You need a grommet. Measure the bell hole in the non-keyholed spot for the proper diameter....probably 3/8" or 1/2". You can get a get of these at any fabric store. And there's a special tool that you use to install them. Maybe the fabric store will have them too, or a hardware store also would. I'm not sure. And it does dampen the bell's overtones a little.

http://www.northerntool.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/product_6970_39265_39265

That link will take you to Northern Tools. It is a cheap line of tooling but you don't need anything fancy for putting a grommet on. They should have different sizes as well. These are 1/2" grommets with the tool to install em for only 8 bucks.

Hope this helps or at least illustrates what they look like.

have a wonderful evening

drumhackPartyPartyPartyguitar3

Nice simple eligant solution. Cool stuff. I wonder could you or should do this prior to keyholing? I've always been wary about the possibility of keyholes (and cracks) so I used cymbal springs for years and years. I stopped using them this year due to a shift towards vintage gear.

Heck, I don't even know what a cymbal spring is!! I have seen grommetted cymbals before and knew exactly where to get the grommets and tooling so I figured I would show that dude the yellow brick road. I really don't see where this would hurt though and wonder why cymbals are not reinforced from the factory to be honest. Maybe the grommet makes it stiff at that spot and causes circumfrential cracking at the edge of the grommet or something like that. Not sure. There will be those who swear they can hear a huge difference but I'm not sure about all of that. I have read where guys can hear differences in sound from totally minute changes to a drum/cymbal like paint, wrap and stuff like that.....................LoLoLoLo

[COLOR="DarkRed"]Well...keyholing is the result of someone not using a cymbal sleeve on the cymbal...most bells are so thick and heavy in relationship to the rest of the cymbal that no add'l reinforcing should be needed if treated right. But a significant keyhole is almost always the result of some foo Mister T not treating their cymbal right.

For big keyholes (ones where the 'leg' extends 1/4" or more) grommeting is a good solution. For smaller keyholes, I prefer just using a Dremel grinder and making the shape of the hole slightly "teardrop".

[/COLOR]

I don't know about all of this. I, for one, have never heard of a keyholed cymbal prior to joining this site and would not have thought to check for cymbal sleeves on my stands in a million years!! There are those who are not accomplished drummers, who still have a nice kit, that just don't know any better, and are NOT fools. I would fall into this category!!!

Burger KinBurger KinBurger KinBurger KinBurger Kin

You don't need to be an accomplished drummer to not be a fool, even some accomplised drummers are fools when it comes to care of their equipment. A buddy of mine gigs out regularly with a nice high end GMS kit with top of the line DW hardware. They are all in gigbags and whatnot, but he throws them around like its nothing when unpacking to set up and and tear down! Inevitibly I always seem to get the call to help find some part or something to fix something he's broken. He always wonders why my stuff ALMOST NEVER breaks. Well......I take care of it. You don't need to be a genuius to figure it out......metal on metal wears, plain and simple. Leave the plastic sleeves and felts on the stand and don't overtighten the wing nut and you'll be fine and no need for the Aquarian cymbal springs. BTW.....I've used them in the past, but they seem to only work best with thick cymbals. They don't work so well with thin cymbals, so I stick with the sleeves and felts for my setup.

It amazes me that guys like my buddy are around and WONDER why they always go through gear......he told me once that he started using cheap cymbals because he was always breaking his good ones with this one particular gig and didn't like the sound of thick rock type cymbals. He figured whats the big deal if I break one, I'll just use another one of the cheap ones till that breaks. (He got a deal on a stack of Tosco cymbals for $20 each at the Sabian tent sale in Marshfield, Mass this summer) I suggested overhead mics so his cymbals can be heard and so he doesn't have to hit them as hard and as such avoid breaking the ones he likes. His answer: nah man mics cost too much. DOH

Speaking of grommets...

I just picked up an 18" Zildjian flat ride and wondered if using a rubber grommet surrounding its keyhole would be an ok replaceable fix.

I'm a little concerned about buzzing from a metal grommet.

Anybody ever try rubber? Any tonal effects on a flat?

There's nothing wrong with just putting the cymbal on a stand and playing it with a keyhole. Most of my best cymbals have some.

Yes it might settle in the same place all the time and not spin around but anything you add like a metal or rubber grommet will choke the natural free sound of the cymbal.

NewDecade, why do you feel you need to do this?