The Beginner’s Guide to

Gourd Crafting

How to Select, Cut, Clean, Stain, Paint, Woodburn, Weave, and Decorate Gourds!

Art by: Carrie Dearing

Introduction:Thank you for your interest in gourds! Every year thousands of people visit the Welburn Gourd Farm and our web site looking for answers to all their gourd questions.

The Beginner’s Guide to Gourd Crafting answers the most commonly asked questions AND gives you great tips and resources to save you both time and money when working with gourds!

The Welburn Gourd Farm, located in Fallbrook, CA, is the largest supplier of quality, hard shell gourds and grows over 350,000 gourds per year!

Best of all, the gourds are grown organically so when you purchase a Welburn Gourd, not only are you helping to protect and preserve the environment, you are also avoiding health risks that can be associated with chemical sprays being embedded in the gourd shell.

If you’re in the area be sure to come by and visit the farm, where all gourds are sold at discounted wholesale prices! Every month we offer a variety of exciting new classes such as Beginner Gourd Workshops and Half-Day Gourd Art Classes.

To learn more about our farm and to see a current class schedule, please visit www.WelburnGourdFarm.com or call us toll free at 1-877-420-2613.

“Autumn Gourd Pot“ By Laura Welburn

Gourd art byDenny Wainscott

The Beginner’s Guide to Gourd Crafting is jammed-packed with great information, and even if you already have some experience working with gourds, you’re sure to find new ideas and great techniques in the pages that follow!

Take special note of the Insider’s Tips sections of the book, where you’ll find priceless insider secrets and short-cuts to make your gourding experience fun and exciting! You’ll discover everything from easy methods for cleaning and cutting gourds to simple methods for designing an art piece, including what colors and finishes to use!

This incredible “Bird of Paradise Gourd” by Gloria Crane was made using GourdMaster™ Transparent Acrylics and relief carving.

If you would like to share copies of this book post it on your web site, please do so! Copyright law prohibits the sale of this book without permission, however sharing without charging for it is fine! Also, if you have new or additional information to add, we’d love to hear from you! Please send us an e-mail at info@welburngourdfarm.com or give us a call at the farm, Toll Free at 1-877-420-2613.

Gourd Vessel by Bill Colligen

Selecting Gourds:

One of the best ways to create a beautiful gourd piece is to start with a top quality gourd!

Gourds that are symmetrical in shape, and have a smooth, thick shell with no holes or damage are prized by gourd artists. These are what we refer to as “Premium Quality” gourds and represent the majority of gourds that we ship. (see photo, right)

“I am exceptionally pleased with the box of mixed size canteen gourds I received...Any gourds I purchase in the future will only be from Welburn Gourd Farm. It’s kinda like cooking, if you want your food to turn out good, you must only use the highest quality ingredients. I feel the same way about my art.” -Marjorie A.

Gourds are priced by the diameter at the widest point using a sizing board with holes cut into it. A gourd that is just under 10 inches in diameter will fall through the 10-inch hole on the sizing board so it will be priced as a 9-inch gourd.

Insider Tip for Ordering Gourds Online or Over Phone:• Remember, a gourd is classified as a 9-inch diameter gourd if it

passes through the 10-inch ring but not the 9-inch ring.

This means if you order 9-inch gourds, you will receive gourds that are actually over 9 inches, so keep that in mind and adjust your order accordingly if you need specific sizes for your project.

Pictured left, customer Jordan Straker excited to receive his gourd shipment.

Pictured right, carved gourd art by Jordan Straker

Ordering:

You get the lowest prices when you come to the farm to purchase your gourds, but if you can’t make it out to Fallbrook, California, we are happy to select your gourds for you and ship them! There are two options for mail order:

(1) Place a Custom Order.A Custom Order is one that meets your specific needs, including size, shape, and also specific criteria such as “gourds with stems” or “gourds that sit flat.”

(2) Order Gourds-by-the-Box.Want to save an average of 35% off Custom Order prices? Order Gourds-by-the-Box!

With Gourds by the Box, the labor cost is greatly reduced because the shapes and sizes are consistent and we can pre-box many identical orders at once, which means you save money!

Plus all the pre-boxed gourds are shipped cleaned! With a Custom Order you pay extra for cleaning, but with Gourds-by-the-box, it’s included in the price! (See our web site or catalog for a complete listing of Gourds-by-the Box).

