Cymbals Maintenance
The main goal with cymbal maintenance is to avoid cracks in general and key-holing in the center of the cymbal. To avoid cracks, don’t strike the cymbal too aggressively and mount them in a way that allows the sticks to strike the cymbal as parallel to the flat cymbal plane as possible. The more aggressive the angle of attack, the more likely repeated strokes will crack a cymbal. Always use a plastic cymbal hardware sleeve to avoid key-holing at the center hole and use cymbal felts on the top and bottom of the cymbal hole. These felts let the cymbal vibrate freely while generally holding it in place. When storing or moving cymbals, use a hard cymbal case as much as possible, or use a cymbal bag that has felt separating each cymbal from the next. There is a common misconception that a patina on cymbals causes poor sound quality or shortens the cymbal life. It is up to the owner if a polished look is desired, but as long as there is no oxidation a cymbal does not require cleaning or buffing.
