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Gamelan Bronze Keys: Ten Parts Copper, Three Parts Tin, Cast and Forged
Culturehistory (Wikimedia Commons) · CC BY-SA 4.0
Forge

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Forge

18. October 2026NO
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Gamelan Bronze Keys: Ten Parts Copper, Three Parts Tin, Cast and Forged

The keys of a saron are bronze bars. Javanese makers give the best gamelan bronze as ten parts copper to three parts tin, melted in a clay bowl (kowi), poured to a blade shape, forged with many kinds of hammer blows, checked, then tuned to the set's scale (Wikipedia, Gamelan production). Charge size, mould and tuning method are ours. The picture: new saron keys on their frame (Wikimedia Commons).
Advanced
3 days

Instructions

1

Weigh ten to three

For six keys weigh 1 kg of copper and 300 g of tin: ten parts copper to three parts tin.

Materials for this step:

Copper IngotCopper Ingot1000 g
Tin IngotTin Ingot300 g

Tools needed:

Digital Kitchen ScaleDigital Kitchen Scale
2

Melt in the clay crucible

Melt the copper in a clay crucible in the furnace under a strong blast, then add the tin and stir it in.

Materials for this step:

CharcoalCharcoal1 as required

Tools needed:

Clay Crucible - DeepClay Crucible - Deep
Brick FurnaceBrick Furnace
BellowsBellows
Crucible TongsCrucible Tongs
Welding GlovesWelding Gloves
Leather ApronLeather Apron
Face ShieldFace Shield
3

Pour the blades

Pour into an open iron mould to blade-shaped bars, a little longer and thicker than the finished keys. Let them cool.

Tools needed:

Crucible TongsCrucible Tongs
Ingot MouldIngot Mould
Welding GlovesWelding Gloves
Leather ApronLeather Apron
Face ShieldFace Shield
4

Forge

Forge each bar to shape on the anvil with a range of hammer blows, working it even along its length.

Tools needed:

Blacksmith ForgeBlacksmith Forge
AnvilAnvil
Cross Peen HammerCross Peen Hammer
Blacksmith TongsBlacksmith Tongs
Welding GlovesWelding Gloves
Leather ApronLeather Apron
Face ShieldFace Shield
5

Check and tune

Check each key for cracks. Strike it on soft supports and read its note on the tuner. Grind the ends to raise the note; thin the underside at the middle to lower it. Work in small steps until each key sits on its note.

Tools needed:

Chromatic Tuner and Metronome (Clip-On)Chromatic Tuner and Metronome (Clip-On)
Angle GrinderAngle Grinder
File SetFile Set
Face ShieldFace Shield

Materials

3

Tools Required

16

This blueprint makes

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Bronze Bar (Metallophone Key)

Free

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