Chaya Handpan Maintenance

Handpan maintenance
Your handpan is a beautiful and valuable instrument. To keep your handpan in good
condition, it is important to take good care of it. To enjoy your handpan for many years,
please follow these tips!
General
It should go without saying, but make sure you don't drop the handpan and don't let anything
fall on it. Keep the handpan in a safe place in your house. Avoid touching the handpan with
dirty fingers (from food for example, especially salt).
Playing
A handpan must be played with your fingers, not with the flat of your hand as you would
when playing a djembe, for example. Sticks will damage the surface, which affects the tone.
Remove rings and other metal items from fingers and hands before playing the handpan.
Climate
To prevent rust, it is important to prevent the handpan from becoming damp as much as
possible. Use a cloth to remove any moisture immediately. Prevent condensation by removing
the handpan from its bag whenever possible and placing it on a stand or cushion. It is not a
major problem if the handpan gets wet, for example due to rain. Just make sure you dry it
again thoroughly (also on the inside). Make sure that the handpan does not end up in a damp
cover.
Exposure to salt can also accelerate rusting. For example, if you play it on the beach, clean
your handpan immediately after playing and put it in the cover. Do not leave the handpan in
salty, moist air for too long. Sea salt is very aggressive on metal and can quickly cause spots
on the surface. It is better to apply oil to the surface of the handpan and leave it overnight.
Wipe off any residual oil in the morning.
As a handpan cannot withstand extreme temperature differences, do not leave the hand pan in
direct sunlight and do not place it right next to a heat source.
The tuning will always change a little bit in terms of cents or hertz with the temperature. This
is normal and will not permanently change the tuning or damage the instruments. It will
change back with the temperature to its original frequency and tuning.