Washing Gourds:

One of the least favorite tasks among gourd artists and crafters is washing the gourd. You can avoid the messy task altogether by purchasing your gourds already cleaned with Gourds-by-the-Box, or you can roll up your sleeves and do your own cleaning!

To clean your gourd, soak it in a bucket of water for about 15 minutes. Since gourds float, it is helpful to cover the gourd with a wet towel while it is soaking.

After trying every possible tool, we found the best thing for washing gourds is a wire, mesh pot scrubber. It does a great job of scrubbing away the dirt and dried skin, and it won’t scratch the surface of your gourd!

Welburn Gourds are famous for two main reasons: their exceptionally thick shells, and being easy to clean. So even if you decide to purchase unwashed gourds, either at our farm or with your Custom Order, cleaning them is pretty simple (especially if you have kids to do the job!).

Gourd covered with wet towel.

Gourd ready to clean using a wire, mesh pot scrubber.

Insider Tips On Washing Gourds• If you live in a dry climate like Arizona, do not place your wet gourds

in the direct sun as they may crack! Ironically, very thick shelled gourds have more of a tendency to crack in the sun. This is because the hot air that expands inside the gourd cannot escape as quickly as with a thin shelled gourd.

• If your gourd has any areas with shell damage or small cracks (often where the gourd was lying on the ground) be careful not to soak it too long; the water may seep into the shell and weaken it.

Cutting Gourds:Safety Note: Gourd dust can irritate the throat and respiratory system so please use a face mask when cutting open and cleaning the inside of your gourds.

A simple, paper mask usually works fine, but if you are extremely sensitive, please use a professional face mask like a Respirator. Always cut your gourds on a solid, non-slip surface. A piece of rubber shelf liner on a table works great!

Making An Even Cut: To make an even, circular cut, use an embroidery ring, mason jar lid, or cardboard template and mark the gourd with a pencil. Make a narrow slit in the gourd using a Hobby Knife so that you can insert your saw blade.

You can now either make your cut manually with a saw blade attachment for your Hobby Knife, or with an electric jigsaw or Mini Jig Saw.

Keep in mind that some Welburn gourds are extremely thick shelled, so a Hobby Knife with saw blade attachment may be hard work! To make the job go quickly, a Mini Jig Saw is the way to go.

Another great benefit of using a Mini Jig Saw is that it allows you to make precision cuts that would be near impossible with a regular saw. The intricate leaf cut-out design pictured right was done using a mini saw.

Insider Tip: The Mini Jig Saw has a very fine blade so go slow when cutting thick gourds, otherwise you will break your saw blades.

Art by: Mary Segreto

Cutting so the Lid Fits Back On: For a snug fit, use a fine saw blade. A regular saw blade can be too thick and the lid will sink down leaving a gap. Also, a notch in your lid can be helpful so you know which way the lid fits back on!

Pictured above is a gourd bowl. The cut was made so seamlessly, at first glance you may not realize the top is a lid! This project is in complete detail on DVD!

Cleaning the Inside:

The inside of a gourd contains the dry seeds and membrane, which you can discard or save for creative decorating of your gourd! Again, a face mask is recommended for cleaning the inside of gourds.

You can clean the inside of your gourds one of two ways: the first is using a hand scraper, as shown on the left.

The second is with an Easy Cleaner Ball, which attaches to any standard drill and makes the cleaning process ten times as fast and easy as shown to the right.

Step-by-step instructions available on DVD, “Oak Leaf Gourd with Decoupage Lining” with Gloria Crane

“I used my new Easy Cleaner Balls… I am inHeaven! They are GREAT!!!!!!!! No more sore fingers, hands, wrists etc... In 5 short minutes I cleaned a gourd that would normally take hours.” -Ivy A., South Jordan, Utah

The Easy Cleaner Ball comes in both coarse and fine grit, which enables you to create a smooth, professional finish on the inside of your gourds.

It is available in different diameters and different lengths, so you can even clean tall gourds!

The Easy Cleaner Ball is one of our top selling products! In fact we are so sure you will love it, it comes with a 100% satisfaction guarantee!

Insider Tip:Use the side of the Cleaner Ball rather than pressing straight down with the ball. Keep your drill speed low until you feel comfortable.

The REAL Shortcut to Cutting and Cleaning:

If you really want to take the shortcut on cutting and cleaning your gourds, you can let us do it for you! Order “Pre-Cut, Craft Ready Gourds”!

