The Paiste Cymbal Project – First Piece is Complete !
I have been remiss in my writings lately. Life has a way of making you slow down and pay attention to others things you may have been neglecting, and steps in rather forcefully to let you know that you need to wake up and listen closely to what they have to tell you. So I took a brief respite from writing here in order to search for the small things that needed to be found. For those of you who noticed my brief departure and asked me if I was ok, I thank you for noticing. I apologize for my neglect, those of you who hazard by on a regular basis for updates…
I have also been working like a fiend in the studio, so I will have lots of new things to show over the next little while. One of the most exciting of which, is the Paiste cymbal piece.
A brief re-cap on the story behind this:
When Brendan Lazar of The Ivorys (a Rock band based in Chicago) first approached me with his idea for a custom pendant, I was a little surprised by the simplicity of design. It was to be a large smooth flat circle, with a large “B” on one side, and then his band’s name on the other.
Usually people come with all sorts of intricate detailing, designs, and layers of meaning for me to try to weave together into one piece. So at first, I thought “Sure I can do that.” and thought that this would be a very quick and easy project. That was until the details started to work themselves out over the course of several emails.
Brendan wanted the piece to be made out of bronze – but not just any type of bronze. He requested that, if possible, we could make it out of a very specific alloy of CuSn8 – 92% copper, 8% tin. The specific alloy that Paiste uses in its 2002 series cymbals, of which Brendan is a loyal devotee, using exclusively Paiste cymbals in his kit. After some amount of research I quickly learned that this was not entirely readily available to a metalsmith such as myself through the ordinary avenues.
It became very clear that we would have to contact Paiste to see if we could find a piece of sheet or locate a defective cymbal to purchase. Later that week, excitement abounded as we were contacted by Yamaha Canada letting us know that Paiste had asked them to donate a cymbalto be made into art – and that they were interested in seeing the results of said art!
The idea of turning an instrument into jewelry enchanted me – especially when this particular type of cymbal was one that held meaning for my client, was one that he was devoted to and used.
But what caught my interest perhaps most, was when Brendan told me to watch a clip of the Who performing at the Isle of Wight festival and to watch Keith Moon play. That perfect polished circle and how it picked up the stage lights and reflected them back at the audience as he thrashed like a mad man. That was when this piece took on a life for me, when it was imbued with energy.
In the end my goal was to make this little bit of bronze so shiny and perfect that it could lure the crows from the treetops for want of it. To take the stage lights and reflect them back strongly enough to blind the audience. Not an easy task when one considers the texture of the cymbal to start, but in the end, mission accomplished. I love this pendant, and wish I could see it in action. Maybe one day I will! Thanks, Brendan, for trusting me with this very nifty project. If you have not already, go, go, go! check out Brendan’s band The Ivorys!
The cymbal sent by Yamaha Canada and Paiste, a gorgeous 18″ Crash Ride Cymbal from their Innovations collection. You cannot see it in this photo, but it has a small 1 inch or so crack near the centre – so it is no longer usable.
Drummer Keith Moon from The Who, at the Isle of Wight Festival. Note the pendant he is wearing, which was the inspiration behind this piece. For an even better understanding of why this pendant was part of the inspiration behind Brendan’s necklace, you really should take a peek at the video here to see it in motion, and how it reflects the light: Keith Moon Solo
The first cut of the Paiste cymbal and the tools that were used to bring it to this point.
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Gauge (to measure diameter)
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Compass scribe to trace circle on metal
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Centre punch, to mak a small dent for the compass centre to rest in.
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Jewelers handsaw.
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Swiss metal file, to finish shaping edges of the circle.
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Grinding stone for flex shaft, grinds the ridges out of the bronze.
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Medium grind sandpaper rollie for the flex shaft.
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Fine grind sandpaper rollie for the flex shaft.
The circle as it appeared when first cut.
The circle after preliminary grinding and sanding to remove the ridges of the cymbal.
As part of the design process, I give my clients mock-ups down in photoshop so that they can visualise what the finished piece might look like. Brendan at first thought that he might want to have a swirly sort of “B”, similar to the The Raconteurs “R”. After seeing some swirly letter B designs, he realised that wasn’t what he wanted at all.
I sent some other options of different styles to explore his options, and he decided on the Bootle font below for the B on the front of the pendant. For the back of the pendant we used the same look as The Ivorys logo.
A preliminary photo of the pendant in process, after the first etch, but before polishing and finishing.
The final pendant, with a sterling silver bail, and strung on Greek leather. The little specks on the front are water droplets (it was raining when I was trying to shoot the photos.
It is actually even shinier in real life. The photos simply cannot do it justice – but just for effect, scroll back up to see the rough texture that this started out with! I was very happy with the mirror polish we ended up with.
I have the rest of the cymbal to play with now – so if you would like to have a custom piece made for yourself, or perhaps a drummer you know, get in touch with me pronto. My waiting list for custom work for holiday giving is almost full!