Hanging a 10" cymbal on the wall.

Caitlin Black

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How do I hang a 10" cymbal on my wall?

So far what I've considered are 2 options.

1. Get a display box that's big enough, put the cymbal in that, then hang the box in a fairly obvious manner. I've ruled this out because a big box would, I think, look ugly, especially in my tiny bedroom.

2. Some sort of Frankenstein project. Basically, get 2 ordinary wall-hanging hooks put in about 6-7" apart. Then find a strong metal bar with 2 holes to hook onto the hooks in the wall. This metal bar needs a pole sticking out perpendicularly from the centre of the metal bar itself. The pole needs to be, say, 4-5" long, to account for the slope of the cymbal and having enough poking out past the cymbal. (The cymbal would be placed on this pole.) The pole end would preferably slope upwards to keep the cymbal from falling off, or else have some sort of stopper I could put on after mounting the cymbal.

...

So, number 2 sounds like it would be fine - except I have no idea if I'll find a suitable metal-bar-with-pole anywhere, ever.

So I thought I'd turn it over to AW's musicians. Have any of you hung a cymbal on the wall before? (I want the top of it facing outwards, so I can see the entire circle and the label on it.) Do you know someone who has done this?

I'm sure it can't be *that* uncommon! After all, musicians will sign cymbals sometimes, and proud owners would want them hanging on the wall, right? Right?

Any ideas? Thanks in advance. :)
 

frimble3

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Not a musician, but how about hanging it like a plate?
A 'plate rail', a strip of wood attached to the wall at the level of the bottom of the cymbal, with a lip sticking up to stop the cymbal falling off, and a similar strip-and-lip at the top, to stop falling forward.
(Could be a grooved strip or molding, as well, depending on what you can get)
Or, two 'hooks' at the level of the bottom, separated by a couple of inches, the cymbal sits in the hooks, and the curved edge curves down between them to stop the cymbal from rolling off. A similar 'hook' at the top stops the cymbal from falling forward.
Is the cymbal fairly flat at the back, or is there an attachment point that sticks out and has to be accommodated?
To continue the musical theme, how would you hang a record album if you didn't want to poke holes in it?
 

Caitlin Black

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I'd considered (and apparently forgotten!) the hooks at the bottom of the cymbal and at the top, but that would mean more holes (than the 2 I'd need for my Frankenstein) in the wall, and it's mum's house, so I don't really want to do something too drastic.

Hadn't considered the plate lip thing... I'm sure it'd work, but not sure what it'd look like.

And hanging a record? Well, a record is flatter than a cymbal, so I'd probably stick it in a big picture frame. It's not so much the height and width that I'm worried about - it's how far a big box/frame for the cymbal would stick out depth-wise into the room...

But yes - more options to ponder. Thanks. :)
 

onesecondglance

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I assume this isn't going in a music room or suchlike? Because I would have thought that unless it was in a box frame it would reverberate a fair bit.
 

thothguard51

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3M has self adhesive type hook systems these days that can hold the weight of bowling balls. Good news is that when finished, you can remove the hooks without damaging the walls. 3M has all kinds of fasteners, here is an example from Amazon...

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00016ZMCE/?tag=absowrit-20
 
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Maryn

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3M's Command removable hooks are pretty good, although you really do have to remove them exactly as the instructions say or you can and probably will damage the wall.

My MIL collected plates and she used a lot of inexpensive plate hangers like these, which were on one nail. They cost about three dollars (US) and hold 30 pounds. The small hooks top and bottom keep the plate--or cymbal--secure enough that you can even accidentally brush up against it, or do things which shake the whole room, and the plate doesn't fall. You can probably get them at craft or variety stores, or online.

Maryn, who thinks cheap might be the way to go
 

Snowstorm

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There's a hole in the center, right?

You could attach a string or a cord to the wall. Tie a strip of metal or wood that's about 1/2 inch or so longer than the diameter of the hole. The string is tied in the middle of the metal/wood strip. Slip the wood/metal strip through the hole and let the cymbal dangle.

With a short string, the cymbal should stay pretty much vertical and would be easy to remove and not damage the cymbal.

ETA: All you'd see is the cymbal on the wall and, poking out the center hole, the strip of metal/wood with the string around the metal/wood.
 
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Caitlin Black

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Hmm. Many options to think about. Thanks all!

onesecond, no, this won't be a music room exactly. It's my bedroom, and I have a guitar and amp in here, but I don't turn the amp up very high when playing. It's plenty loud enough at a low setting (30W amp).

thoth, I'm worried about adhesive strips. It doesn't seem intuitive that a bit of adhesive would be strong enough... That said, I've not used any before, but I'd be a bit worried about the cymbal falling. I'll consider them, nonetheless. :)

Maryn, one hole in the wall would be ideal! I'll have to see if I can find anything like that local, or else order one online. :) Well, that is, if I go with the plate hanger route. I'm still deliberating. :)

Snowstorm, I'm a little confused... How does the metal/wood strip attach to the wall?
 