Pre-Cut, Craft-Ready Gourds are available in several sizes and op-tions, including V-Cut Canteen Vase, Mini Vases, Tall Body Gourd Vases pictured below. To see the selection, please visit our web site or view catalog for a complete listing.

Repairing Cracks:

Gourds are very similar to wood and cracks are easy to repair using wood filler.

The wood filler provided by GourdMaster™ Products is de-signed not to flake off or shrink,

and once it is dry and sanded you wont be able to tell where the crack was!

Insider Tip:Before you use wood filler, drill a tiny hole at each end of the crack using a Micro Hand Drill. This will ensure the crack does not spread.

Troubleshooting:

Gourds that Do Not Stand: Often times you will find a gourd that is perfect in every way except it does not stand or has a slight lean to it.

Don’t put that gourd back on the rack, put it on a stand! (at right, gourd art by Gloria Crane)

There are many different options for stands. A grapevine wreath like those found at craft stores also works well and can serve as a nice compliment to the natural qualities of the gourd.

The reversible, metal gourd stand is very popular because it is 2 stands in one. Set it one way for a larger gourd or flip it over to hold a smaller gourd (pictured right)!

The most economic option is to create your own stand using pieces of a gourd!

The size gourd you use to make your rings will depend on how wide and thick you want your gourd stand to be.

Insider Tip:To get your rings straight and even, try using masking tape as a marker. You can peel it off and re-position it several times, and if you want wide rings, 3-inch masking tape is available on our web site.

One of the best parts about using gourd pieces for a stand is you can stain your stand to match your gourd using Ink Dye!

Keep in mind gourd shells of separate gourds take stains and dyes differently, so there may be a slight variation in the color.

Replacing Stems: One of the most attractive features of a gourd is the stem, but unfortunately stems fall off or break, often before they have a chance to make it into the shipping racks!

To replace a broken stem first use scissors or pruning shears to remove as much of the broken stem as possible.

Next use a metal file or rasp to file down the stub so it is flush with the gourd, making sure not to scratch the shell of the gourd with the file.

Drill a ¼” long hole in your stem and insert a piece of wooden dowel, gluing it into the replacement stem with gourd glue.

Use a drill to make a hole in your gourd slightly bigger than the size of the wooden dowel you inserted in the stem.

Make sure the stem attaches correctly and sits the way you want, and then glue it into the gourd using a strong bonding agent such as Gourdmaster™ Gourd Glue.

Allow to dry 24 hours before handling, or whatever your glue instructions recommend. You can order replacement stems for your gourds through our web site or catalog.

Design Transfer:

As you get into gourd crafting, you will find a woodburning tool (more formally known as a “pyrography” tool) is almost indispensable!

To woodburn images onto your gourd, such as the hawk on the gourd pictured right, by Carrie Dearing, in the past you had to first draw the image on your gourd or transfer it using carbon paper.

Design transfer with carbon paper can be discouraging, with images coming out crooked and incomplete and rubbing off easily. Plus it is time consuming since the image must be traced over again using your woodburner.

That all changed with the introduction of Stick n’ Burn Design Transfer Sheets. The sheets are made to go through your printer, so you can copy or print your design right onto the sheet.

Once printed simply cut out your image, peel away the backing, stick the image directly on your gourd shell, and start tracing your lines with your woodburner right through the micro-thin film.

No need to do double work drawing your design, then woodburning over the lines. Stick ‘n Burn lets you combine both in one easy step.

Plus Stick n’ Burn can be peeled off and repositioned before you start woodburning, so you can be sure to get your design on straight and even, right where you want it.

A variety of Pre-Printed Stick ‘n Burn design packs are available! To see more design options visit our web site at: www.WelburnGourdFarm.com

Pictured below, gourd art by Christy Barajas, images were transferred with Pre-Printed Stick ‘n Burn.

Choosing a Woodburner:

The basic woodburner is economical and offers several different branding tips. Even though the temperature is not adjustable as in the higher end woodburners, you can still do basic lines with the standard wedge tip.

There are several higher-end, professional woodburners on the market, which have an adjustable temperature dial and professional tips, which are called “pens” because they are most often sold as a full handpience not just a tip.

The adjustable temperature allows you to move slowly when necessary, such as when you are burning an intricate design or shading, or more quickly, such as when you are burning straight lines.

Another huge advantage of the professional wood-burner over the basic woodburner is how quickly and

easily you can change tips.

