Cymbal making

Modern cymbal making comprises many different techniques, from traditional hand methods to completely automated mass-production.

The finishing stages consisted of cold-hammering to unevenly harden the metal, then turning on a lathe to reduce the thickness, and then often a final cold hammering.

One of the main effects has been that far closer manufacturing tolerances can be achieved, resulting in more consistent sounding cymbals.

This has also provided the opportunity to omit some of the traditional steps completely, and so unlathed, partly lathed, and even unhammered cymbals have entered the catalogs of major makers, and achieved widespread acceptance.

This allows the hot forging step to be reduced or even omitted, as the resulting casting can be made far closer to the final shape of the cymbal, including its bell and taper.

Most significantly, the variation between supposedly identical cymbals is noticeably reduced, assuming adequate quality control.

Paiste has used the same production processes from at least the mid 50's or earlier (they got their first hammering machine in 1952) to the present on all their top of the line Swiss and German produced cymbals.

The next step is fine tuning: a different cymbal-smith now hammers the cymbal by hand to fine tune the shape and checks the bow with a ruler and on a steel flat table to make sure the edges are straight, he also checks the cymbal against a “master” for hammer pattern and shape of the bow.

The turning which was once essential to form the shape of the cymbal can now be varied to produce new sounds, especially at the top end of the range.

Modern coarse turning patterns allow unturned metal and hammering-marks to show through between the tracks of the lathe tool.

In the extreme it is even possible to produce a cymbal that appears to have been turned then hammered, by a single operation of a press starting with a flat metal sheet.

Some excellent student cymbals have a final hammering pattern produced by a single blow of a press, after genuine turning.

Traditional fully lathed cymbals are coated with clear lacquer to protect the bare metal from oxidizing or tarnishing or "browning" from exposure to air and other elements, as well as oil from fingerprints.

Some metal is removed in the process, especially the microscopic ridges in the grooves which produce the high end "zing" sound of a cymbal.

But in giving the cymbal designer more options, they allow more precise and focused control, and production of a wide range of sounds.