Cymbal alloys

Cymbals are made from four main alloys, all of them copper-based. These are: bell bronze, malleable bronze, brass , and nickel silver.

Bell bronze, also known as bell metal, is the traditional alloy used for fine cymbals, many gongs, and, as the name suggests, bells. It is normally stated to be one part tin to four parts copper, that is 20% tin, and this is still the most common formula. But there has always been some variation. Larger and smaller bells are cast with differing amounts of tin, and some bell, gong and cymbal makers use small but significant amounts of other elements, notably silver, gold and phosphorus. Bell bronze is a two-phase alloy, meaning that some of the tin is not dissolved in the copper grains but exists between them. This makes the metal harder and more brittle than a single-phase alloy, and also affects the way the metal responds to hardening by hammering and lathing, and greatly restricts the use of mechanised techniques of manufacture.

Major orchestras generally use bell bronze cymbals, which are capable of a greater dynamic range than any others.

Examples of bell bronze cymbals include: Bettis Custom Cymbals, Bosphorus, Dream, Istanbul, KC Classic, KC Traditional, KC Kustom Classic, KC Hybrid Kustom, KC Artiste, Zulu, Dark Black, KC "D-DAY" signature,(Krash Cymbalz), Masterwork, Meinl Byzance and Marathon B18, Ottaviano, Ozman, some Paiste Traditionals, Paiste Twenty and some Exotic Percussion, Paiste Sound Creation and Formula 602, Sabian HH and HHX, Sabian AA and AAX, Sabian XS20 (now XSR), most Sabian Signature, all current Saluda (including Earthworks, Mist X, Diamond, Nemesis, Glory and Definitive Jazz, but not earlier lines), Spizzichino, Stagg (including SH, DH, Black Metal, Furia, Myra, Classic, Vintage Bronze and others), Supernatural, UFIP, Wuhan, Zildjian A and A Custom, Zildjian K and K Custom, Zildjian Z Custom, Zildjian Z3, Zildjian Armand and Zildjian FX.

In 1989 Paiste released professional cymbal series composed of bronze with about 12% tin (exact ratio is proprietary). Such an alloy is two-phase at room temperature, like bell metal, and cannot be cold-rolled so the cymbals must be produced by the traditional casting process.

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