Ayasa Maker Shop · Almere, NL

Deep-drawn shells
for handpan makers.

Top and bottom shells in Ember Steel®, stainless AISI 430 and DC04 (raw and nitrided), for building handpans and pantams. Plus the tools and supplies to build with them: tuning rings, hammers, magnets, Merbenit glue, Phoenix Oil and Scotchbrite.

See the steels Order or ask a question

2017Deep-drawing shells for the industry

№1Handpan shell maker worldwide

0.9 mmEven thickness, across the shell

Why it matters

An even shell
is a predictable shell.

Ayasa's deep-draw tooling keeps the steel's thickness even across the whole form, something hydroforming, spinning, rolling and hand-sinking can't match.

Top shells

The playing side of a handpan. You can also form a port in a top shell and turn it into a bottom.

Bottom shells

Ready-made, with the port in the middle, a neck and a curled collar. You feel the collar when you hold the handpan through the port: its large radius makes it smooth and round.

A deep-drawn top shell and a bottom shell with port, side by side — Top and bottom shell · 0.9 to 1.0 mm thick

Tools & supplies

Tuning rings, hammers, a tuning stick, magnets, Merbenit glue, Phoenix Oil and Scotchbrite.

Close-up of the curled collar around a bottom shell's port — The curled collar of a bottom shell

Close-up of the port in a bottom shell — The port

Three steels · one deep-draw

Choose your steel.

All prices are per shell and exclude VAT. Outside the EU, or inside the EU with a valid VAT number, we don't charge VAT. Inside the EU without a VAT number, 21% VAT is added. Orders of 100 shells or more get €6 off every shell.

Ember Steel®

An exclusive stainless steel

After years of research on many materials, we found a stainless alloy that checks all our boxes: sustain, clarity, ceramic sound, workability, stability, rust protection and more.

Sustain Much like AISI 430, but more controlled. Players often call it "round" and less "wild".
Ceramic sound It feels more ceramic than AISI 430. The shoulder tones of the notes are less present and more controlled. With the right shape in the centre of the tone field, you get crystal clear shoulder tones with sustain.
Stability When the border tension is balanced all around the note, Ember Steel gives very stable notes. Easier to stabilise than AISI 430.
Rust protection The shallow, one-time oxidation that almost always shows on AISI 430 appears on only about 20% of Ember Steel batches. Most batches keep their patina.
Patina Before annealing it scratches more easily than other steels. Annealing gives it a strong patina that scratches less easily than annealed AISI 430. Each temperature gives its own colour: bright gold, ember red, dark purple, even blue.

Annealing. Ember Steel works best annealed between 500 and 650 °C. Each batch responds a little differently, so try a few temperatures and find what you like. If the steel feels too soft or loose, the temperature was usually too low. If it feels too stiff or hard, go lower.

Any maker building on Ayasa Ember Steel® may carry the Ember Steel® trademark on their instruments.

Ember Steel® · per shell, excl. VAT
Shell	< 100	100+
Top	€62	€56
Bottom	€81	€75

Scratches: Ember Steel is sensitive to scratches. That's why most shells are polished, to remove the scratches from making the steel and deep-drawing the shell.

Close-up of an Ember Steel tone field in low red light — Ember Steel® up close

Stainless AISI 430

The most used stainless in handpans

In recent years, most stainless handpans have been made from AISI 430. We offer it as a 1 mm shell, top and bottom, with much more sustain than nitrided shells.

Raw stainless bottom shell with port — Bottom shell, with port

AISI 430 · per shell, excl. VAT
Shell	< 100	100+
Top	€62	€56
Bottom	€81	€75

DC04 · raw & nitrided

The steel most handpans are made of

Most handpans are made of nitrided DC04 steel. We offer top and bottom shells in DC04, raw and nitrided. We try to keep a few different batches available at all times, so you can try them and pick the steel that works best for your process.

Our nitriding recipe. We have fine-tuned it since 2014, together with our steel hardening partner here in the Netherlands. It is gas nitriding followed by post-oxidation, which leaves a very thin bluish layer for extra rust protection. The recipe is fairly short: it still resists rust well, and gives more sustain than many longer recipes. For us it is the right balance between sustain, workability and rust protection. Our nitrided material has been tested extensively and does not infringe PANArt's patent.

Making your own port. Forming a port in a nitrided top is harder than in a raw top. The nitrided steel is harder, so it cracks more easily.

Every batch is different. The same grade, like DC04, can behave very differently from batch to batch. Every element in the steel (carbon, manganese, copper and more) has a tolerance, and those can differ by 50% or more. How the steel was made matters perhaps even more for its structure, texture and sound. We choose our steel on experience and science, and test every batch before we sell it, to make sure it is a reliable base for instruments up to our standards.

DC04 · per shell, excl. VAT
Shell	< 100	100+
Raw top	€51	€45
Raw bottom	€70	€64
Nitrided top	€72	€66
Nitrided bottom	€91	€85

Raw DC04 top shell — Raw top and bottom · nitrided top and bottom

Raw DC04 bottom shell with port — Raw top and bottom · nitrided top and bottom

Rust: Since November 2023 we no longer give a rust-free guarantee on raw or nitrided DC04. Shells may arrive with small or large rust spots, or even fully rusted areas. We do our best to avoid it, but we don't fully control it. By ordering DC04 you agree that shells can't be returned or refunded because of rust.