To change from a blade tip, used in the straight-cut lines of the feather pictured above, to a more rounded tip used in the shading of the hands, simply unplug one pen tip from your unit and plug in the other. The pen is hot and ready to use in about 10 seconds.

Is is important to woodburn your images first because it gives your de-sign definition and helps contain your ink dye or acrylic colors so they do not bleed into unwanted areas of your gourd.

For more assistance on picking the right burner, please call our office and speak with one of our helpful customer service representatives.

Art by: Pamala Redhawk

Art by: Carrie Dearing

Polishing Gourds:

Polishing gourds is not necessary, however it’s an alternative that many artist prefer. Pictured right, polished gourd ginger jar by Gloria Crane.

Polishing a gourd gives the gourd a beautiful, natural smooth, high-polish finish similar to wood.

It’s recommended to polish your gourd after all the woodburning has been done, to eliminate any ruff edges and to prevent slipping while working on your gourd. But before you add any color or finish.

A gourd can be polished by hand using different sanding grits but the quickest way to polish a gourd is using a Gourd Disk Sander or a 3D Sander. Pictured left, a 3D Sander.

To learn how to get a high-polish finish on your gourd, visit FREE tutorials on our web site, www.WelburnGourdFarm.com

Once the gourd has been completely sanded and stained, seal with GourdMaster™ Protecting Wax for a deep, lustrious finish. Simply apply with a soft rag or felt. Let the gourd sit for about 5 minutes until the wax takes a slightly cloudy appearance, then buff with a piece of soft rag until the surface looks shiny and smooth.

Polished Ginger Jar by Gloria Crane

Carving Gourds:

Are you ready to add beautiful carving techniques like filigree and carved “basketry” into your gourd art? Turn beautiful gourd art to AMAZING gourd art. Pictured right, filigree gourd vase by Jonna An-derson.

To achieve superior gourd carving you will need a professional rotary tool. There are several rotary tools available in the market. It is best to select a tool that offers a vari-able speed. Cordless carvers are not recommended for gourd carving since they lack power plus they frequently require battery charging.

One of the hottest carvers in the market is the GourdMaster™ Pro Carver II. Since it’s release it has been in high demand by most gourd artist around the country.

But what makes this carver so special? The GourdMaster™ Pro Carver II was designed for gourd carving. It has power and speed up to 35,000 RPM for smooth carving. It comes with a foot pedal and a small lightweight handpiece with low vibration that minimizes stress on hand and wrist.

Best of all, it’s very affordable!

Insider Tip:• Always carve your gourds on a solid, non-slip surface. A piece of

rubber shelf liner works great!

Carved Canteen Gourd by Denny Wainscott.

Filigree Gourd Vase by Jonna Anderson

Gourd Art by Jordan Straker

Selecting Burrs: There are a variety of different burrs available.

Structured tooth carbide burrs cut with many randomly-positioned teeth working simultaneously. They have a smooth cutting action and they are very easy to control which make them ideal for cutting large areas quickly.

High speed cutters are great for texturing, inlay and engraving. Their low cost make them indispensable for all beginner carvers.

Diamond burrs are ideal for adding details to any previously carved area of your gourd.

Safety Note: Gourd dust can irritate the throat and respiratory system so please use a face mask or professional respirator when carving your gourds.

The most common carving you will find on gourds is “stipple carving”, pictured left.

First, carve away the gourd skin using a structured tooth carbide burr such as a cylinder. Then use a high speed ball cutter to incise small pits evenly over the entire carved surface. Insider Tip:• Once you have carved away the outer shell of your gourd, the

porous surface takes stains and dyes much differently, and you will find they will soak in and become very dark and unattractive.

Get simple tips and techniques for carving. This and much more is featured in the DVD, “Carved Gecko” with Gloria Crane

Gourd Art by Carrie Dearing

To add beautiful color to your porous gourd surface, simply mix a few drops of Ink Dye into Gourd Varnish or Gel Glaze on a palette and paint on with a paint brush. Works great on the rim and inside of your gourd too! (technique featured in the Ink Dye video)

Gourd Colors and Finishes:

Until recently gourders had to depend on products that were created for other mediums to stain their gourds, such as shoe polish and leather dye.

Leather dye quickly became the most popular because it is available in a wide range of colors. However, leather dye wascreated for leather, not gourds, and along with being messy and difficult to work with, the colors will fade A LOT.

