Review

How Steelpans Steeldrums Instruments are made How Steelpans Steeldrums Instruments are made How Steelpans Steeldrums Instruments are made. Making a SteelPan is an art! It is time consuming and requires patience, skill and practice. The working methods can be different and if you need more details, we recommend you to read the following book: 'Steel Pan Tuning: A Handbook for Steel Pan Making and Tuning' by Ulf Kronmon. Choosing the drum We are using new, specially manufactured, drums to avoid fumes from oils or chemicals what could be stored in used barrels. The standard size 23” SteelPan is made from 55gallon drum and 18-gauge steel. How Steelpans Steeldrums Instruments are made Sinking For sinking is used a special hammer with shortened handle or the air hammer could be used for faster results. In the process drum is stretched to create enough space for the notes. The depth to which the drum is sunk depends on the type of steel pan being made. Marking notes The templates cut in the shape of the notes are placed on the stretched surface of the drum and outlined to make sure that the placement of the notes on the pan is correct and consistent. Counter sinking or Backing The area in between the note outlines is flattened using special tuning hammers. This forces the notes to protrude slightly and take on a convex shape. How Steelpans Steeldrums Instruments are made Grooving The grooves around notes are made to separate them from rest of the pan. Grooves are created using a nail punch struck by a hammer or scraper could be used to outline the notes. The purpose is the same, but some people prefer scraped notes for visual purposes. Cutting and Burning At this point the instrument skirt is cut to required length and holes for hangers are drilled. The length of skirt depends on the type of steel pan being made. Longer skirt produces more depth sound. Then the metal is tempered by rapidly heating and cooling the drum. Tempering the drums make steel pans hold their tuning for longer periods. You can use traditional methods like in picture or a gas torch. How Steelpans Steeldrums Instruments are made Pre-Tuning After the drum is cleaned and cooled, the tuning process begins. Small tuning hammers are used to tap both the underside and the tops of notes until the correct pitch is achieved. This is a complex art! Pan tuners have to place the correct combination of overtones and fundamentals around each note. Strobe tuners are used to ensure the integrity of this process. Protective Coat After tuning the instruments are prepared for final coating. Most popular type of coating is chrome; other options are powder coat or paint. Final Tuning At this stage instrument is polished, inspected and tuned again. Assembling Stage where we add hangers, stands or legs, cases, lids or covers for protection when instruments are stored or transported and finally mallets. Maintenance To make sure that your instrument is happy [...]