How Are Zildjian Cymbals Made?
About Zildjian Instruments The Zildjian company has been making cymbals and gongs since 1623, when the family opened a shop in Istanbul. The first Zildjian to create the company’s legendary percussion instruments did so by accident. In fact, he was an alchemist looking for ways to turn base metals into gold when he found that sheets of alloyed metals, including silver, copper, tin and other metals had a lovely ringing sound when hit. Today the Zildjian company has manufacturing operations in North America and Europe, and its instruments are among the most desired by percussionists. Cymbal Making Prior to 1970 Until 1970, cymbals were made by a hand-hammered process. The metal alloy was blended in large vats, poured out into circular sheets and allowed to cool. Once cool, cymbal makers manually hammered (with hammers ranging from large to very small sizes) the sheets into the desired shape and size. The hammers were also used to shape the cymbal so that it had a distinctive sound by sha