Now there is Gourd Ink Dye and Transparent Acrylics created by GourdMaster™ Products. Formulated to provide rich, vibrant colors that look great on your gourds. They are both fade resistant, semi-translucent, non-toxic, and very easy to work with. Plus they are extremely concentrated and a little goes a long way. Simply apply using a piece of felt or cotton round, for detailed

areas, use the microbrush or fine tip applicator.

Transparent Acrylics have the same transparent beauty of Ink Dyes, but they have more body in them so colors are much bolder and more vibrant

therefore they can be worked like an acrylic paint and used with a paint brush.

Ink Dye and Transparent Acrylics will air dry, but it’s much faster and easier to use a heat tool. Not only does it speed up your drying time, but it also heat sets the color making it even more durable and permanent.

Gourd art by Christy Barajas, featuring GourdMaster™ Transparent Acrylics

Gourd art by Laura Welburn, featuring GourdMaster™ Ink Dyes

Gourd art by Gloria Crane, featuring GourdMaster™ Transparent Acrylics

Gourd Tree Lamp by Pamala Redhawk, featuring GourdMaster™ Ink Dyes

When you first apply your Ink Dye or Transparent Acrylic, it will look very glossy and shiny. When it dries, the color will dull a bit. To bring back the glossy, vibrant look, and to give your artwork a long-lasting, durable finish, apply GourdMaster™ Varnish or GourdMaster™ Protecting Wax.

Painting Gourds:

Every coloring agent out there has probably been tried on a gourd at some point, including water colors, oil paints, acrylic paints, colored pencils, and more.

It’s always great to experiment and try such products for yourself. For painting gourds, acrylic paints are extremely popular.

Unfortunately most acrylics you find in the craft stores are low quality and you will see they scratch easily when applied to a gourd. (If you have a gourd painted with acrylic paint, pick it up and look at the bottom; you will most likely find scratch marks from where the gourd has been

turned or moved.)

Gourd artists and crafters wanted a higher quality product for their work, and GourdMaster™ Products fulfill that demand with Gourd Paint.

Not only does Gourd Paint resist scratching and flaking, it is made to be combined with GourdMaster™ Ink Dyes and powders to create an almost infinite line of custom colors!

Instead of wasting money buying a whole bottle of lower-quality acrylic paint, you can mix White Gourd Paint with any of the Ink Dyes in whatever amount you need!

If you want to mix enough custom color Gourd Paint to save the color for later use, simply store in a small airtight jar.

More Ways to Decorate Gourds:

A popular technique used in gourd art is inlay, which also calls for a carving tool.

The gourd pot, pictured left, was done by artist and instructor, Gloria Crane, and incorporates precious stones and matching beads inlayed into the gourd surface.

Coiling pine needles along the rim of your gourd is a beautiful compli-ment to the natural look of gourds, and it’s easy!

First, make sure your ink dye and final varnish have been done before starting your coiling. Then mark where you will drill your holes along the gourd rim.

Use your GourdMaster™ Pro Carver or electric drill with a drill bit to drill the holes along the rim.

Once you have your holes drilled you are ready to attach your pine needles. The best thread to use is Wax Linen Thread because it will not slip around as you are working, and it comes in several different colors to compliment your gourd art.

Insider Tip:• To get your holes evenly spaced it is helpful to use a product like the

Designer’s Template we carry, which is a flexible, plastic sheet with a grid marked on it. Cut a thin strip from the sheet, then use a hole punch to punch holes in it at even intervals. Now you can use and re- use your template for marking evenly spaced holes for coiling.

Step-by-step instructions available on DVD, ”Inverted Gourd”

Gourd art by Sue Welburn

Use a needle large enough to accommodate the thickness of the thread; use a small bundle of pine needles and sew onto your gourd rim, adding more pine needles as needed.

This is a very basic use of pine needles with gourds, but you can create incredible works of art using techniques like the one pictured right, bear grass free-form coiling by Sue Brogdon.

Conclusion:

When it comes to working with gourds, the possibilities are literally endless! Be sure to experiment with your own decorating ideas and most importantly, have fun!

To learn more about these and other techniques, sign up for the Welburn Gourd Farm newsletter. You’ll receive free gourd crafting videos (viewed online only), special offers on gourds, gourd tools and supplies, notices of upcoming classes and events, and much more!

To request a FREE Catalog from the Welburn Gourd Farm, visit our web site at www.WelburnGourdFarm.com or call our office toll free at 1-877-420-2613.

Happy gourders posing with their Welburn gourds

Welburn Gourd Farm, Inc. All Rights Reserved.