How to Build a 55-Gallon Drum

Old 55-gallon drums can be transdformed into musical instruments.

An old 55-gallon oil drum can be converted into a drum. Oil drums are used to make the steel drums, also known as steel pans, that are both melodic and rhythmic instruments, common on the island of Jamaica and heard all over the world. It’s a skilled, lengthy process, but one that brings its rewards and allows you to play tunes on the drums.

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Sledgehammer
Marking pen
Nail punch
Hammer
Tape measure
Circular saw with metal blade
Sander
Fire
Water
Tongs
Tuning hammers
Electronic tuner

Instructions

- 1
  
  Make sure that the 55-gallon drum has no dents or holes. Turn it upside down and begin to hammer the bottom of the drum with the sledgehammer to create a concave surface. Make sure you don’t break the metal and go slowly; stretching, as it's called, can take up to five hours of continuous work, and you need the surface to be smooth and even across the entire bottom of the drum.
- 2
  
  Mark out the areas for the notes on the drum with a marking pen (use other steel drums as a template for this). Hammer the edges of the note areas with a nail punch and hammer, being very careful not to break the metal. Hammer the flat areas between the notes with a hammer. This will stop the notes from bleeding into each other when you strike them and increase the differentiation between the note areas on the drum.
- 3
  
  Measure down 12 inches from the drum end along the side of the 55-gallon drum. Mark with a line all around the drum and then cut the drum using a circular saw with a blade made to cut metal. Finish with a sander to smooth and remove the rough edges from cutting.
- 4
  
  Light a bonfire outside and feed until it’s burning hot. Place the skirted drum in the blaze with the playing surface face down in the blaze. Leave until red hot and then cool quickly by dousing in cold water or dunking the drum in water (hold the metal with tongs). Leave until the metal is cold to the touch.
- 5
  
  Switch on an electronic tuner. Take a set of tuning hammers (small hammers of different sizes, available at specialist percussion stores) and hammer each of the note areas lightly and repeatedly with different-sized hammers until you achieve the note on the musical scale you desire. Repeat for all the other areas until they’re all tuned (include sharps and flats); this is a lengthy process that requires both patience and skill to end up with a good drum.