A Guide to Cleaning your Gong
How to Clean a Gong - A Guide to Gong Maintenance and Cleaning
Using your gong for meditation, sound therapy, or musical performances, you might naturally allow for some individual patina. Yet it's essential to keep your gong’s surface well-maintained and occasionally cleaned to preserve its sound quality.
In this gong cleaning guide, we'll explore the steps to properly clean and care for your musical companion. This article is meant to inform on gong cleaning and share best practices / experience. Please note that no liability can be assumed for any damage, injury, or adverse outcomes resulting from the use of the information provided. By choosing to clean your gong based on the instructions in this guide, you do so at your own risk. If you have any doubts or concerns about cleaning your gong we recommend to get in touch with the manufacturer of your instrument for further advice.
Preventive Care/ Gong Maintenance Tips:
Gongs are usually made of metal alloys such as nickel silver (copper, nickel and zinc), bronze or brass. Some gongs have intricate designs and engravings that require delicate handling during cleaning.
The following factors put the surface of your gong at risk:
Oils /fats which includes the touch of our hands: Make sure to use seamless cotton gloves when playing with your hands on the surface of your gong. If you leave it for example in a yoga studio where it’s exposed to many people’s curiosity - leave it with a sign to encourage yogis to admire your instrument with their eyes and heart but not touch it with their hands. Invite them to join one of your sessions if they like to experience its sound.
Moist, humid climate and salty air: As wonderful as it is to play outside, make sure you can protect your gong from rain and do not expose it more than necessary to humidity and salty air as all these factors promote the corrosion of the metal.
(Metal) objects / jewellery you wear while playing or handling gongs might scratch the surface: To preserve your gong’s sound quality avoid any impacts of hard objects or materials and ensure to take your necklaces, bracelets, rings, etc. off before playing your session.
The gong surface will attract dust and hairs: Avoid the surface of your musical companion touching the floor, making sure to put it on a clean blanket or similar. Otherwise lay it on its back side (the rim only), to reduce surface contact to the minimum. If your gong is not in use for an extended period, consider covering it with a soft cloth or protective case to prevent dust accumulation. Generally, it is best for your gong to be hanging. For transportation, use a gong bag with a soft padded inlay for protection. Taking your gong on an airplane or similar, make sure to use a hard case for extra protection.
Flumie playing: Clean your flumies (and mallets) before and after playing. If your flumies left any traces, gently swipe your gong with a cotton cloth (make sure to remove any stitching, prints or seams from the fabric before use). If you work with other peoples’ gongs, check in with them before playing flumies. Make sure to choose high quality flumies (there are huge differences).
Gong Care Guide for cleaning the different types of surfaces of your gong - please check which models apply and which guide applies to which part of the surface:
Gong Cleaning Instructions - the shiny part of the surface
Cleaning the shiny surface of a Symphonic / Planetary Gong (e.g. Oetken Gongs, Meinl Gongs, Paiste Gongs)
Wind Gong: eventually contact your manufacturer, which cleaning product might work best
Tam Tam Gong or similar: same as wind gong, apply only to the shiny surface
Comet / Colored Gong (or similar): make sure to test before use to see if the colours of the surface remain intact, eventually contact the manufacturer for advice
Materials needed to Clean your Gong (shiny part):
Cloth made from cutting clean and soft old 100% cotton shirts (remove stitching, seams, parts with print etc), you will need various ones
Poliboy METALL (available at dm Stores)
Protection for the surface you are working on (table etc.)
Gloves, mouth and nose cover
Gong Cleaning Process (shiny part):
1.Prepare:
Protect your work surface (with cardboard etc.)
Open window
Wear your own protection (gloves to prevent skin contact / mask to avoid inhaling the gong cleaning product)
Remove the handle cord of your gong
Please note: this gong cleaning step applies only to the shiny part of its surface. For the darker outer rim, a different process will be used which is described below.
It is easier to start on the back of your gong, then change to the front.
2. Test: If not sure, apply to a small area on the backside / in a less visible place and see how the material reacts with the cleaning product.
3. Gong Cleaning Method:
Apply some drops of the Poliboy METALL on the shiny surface only. Gently wipe the surface with a cloth (details above), using light pressure and circular motions. Pay closer attention to any dirt, fingerprints, or stains.
Gong polishing: Keep changing the cloth to new ones as the cleaning product gets more and more absorbed and keep going with the light pressure circular motions polishing your gong until the surface becomes clean and starts to shine.
Check the result and if any spots need extra attention, repeat the process.
4. Put the handle cord back on - unless you also want to clean the rim of your gong
Gong Cleaning Instructions - the darker rim of the surface
Cleaning the rim of a Symphonic / Planetary Gong (e.g. Oetken Gongs, Meinl Gongs, Paiste Gongs) which is darker due to its glowing in the manufacturing process
Comet Gong (or similar): apply after cleaning to all the surface
Materials needed to Clean your Gong (darker rim, Comet gong surface):
Brush with natural hair (like the ones for waxing shoes)
Cloth made from cutting clean and soft old 100% cotton shirts (remove stitching, seams, parts with print etc), you will need various ones
Gong wax
Protection for the surface you are working on (table etc.)
Gloves
Gong Cleaning Process (darker rim, Comet gong surface):
1.Prepare:
Protect your work surface (with cardboard etc.)
Wear your own protection (gloves to prevent skin contact)
Remove the handle cord of your gong
Please note: this gong cleaning step applies only to the darker rim of its surface. For the shiny part, a different process will be used which is described above.
It is easier to start on the back of your gong, then change to the front.
2. Test: If not sure, apply to a small area on the backside / in a less visible place and see how the material reacts
3. Gong Cleaning Method:
Apply the Gong wax on the cloth and the darker rim.
Once the wax is evenly distributed all over the rim, take the brush and pass it over the rim in fast movements, as the wax dries, the rim begins to shine.
Use a new cloth to polish the rim of the gong with gentle circluar motions applying light pressure.
4. Put the handle cord back on
Gong Care Essentials and Additional Gong Care Tips:
How often should I clean my gong?
As you play your gong, it is ok to allow for a bit of patina. It’s preferable to prevent stains etc. than to overclean your gong.
If cleaning products had recently applied it might affect the grip / friction in your flumie playing. Also light colored mallets might get slightly dirty when playing if the cleaning product had not been removed completely.
Use the cleaning process as an opportunity to check if your handle cord is still in good condition. If needed, replace it with a new one.
If you have questions or like to be kept abreast on any new blog posts and gong related information:
Comment, save and share this article if you like it and let us know in the comments below which cleaning products / techniques have worked well for you with your gong (type), so we can gather more useful information for everyone. Also let us know any further questions you might have: