Mountainhick,I would love to hear more about heat treating cymbals. Is this possible to do without hammering? Can brightening these (404s is what I am discussing here more than anything) be done simply by cooking them in the oven? The max is 550 F in my oven.I am quite happy with my 404 SE top over an Amir (1stgen) bottom, which is high pitched. At the same time, the 404s tone could use some brightening. They are already thin, and I have been taught that the thinness is what has given them their darker/warmer tone as well as their softness. Since they are already thin, I would not want to do any more hammering, especially since I have no way to do controlled hammering and I have read many horror stories about home hammering completely ruining the sound of a cymbal. One would immediately wonder about damaging any finish on these when heat treating. If you really don't care about that, I suppose you would be golden.John
First a disclaimer, I am not expert in this stuff, just a hobbiest, and my comments are just from what I've leaned in my own work.
I am referring to using a torch, not oven.
This is only for B8 alloy. it would destroy B20.
Yes it also destroys any applied finish. So does lathing. Doesn't bother me, I prefer patina, grime, heat coloration, age etc to shiny lacquered cymbals anyway.
When hammering B8, it is easy to hammer enough that the overall sound becomes dull and lifeless. This is actually expected and some of it passes over time when the cymbal rests after hammering, but heating helps recover brightness.
And yes, if you mod cymbals you run the risk of destroying them. I sure have ruined a few!
Yes, the 404's are thin. I think part of the reason they were a lot cheaper was the gauge of the bronze sheet metal used was quite a bit thinner than the higher lines. Just supposin'
