Processing - Shaktipan Handpan

Craftsmanship is the key word of this beautiful instrument, made entirely by hand with care and dedication.

All the work begins with a simple sheet of soft iron, which is worked with a procedure called spinning, which shapes the dome using a mold.  

Once our domes are obtained, they will undergo a fundamental process called “Nitriding“, that is, they are immersed in special tanks, in a salt bath at high temperatures.

This particular process serves to make the dome harder and more resistant to oxidation.

Now our domes are ready to be worked on.

First of all, they are cleaned of impurities, then the spaces on which to create the notes are measured and thanks to small oval molds, small “Dimples” are initially created which will serve to stretch the note.

The next step is that of the actual forming of the well-known “Tone Field” which is done by means of special compressed air hammers with heads of various shapes and sizes.

One of these heads is used to make the “Ding“, the most important and largest note of the instrument, placed on the top of the upper dome.

The lower dome serves to close the instrument, joining it to the upper one, to create a crucial sound resonance chamber. This dome has a circular hole in the center called the “Gu“.

Now comes the most difficult and delicate part: the tuning, the process that will give the sound to our instrument.

The tuning is performed with hammers of various materials and shapes and through special stroboscopic equipment. 

The instrument will be in tune and heat treated several times to give it more stability and warmth in sound. 

Now the domes are ready to glue and the domes will be held tight by means of tension clamps until the glue dries.

After which the handpan will still be retuned and left to cure to stabilize the sound, only then will it be ready for final tuning and for the various aesthetic finishes.

Each handpan requires time and patience and an accurate dedication to detail. It is fascinating if you think that everything starts from a thin metal sheet, which if treated with love, allows you to create a musical instrument with a unique and harmonious sound, capable of touching even the strings of the soul.