish which in time can and will eat it"

First, high quality cymbals are not made of brass, but from B20 bronze which is a mixture of 80% copper and 20% tin.

Not sure where you got the tarnish 'can and will eat it' thing from from. I have cymbals from the 40's that are in great shape with a heavy patina that's over 60 years old. I suppose given enough time, if they're stored in a very damp location, they could deteriorate significantly, but there are many players using cymbals uncleaned from the 30's, 40's and 50's.

With regard to brass though, I also have a Civil War Union cavalry saber with an uncleaned brass hilt and hand guard which is 147 years old and there is no deterioration.

Definitely two schools of thought here. Two very distinct camps. I think the educational information provided in this thread is outstanding. No one can fault that. Excellent job, Bosman. The thing that may have been overlooked, though...is the statement, "I'd rather..." and "...they sound better..." Those two statements denote a personal choice. This musician would rather play clean cymbals. No fault there. I must say, it was excellent info that you provided, though. I am also a member of the "clean cymbal" camp. I just prefer a lighter and cleaner sound. They speak clearer. It's like changing heads on a kit. Many swear by original heads and never change 'em. I just can't play my kits with old heads. So, we all have our crosses to bear. For what it's worth, that's a nice band guy that would give away stuff to you. That's cool. I would LOVE for the band guys out here to let me roll my squeaky wheeled lopsided basket through their back rooms in search of unwanted items. Oh man! That would be sweet.

Each to their own of course. If you prefer shiny and clean, both visually and sonically, go for it! After all they're your cymbals.

I was trying to express some opinions which I believe I share with the larger proportion of vintage cymbal owners out there. I have gleaned this from my personal relationships with many drummers, including some of the best around, the reading and research I've done on the subject of vintage cymbals, and the opinions expressed by large numbers of drummers on sites such as this one and cymbalholic.com.

It is my opinion that a "cleaned up" vintage cymbal at auction like, an old K or an A trans stamp for example, will generate less interest and therfore a lower price. It is not only the cleaning and removal of the patina that would concern me, but the process used to do the cleaning, especially if the cymbal has been machine buffed. Both heat and the abrasiveness of the buffer could alter the cymbal's sound in the process of making it look "pretty" (I personally think a nice golden patina is a lot prettier, but I digress) .

It is well known in the antique world that "fixing" and cleaning up antiques will more often than not lower the value.

The individual starting the thread seemed to not be knowledgeable regarding vintage cymbals. I saw my role here not so much to instruct as to advise, especialy with regard to his comments on "brass" cymbals.

Once I've made my point, it up to the individual to make his own decision.

When I was a teen, a drummer I knew had a red sparkle set of Ludwig drums. He decided he wanted his cymbals to be the same color. Although I was only a kid myself, I assumed there was a very good reason others had not painted their cymbals and warned my acquaintance not to do it. Without testing it on one cymbal first, he painted all his Zildjians with red oil based enamel paint! Needless to say, the results were disastrous and my friend was devastated when he realized his folly had destroyed a brand new set of A hats, an A crash and an A ride cymbal. His parents who had gotten him the cymbals for XMAS were furious with him as they were not wealthy people. It was the end of his drumimng days as they canceled his lessons and sold his Ludwigs.

Hopefully cleaning his vintage cymbal will not negatively affect the sound or significantly lower its value and make him regret his decision.

Well said.

And another good job of informing and expanding the lads foundation. That's what this forum is all about. I've watched your posts and you seem to have a firm grasp on all things cymbally. Thanks again.

People really use the original heads throughout the life of a drum set, seriously?

Why would you ever do that?

I honestly don't know. But, they do. Those little monkeys do in fact exist. I have a strong suspicion that it begins with the lack of foundational knowlege of sound and vibrations. Money may also play into this. After quite a while, it falls into the "they've performed well for years...why fix something that ain't broke" category. Odd, for sure...but a definite reality. Ignorance is the lack of information. It's not the curse word that many try to use it as. My guess is these old head monkeys are just ignorant to this.

That's what's so cool about this forum. We all walk in ignorance about many things. BosLover is an educating zealot. He evangelizes the truth about old cymbals. There are a few others on here that share that passion. I applaud that love. When you know the truth, you can make an informed and wise decision with your property and your money. After that, you can sleep well at night knowing you've made the right decision for your circumstances and your life. It don't get much better than that.