Chemistry of Bronze and Cymbals
- Russell
- Nov 8
- 2 min read
Updated: 6 days ago
As a drummer, I have developed a fascination with cymbals. I love exploring the various types of cymbals and digging into the techniques used to create them. After looking at hundreds of cymbals, I have discovered that my favorites all have one thing in common: they are made out of bronze.
Bronze is an alloy made of the metals copper and tin. Bronze is made by melting and mixing the two metals until a solution is formed. This alloy brings out the best of the two metals’ properties. Tin is very brittle, especially at colder temperatures, but mixing it with the softer copper allows the alloy to be both durable and flexible. Copper corrodes easily, but mixing it with tin prevents corrosion. The alloy also happens to have a sound that is commonly described as “sweet” or “pretty.”
The properties of bronze are made possible because of the way the atoms bond. Copper atoms are much smaller than tin atoms, and they can fit between the gaps of the tin atoms to make a denser and stronger bronze alloy. The way the atoms in a solid are arranged is called a “lattice structure,” and bronze’s lattice structure is stronger in three dimensions than tin’s. Its lattice structure also keeps the metal from corroding because fewer copper atoms are exposed to air.
Cymbals are primarily made out of one of two bronze alloys. The alloys are called B8 and B20 bronze. The number stands for the percentage of tin used in the alloy, where B8 bronze is made up of 8% tin and 92% copper, and B20 bronze is 20% tin and 80% copper. These two alloys are used because of their ideal sound profiles.
Bronze’s properties make it an ideal alloy for cymbals. Its strength and flexibility allow cymbals to transfer energy easily and survive the bashing by drummers. Its ultimate sound is then determined by the cymbalsmithing process, where it is shaped, lathed, hammered, and trimmed until its sound profile is unique.
Bronze has various uses besides being used in cymbals. It is used in many other sonic devices, such as bells and also in musical strings. Its strength gives it several industrial purposes, like being used to make gears, springs, and valves. Its ideal properties give it no shortage of uses.
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