Chö-pa singing bowl from 31 cm

A classic, hand-beaten singing bowl with its own unique sound.
Made from eight (precious) metals: copper, tin, nickel, zinc, iron, lead, silver and mercury. The proportions of the eight metals, the diameter and the thickness of the different types of singing bowls determine the individual and special sound and overtone of each singing bowl. Every bowl is therefore unique.

Handmade singing bowl made of copper, tin and 8 precious metals (Ag, Ni, Cd, Ru, Pd, Pt, Cr, Mn).

Hand-beaten singing bowls
The production of a beaten or hand-beaten singing bowl is an extensive and artisanal process. Each individual singing bowl is carefully handcrafted. Shaping and finishing a completed hand-beaten singing bowl requires several steps to achieve the correct shape and a pure tone. First, the various raw metals (copper, tin, zinc, lead, iron, gold and silver) are melted in a furnace. The composition of the raw metals depends on which singing bowl is to be made (e.g. bronze made from copper and tin or a mixture of the seven different metals). The molten metal is poured to form a metal trough for the various sizes and weights. The round metal shapes are then cut into round discs of the required size and thickness. After exact measurement and division into weight and size, the discs are hand-beaten or hand-driven. In the further process, four to five metal discs are stacked on top of each other and then heated red hot. The glowing metal discs are beaten by several excellent craftsmen until the metal is no longer red hot. The metal discs are then heated again. This heating and beating process continues until the desired size and shape is achieved. Hand-beaten singing bowls are therefore individual and - relatively speaking - different in size and diameter. The metal can only be processed red hot because it is then soft and malleable. As the metal cools, it loses its suppleness and flexibility and becomes brittle, which can render the singing bowl unusable. The reason for this intensive work process is that the metal content (bronze or the mixture of seven metals) is very sensitive to heat. It becomes harder as the temperature drops and then breaks and cracks.

Once the molding has been completed, the individual work begins. Now each singing bowl is given its own unique shape and this time too this is done through a heating process until the metal is red hot, followed by beating. The singing bowl is then struck for fine tuning. Finally, the singing bowls are smoothed and cleaned inside and out and possibly chiseled for a finishing touch.