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Cindy
Rosemin poses with a miniature tenor pan in one of the children’s
range.
By
Felix Paul
PICTURE a steelband on stage with all the pans brilliantly
glowing under shimmering lights, fully coated in colours
of your choice. No more simple silver chrome pans but a
sight that is delightfully aesthetic, arranged to your likeness.
What about your personal instrument not staring back at
you with the monotonous glare of chrome? But a wonder to
behold. A wonder that matches the heavenly sound of pan.
Well, this is now a reality. It’s here, the launch
is soon and the pan-making industry is abuzz with praise
and enthusiasm.
It is called powder coating.
Behind the excitement and sounds of Carnival 2007, Panland
Trinidad and Tobago Limited (formerly Trinidad and Tobago
Instruments Limited) quietly installed a state-of-the-art
coating system at its factory in Laventille which has the
capability of coating steelpans and accessories in an extensive
range of colours, finishes and textures without compromising
the integrity of the instrument.
Tenor concerns
The pan most likely to have succumbed to this would have
been the high tenor with 29 notes which has a piano range
from D4 to F#6. But Michael Cooper, the man behind this
brain child, assured that after extensive testing there
was no significant change in the tonal quality of the pan.
“In fact,” he emphasised, “the proof of the
pudding is in the eating and the pannists, tuners and panmakers
all gave it a thumbs up.”
Cooper, the president of Panland, said after attending music
industry shows in the US and noticing the beautiful colours
and hybrid finishes applied to brass instruments, he adopted
the idea.
He said his company forged an alliance with a top coating
company in the US and steelpans from Trinidad were shipped
to California, powder coated and returned to the factory
for assessment. The result was a resounding success. And
so Panland went into the process.
Hardness of coating
Powder coating performs better than chrome when hammering
for the purposes of fine-tuning and blending. Scratches
are even avoidable due to the use of taped hammers and the
painted surface does not dent nor change shape as a result.
Cooper said unlike present painting methods, even the notes
or what can be called the playing surface is painted.
Cooper continued: “Within a couple of days chrome-plated
pans, when exposed to moisture begin to rust. However, powder
coating completely seals the metal surface of the pan and
protect totally from moisture.”
This obviously is a major consideration in the storage and
handling of steelpans. In fact, the pans can even be washed
as one would one’s car without fear of rust sores.
Application
The powder coating process is also simpler, quicker and
cheaper than chrome-plating.
The sandblasting method removes surface rust and other impurities.
It is then powder coated and finally stoved to 400 degrees.
It therefore takes far less time and money to powder coat
a pan than to chrome it. A cost example is that to chrome
a tenor pan one will have to fork up $1,250, while powder-coating
the same instrument will only cost $345.
Environmentally-friendly
Cindy Rosemin, the assistant technical manager responsible
for quality control, explained that the coating process
uses powder which is non-toxic.
“It
is perfect for children’s use, especially as the factory
also produces pans to scale for children. It is lead-free
and harmless if ingested,” she said.
Panland Trinidad and Tobago Limited, the largest pan factory
in the world, makes the entire range of steelpan and accessories.
The question now is: “What is the colour of your pan?”
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