Xelebes

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One thing I would be certain to do is to put a felt underneath the hung cymbal, to prevent the cymbal from making excessive noise. Just go to a fabric or craft store. They will stock that stuff there. You may need to purchase a fair bit of it, needing to fill the whole bell space of the cymbal.
 

Snowstorm

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Snowstorm, I'm a little confused... How does the metal/wood strip attach to the wall?

I could sketch it out if that helps you. Let me know and I'll draw it out and send it to you via PM. I struggled with making it clear. Here's the whole thing:
- A nail is attached to the wall.

- One end of a string is hooked or tied to the nail.

- The string's other end is tied to a piece of wood or metal (say, 1/4" x 1/4" x 1"(longer than the cymbal's diameter). Think of a piece of a dowel rod or a square nail without a head). The cord/string is tied around the wood or metal at piece's halfway point.

- Point the wood/metal piece and poke it through the hole in the center of the cymbal.

- Turn the wood/metal piece so it's centered across the cymbal's hole. Each end of the wood/metal piece will staddle the cymbal hole's edge.

- Lower the cymbal until the string is taut. With a short string, the cymbal should hang fairly up and down. ETA: the only thing the cymbal touches is the wood/metal piece and the bottom edge leans on the wall.

Again, a picture's worth a thousands words. I'd be happy to sketch it out if that'll help you.
 
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Snowstorm

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I just sketched and uploaded a drawing of it.

I was mulling it over. I'm wondering if a piece of elastic would work well. I'm not sure if a stout elastic would work. It might sag from the weight of the cymbal, but I don't know how heavy they are. If elastic would work, that would let you pull out the cymbal while you slip the dowel in through the hole, then relax the tension from the cymbal so the elastic can pull it up.

No matter, I think any nice looking, strong cord would work. Since all you'll see is the cymbal, the dowel (or whatever piece) straddling the hole, and the cord.

Here's my sketch. Let's see if this works and the image matches what's in your head. I kept shrinking it to keep the image size in line.

Cymbal_zpsd0ef617c.jpg
 
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Caitlin Black

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From what I can see of the image, it's what I was picturing. :)

Actually, mulling over all the ideas, this idea may be the one I prefer so far. I'm wondering... Do you think a standard picture frame hook would do the trick instead of a nail? Like, the hook would have a metal flap pointing slightly upwards, and so I could tie the string onto that...
 

Snowstorm

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Actually, Maryn had a great suggestion with those removable hooks that don't damage the wall (Post #6 above). Or you can buy heavy duty picture frame hangers. They're made to hold some great weight, and they're made of metal with a sharply angled hook that should work well.

ETA: Also, I just had a thought. What do you think about painting the dowel/metal piece black and use black twine/cord? Having those two items the same color and dark would cause them to fade away and the focus remains on the cymbal.
 
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Torgo

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Look, I'm an idiot with little or no DIY experience, but if it were, say, a brick or concrete wall, I would be looking to bolt the cymbal to it with some kind of big-ass expanding bolt, through the centre hole, with a washer maybe. If you tighten the bolt to compress the cymbal against the wall a bit it might damp any vibration you would get from sounds in the room, and also look minimalist and nifty. But I wouldn't know exactly how to go about that so I'd probably go and ask the salesperson in my local DIY store.

You'd have a problem in that if you move out there's a big hole in the wall, but it's probably a fill and repaint job at that point anyway...?
 

Snowstorm

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Actually, Torgo that's an interesting idea. A Molly bolt you can tap into such a wall or into drywall. The cymbal would attached with a cover of any material over the hole, then bolted down (I think you'd need a long bolt since the cymbal is rather roundy). If the cover and bolt were painted so it fades away, it should look great.
 

Caitlin Black

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Hmm. I don't really fancy playing around with big bolts. Something that damages the wall the least would be best. And the thing is, there are already several standard picture frame hooks in the walls. So I either use one of those, or add another one in a different spot, and it's no big deal. So I really want to choose an option that works with a standard picture frame hook.

It's a brick wall on the outside of the house, but plasterboard (or something) on the inside. So far, the standard picture hooks have been fine in getting in there.
 

Xelebes

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The 250 cymbal I'm guessing is about 250 in weight. I would personally get a varnished block of wood of the spec: 300 by 300 by 50 with a weight no more than 1000. Get some light wood for this. You don't want more than 1500 hanging. Drill a 30 deep bore into the wood. Use a 100 long peg thin enough to be inserted into the cymbal hole but thick enough to be strong enough to support the cymbal. Tap the peg in, using a strong glue to hold it in. Swaddle the area with felt where the cymbal is going to sit, keeping an eye on the area the felt is. Use two foam pieces normally seen on cymbals in a drum set to act as a gasket of a sort. One underneath the cymbal, one over. Tap a cap on the peg to secure the cymbal. Put a wire on the back and hang it like a picture.

How I would do it.