MAKING STEEL DRUMS
(STEEL PANS)
Making steel pans (steel drums) is an art! They are made entirely by hand and require skill, patience and practice (as well as a strong arm and a good pair of earmuffs).
There are two main methods of making steel pans.
- The traditional method, which uses a 55 gallon metal drum as starting material. This is by far the most popular method.
- A more recent method which uses
sheet metal as starting material.
Making a Steel Pan (Steel Drum) from a Metal Drum
There are
ten steps
in this process.
1) Sinking
2) Marking
3) Counter-sinking
4) Grooving
5) Setting/Backing
6) Cutting
7) Burning
8) Tuning
9) Applying a Protective Finish
10) Fine Tuning and Blending
For information and pictures of these ten steps, click
here
If you have read the ten steps and still need more details, I recommend you read the following book:
'Steel Pan Tuning: A Handbook for Steel Pan Making and Tuning'
by Ulf Kronmon.
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