Steel Pan (pt. 3--Making a steel pan)

There are actually three phases to making this unique instrument.

Step 1: involves the selection of the oil drum, the quality and strength of the metal is very important. In this stage, the initial sinking of the drum is done by using a 40-pound sledge hammer and/or a cannon ball to the bottom of the drum. This process called "sinking the drum" can take anywhere from 5-8 hours of constant hammering. This is because the metal must be stretched evenly without tearing or deforming the original shape of the rim of the drum. I must add that this process is the noisiest and most tiresome part of the pan-making process. It is also within this process where the side of the drum or "skirt" is cut to suit the type of steel pan being made.

Step 2: After sinking the drum is then exposed to heat to make the metal stronger more resilient. Originally, pan maker would take their drum down to the beach where they would build a bonfire and burn the drum for a short period of time and then dunk the extremely hot drum into the ocean to cool. This process os known as "tempering"; it makes the metal a lot stronger.

Step 3: is called "tuning." The sunken tempered drum is then marked by pencil or chalk to signify where each note would be placed. The tuner then uses a nail and a hammer to form grooves so that each not is separated. This process is the most important because it isolates each notes' vibration to give every note its distinctive pitch. After the grooving the notes, the tuner then turns the drum over, pounding each grooved part inward making them stand out like bubbles. With the help of a tuned device (for example a key board), the tuner is then able to manipulate the vibration of each raised bubble to the note desired by using a smaller hammer to smoothen each note.

When the tuner is satisfied with the tone of the instrument, it is then dipped in chrome or painted as desired. To see a brief video on how the instrument is made you can click on the following link http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mQu5Unc_TNY