Geometry	Ember Steel®	AISI 430	DC04
Tuning-ring diameter	530 mm	530 mm	530 mm
Total diameter (incl. flange)	556 mm	560 mm	552 mm
Flange width	13 mm	13 mm	11 mm
Height	130 mm	130 mm	130 mm
Shell thickness	0.9–1.0 mm	0.9–1.0 mm	0.9–1.0 mm
Port (bottom shells)	ø 82 × 19 mm	ø 82 × 19 mm	ø 82 × 19 mm

Tools & supplies

Tools and supplies
for your build.

Tools and supplies can only be ordered together with a shell order. Two exceptions: a set of tuning rings, or a full box of Merbenit. All prices exclude VAT.

Tuning ring bolted onto a handpan, resting in a 275/70R22.5 truck tyre

Tuning rings

This set fits our shells: inner diameter 530 mm, hardened M14 bolts and thread. Each set has a thick top ring (15 mm), a thin top ring (10 mm), a bottom ring (10 mm), eight M14 × 25 mm bolts and eight M14 × 20 mm bolts.

More about the rings

Why three rings. Every ring combination adds its own frequencies. Tuning software picks them up, and they can make some notes hard to read. We mostly use the thick top ring with the bottom ring, and switch to the thin top ring when a note is hard to read. With the thick top and bottom ring the trouble notes are B4 and F#3. With the two thin rings it's A4.

In a truck tyre. We have tuned with the rings in a 275/70R22.5 truck tyre for 13 years. We have tried stands, but the tyre wins:

Less metal, so fewer "ghost" frequencies in your tuning software.
The inside of the tyre works as an acoustic chamber: more resonance, clearer readings.
You tune standing, which is much better for your posture. If your body hurts while tuning, change the height of the tyre. The right height is the key to long tuning days without pain.

Before first use. Tap the threads and thread the bolts with professional tools and cutting oil, so rings and bolts last. Turn the bolts by hand first. If one gets stuck, tap and thread again.

€400 per set

Tuning hammer

Fully assembled. The main part is CNC-machined stainless steel, with two 10 mm threads for the heads. The front and back heads are CNC-machined nylon. The handle is a 22 mm stainless pipe with a rubber grip slid over it, for a comfortable grip that lasts. The heads wear over time: replacement heads are for sale too.

€65

Taxi hammer

For loosening notes and rough tuning. We mostly use the black rubber side: it loosens and tunes with minimal dents. The yellow side is useful now and then, but watch for scratches and dents. Tape on that side helps.

€20

Tuning stick

An Innovative Percussion stick, for stabilising notes while tuning: a few hard strikes and the note settles at its stable tuning. We slide a custom-cut rubber square over every stick, so it can't roll off the table.

€20

Tuning magnets

For muting tone fields while you tune, so you can focus on the one you're working on. Big cut-outs let you place them on the inside of the shell, so the outside doesn't get scratched. Each magnet covers about six to nine semitones, so the right size is quick to find. A set holds 20 magnets in six sizes, each size its own colour.

€50 per set

Merbenit HS60 glue

Makers have used Merbenit HS60 for over 20 years, and we don't know of a single case where it lost its grip. We have seen other glues let go and need re-gluing. We have glued only with Merbenit since 2013, and recommend it to every maker. A box of 12 tubes can be ordered on its own.

€16 per tube

Phoenix Oil

The best rust protection we know that doesn't cost sustain. 99.5% natural ingredients, with a fresh scent. We recommend shipping your instruments only after oiling them with Phoenix, so they don't rust on the way. Give each customer a bottle and instructions too: fewer rusted instruments come back for repair.

100 ml€12.39
10 × 100 ml€11 each
50 × 100 ml€10 each
250 ml€23

from €10

3M Scotchbrite Ultrafine

How we use it: before annealing, we scrub every shell with alcohol and Scotchbrite to remove dirt, rust particles and grease, then wipe it with paper towels and alcohol, so no fingerprints or marks show after annealing. We do the same after trimming the flange, and clean until the paper stays white. Then the Phoenix Oil goes on.

€40 per box of 20

Ordering & shipping

Boxes, pallets
or pick-up.

Shells stacked between square steel spacers — Shells stacked between spacers

Boxes of 11

A box holds up to 11 shells. Tops and bottoms can't be mixed freely in one box and still travel safely, so there are two kinds:

Top shell box Up to 11 top shells of any steel, plus one bottom shell if you like.
Bottom shell box Up to 11 bottom shells of any steel, no tops.

Shipping costs

€50 to €250, depending on where you are and how heavy the package is. Once we have your order, we quote the exact cost.

Pallets from 30 shells

From 30 shells we can ship a pallet, which saves on both shipping and packing.

100 shells or more

€6 off every shell in the order.

Pick up in Almere

You can also collect your shells at our workshop in Almere, the Netherlands.

Order or ask

Order or ask a question.

Fill in the form to place an order or ask us anything. You can also email us at makers@ayasainstruments.com.

Deep-drawn shellsfor handpan makers.

An even shellis a predictable shell.