Is it really necessary to polish your finger cymbals?

Not really.

Brass cymbals develop golden brown patina over time that can enhance their look. But there are reasons to clean them. Perhaps you inherited a set. Perhaps you purchased them second hand. Or perhaps, you like your own finger cymbals to be gleaming again, just like the first time you got them.

You’ll need:

1. Metal Polish by Mr. Metal
2. Pure baking soda
3. Paper towel
4. Distilled white vinegar
5. Glass container (plastic works too if you don’t have glass)
6. Microfiber cloth
7. Spare or old toothbrush
8. Some elbow grease

The polish that I use is the Metal Polish from Mr. Metal. Years ago, I bought it for my sterling silver jewelry, but lately I’ve been using it to clean my finger cymbals. Unlike Brasso, it’s gentle and not abrasive.

The solution has a strong chemical smell, so make sure you do it in a well-ventilated area. I’d even suggest wearing goggles, a respirator, and gloves if you’re sensitive.

Give the bottle a thorough shaking before putting a bit of the goop on a paper towel. Then proceed to rub your finger cymbal. You’ll notice the paper towel will turn dark green or black. That’s the patina rubbing off. Depending on the size of your cymbal and and the thickness of the patina, you may need more than one paper towel.

The difference between the before and after of these two Saroyan student Nefertitis is night and day. However, it’s not like the patinaed cymbal doesn’t have its own charm. It looks broken in, used, and most of all: loved. But there’s also something about old cymbals being spruced up and looking shiny and new again that makes my inner satin bowerbird flit up and down with excitement. (Note that it’s not magpies who are attracted to shiny things. It’s bowerbirds, specifically satin bowerbirds.)

There’s a tiny divot in the center of the finger cymbals, and as you can see, the divot on the cleaned cymbal has the Mr. Metal residue. You can clean this out with a cotton bud.

If you’re happy with the result and the smell doesn’t bother you, then you can stop here. Especially because Mr. Metal claims it has a tarnish guard to prevent the polished item from looking dull in the future. However, this is almost moot because we handle our cymbals frequently. Mr. Metal also leaves a slight whitish sheen on my cymbals.

If you want to deep clean your cymbals further, follow the rest of the steps.

Take your glass (or plastic) container and put it in the sink. Sprinkle some baking soda and pour in just enough distilled white vinegar so it will cover the cymbals. It will initially fizz and overflow (hence the sink).

Gently place your finger cymbals. I really only do this for non-scientific reason: I love seeing how the cymbals are covered in fizz, like they’re in a spa. And I only put them in the baking soda/distilled white vinegar bath for less than three minutes. I’m very precious with my finger cymbals. I don’t know if soaking them longer could potentially ruin them, but I’m not taking chances.

Let them soak, turn them upside down, and let them soak some more before taking them out.

Pump a bit of gentle dishwashing liquid onto an old toothbrush and start brushing your cymbals in a circular motion. This will clean the residue of Mr. Metal from your finger cymbals and get rid of its chemical smell, as well as the vinegar smell.

After you’re done, transfer the cymbals onto dry paper towels. The last step is to dry them with a microfiber cloth.

And there you have it. Shiny, gleaming finger cymbals. Just like new.

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