Could a Handpan be built from Vibranium?
And perhaps it was just the fact that Kyle Cox of Pantheon Steel is clearly wearing a "Cap" t-shirt, that put the idea in our head, but also, there is something particularly solid, strong, and shield-like, aesthetically speaking, about the Halo instruments of Pantheon...
Vibranium
“Vibranium”, is the legendary, though unfortunately fictional metal, from the Marvel Universe, as found in the iconic star-spangled shield, wielded by Captain America. A rare metallic substance of extraterrestrial-origin, Vibranium, has the capacity to absorb energy, and store it within the bonds between the molecules that make up the substance. And you would think that with the Handpan being generally classed as being an “Idiophone”, any musical instrument that creates sound primarily by the instrument as a whole vibrating - that a metal called Vibranium, would make the ideal raw material.
Unfortunately though, we hit a hurdle early, when we learned that pure Vibranium has the ability to absorb sound-waves, in addition to other vibrations. And that pure Vibranium, is always surrounded by
its own enveloping pocket; of perfect silence. Obviously rendering it completely useless, as a material from which to build musical instruments.
Vibranium / Steel Alloy
While the comic-book geeks of the internet can’t seem to agree on whether Captain America’s shield is constructed from either a Vibranium/Iron alloy, or a Vibranium/steel alloy - they do agree. that the Captain’s iconic shield, is not made from “pure” Vibranium. And the evidence seems to suggest, that while pure Vibranium might make for a terrible Handpan canvas, the unique alloy from which CA’s shield is constructed, could hold considerably more potential. As can be seen in the following clip from the first Avengers movie...
Even if the mighty Thor, armed with the legendary-hammer, Mjolnir, looks like even he might struggle to be able to tune it.
Reverbium
The final possibility for creating "Super-Handpan", within the Marvel universe, perhaps lies in an artificial man-made variant of Vibranium, known as “Reverbium”. Reverbium is said to have been created imperfectly - and while Vibranium absorbs vibrations, and energy, Reverbium, does the opposite, “blowing everything away”. Which could make for some powerful, if highly volatile Handpan, for our super-avenging friends to chill-out with, in between battling alien invasions, advanced AI, each other, and whatever comes next...
