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TheMazk

TheMazk

New member
Hey everybody, I've been lurking here for a while, decided to join, and share. I don't have much in the way of recording knowledge but I can repair cracked cymbals, here is a pic of a Sabian AA metal X hi hat top that had a 4 inch crack along the lathe grooves, I TIG welded it. I thought it was cool, so shared it on my first post :) These are before I cleaned it up real good with my dremel, so the weld looks rough...
AAX1.jpgAAX2.jpg
 
A pic, with the welded hi hat and another Zildjian I did about 2 years ago...
2fixes.jpg1fix.jpg
 
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Guitargodgt said:
How does it sound though?
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That was the first question that crossed my mind also!!

That much heat introduced to that alloy is not good and I would think rarely result in a satisfactory result sound wise when finished. People for years have tried to salvage cracked cymbals and I have never seen a method that worked long term for large cracks, like a 1/2 inch or more. If you can catch a edge crack when it first delelops I have had luck with grinding the crack out then sanding and buffing the edge smooth. Then your just left with an ugly, but still usable cymbal, at least for awhile.
 
Guitargodgt said:
How does it sound though?
Click to expand...

They both sound great! I just used the hi hat for the first time yesterday at practice, and have not used it since 2007 when I broke it,lol, but it sounds like I remembered, and I played the hell out of it for 5 hours at practice, ..The other one is a 18 inch crash ride, It sounds like it is supposed to,I bought that cracked with the intention of welding it, but I have another one just like it, in my "gig" cymbal set, they sound the same...well close, no two cymbals will be "the same" but you know what I mean.
 
dreib said:
That was the first question that crossed my mind also!!

That much heat introduced to that alloy is not good and I would think rarely result in a satisfactory result sound wise when finished. People for years have tried to salvage cracked cymbals and I have never seen a method that worked long term for large cracks, like a 1/2 inch or more. If you can catch a edge crack when it first delelops I have had luck with grinding the crack out then sanding and buffing the edge smooth. Then your just left with an ugly, but still usable cymbal, at least for awhile.
Click to expand...

Actually putting in the heat is not a problem if you allow for a proper cool down period, cool it down to fast and it would just break instantly, without even playing it,proper pre, interpass and post heating is required.
 
Ive just never seen any kind of welding process succesfully save a cymbal without compromising or ruining the sound character. I mean if it were that easy and succesful there would be a company who specialized in doing it.

But having said that if you like the sound thats all that really matters!
 
dreib said:
Ive just never seen any kind of welding process succesfully save a cymbal without compromising or ruining the sound character. I mean if it were that easy and succesful there would be a company who specialized in doing it.

But having said that if you like the sound thats all that really matters!
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Not easy, and welding b20 bronze is not something being done by well..anybody, except companies that repair cracked historical bronze bells, and the only one I know of is in Ireland I think lol...maybe I could make a company like that,hmmm,for cymbals that is.
 
This is fascinating to me. I think that the one that you showed up towards the bell may be more effective without as much serious change to the dynamics of the cymbal, but how does the one at the edge sound? The edges of the cymbal vibrate the most extreme and that will be where any changes will be most noticeable. This has me thinking about an even more useful way of using your welding skills: to repair "keyholes" on cymbals. Fortunately because I use the soft plastic or rubber bushings on all of my cymbal stands, I've never had that problem (also I don't pound the crap out of my cymbals) but I've seen many wonderful used cymbals that sounded great and they were cheap because they had minor keyholes in them. This may be a way of saving otherwise good cymbals.
 
Good idea, but like you I use the plastic cymbal sleeves with the wide base to support my felt washer, so I have never had to do a key hole repair...The edge welds do not seem to change the sound honestly, I even have an old Zildjian that I tried to cut the crack out, then had the crack come back, so I (ready for this) took an old Sabian I had laying around and fit a piece of it into the Zildjian and welded it together,(it's blashemy I tell you) lol, still sounds really good, by far the craziest thing I have done. All my repaired cymbals get used every week at practice.

I was really wanting to get a sweet bell from a ride and then cut it out, and weld it to a sweet crash after removing it's bell, to get that really awesome crash with a rockin bell! But funds are limited, so I gotta pick my battles lol.
 
Hey look I even made my own long board pedals,this is actually my second pair, I keep one at practice and now have one for home...
pedalmod.jpg
 
I'm bidding on a set of cracked A customs, hopefully more pics of my work soon! Wish me luck in winning.
 
Ok guys and gals, here is my most recent cymbal repair job, on a paiste signature 18"power crash, that had a long ass crack around the bell and also a fair amount of keyholing, sorry for the glare...
Paistesig.jpg
 
Dude you gotta post some sound samples, I just cannot believe these repaired cymbals could sound good. I gotta hear em !!
 
[video]https://s45.photobucket.com/albums/f71/14pagan88/?action=view&current=drummovie.mp4[/video]

here you go and the top hi hat is a repaired Paiste 101 blue lable a bronze nickel alloy...
 
I used the paiste power crash at practice this week, man that thing is LOUD, and not much of a bell or use as a ride either, it just all crash, sounded good though.
 
ah yes it's nice to be relevant....I think some guy is gonna pay me to fix 3 roctagon cymbals for him, I'm stoked and weld his AA crash, I'll try and get some pics.
 
I actually had my first cymbal repair "job" if you will. SSunday a guy from a local punk band had a Zildjian 16" K medium thin dark crash , with about 3 inches of crack on the edge and many little spider cracks around the mounting hole. 2.5 hours and 60 dollars later, that drummer was driving away with a sweet sounding crash. That he agreed sounded like the cymbal before it was broke.....my first customer, I'm stoked, he told me a new one would cost like 190 or more! He is happy with the savings and quality of the repair!
 
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