A 2 day Project ( 4 hours total)
1. Select a gourd that sits well and/or sand the bottom flat. I force the bottom against a 5 inch rotating bench sander - a good investment at 40-50 dollars, for all sorts of jobs.
2. Use a stationary pencil touching the gourd surface and turn the gourd to mark cut line for removing the gourd top.
3. Carefully cut top off with hand-held jig saw -- Microlux, Proxxon, Craftsman, etc. Remember, this cut will be the gourd's rim and needs to be horizontal with the surface on which it will sit. I finish this step by touching the rim against a spinning 5 inch sanding disc on my bench grinder. This fifty dollar grinder is indispensible for gourd bottoms and rims.
4. Remove inside pulp and seeds. Sand the inside surface roughly with coarse 60-grit sandpaper. Dress the inner aspect of the rim with 150, then 220-grit sandpaper.
5. Using 5-minute epoxy, mix and distribute a generous amount to all inner surfaces of the gourd. There are 3 reasons to do this: 1) this strengthens the walls 2) assures that any dye applied to interior cannot penetrate to the surface 3) helps you to avoid puncturing the gourd while working the surface.
6. Mark the position of the channel that you want to "rout". Very even and parallel lines are important. I burn the lines with a 'Hot Tool' since pencil rubs off.
A dust filter mask and protective eyewear are suggested here......
7. A bright light, patience and practice are needed from here on. You will eventually be able to excavate (rout) perfectly straight channels as you get comfortable with using a rotary tool and a bur. MY FIRST INLAY WAS VERY UNEVEN.
8. Move the gourd surface into the spinning bur and turn the gourd in the left hand while securing the rotary tool in the right hand. I do this seated with halogen light above. Working on your lap, set the rotary tool to the 'correct' speed. You will learn (through practice) what the right speed is for your project. Are you left-handed? Then hold the project in your right hand, grinder in the left hand and the strong light source over your left shoulder.
9. Rotation speed needs to be A) Fast enough to cut the surface and B) Slow enough to give you control. Excessive rpm's will result in the cutter skipping and gouging where you don't want it to go.
10. The goal now is to make channels with walls perpendicular to the surface. What is the reason? Removing the excess inlay resin by grinding / sanding below the surface the design will be wavy and irregular if walls are not perpendicular to surface. Keeping the cutting bur at a right angle to the surface is how this is accomplished. The cuts should be deep enough to accept a generous amount of inlay resin, but not deep enough to puncture the interior of the bowl. Occasional slips in depth are not a problem, just try to avoid piercing through excessively. We are weakening the gourd's strength and durability by all of this cutting, BUT, when the design is filled with resin and cured, it will stronger and more durable than before. Resin does not "dry," it cures.
11. Once that you have defined the perimeter of the design, cut the gourd surface away 'INSIDE THE LINES.' Again, patience is required. Don't hurry this part -- if the tool gets away from you, you will put nicks and notches into your carefully prepared vertical perimeter walls. By now you have gourd dust all over you and your work area. Clean it up.
12. Now the inlay resin! Remove all dust from project by blowing or brushing. I use canned air and a horse hair shoe brush.
13. With electrician's tape cover the surface of the gourd up to your cut design. This keeps the excess liquid resin from attaching to too much of the surface where it is not wanted. Once you grind to the tape surface, tape can be removed leaving a clean surface. This saves on sanding time and effort the next day.
Now, make sure that your work area is ventilated -- this is the stinky part.
14. Mixing the resin (I use polyurethane disposable gloves) -- Open resin can and stir well. Transfer 1/2 to 1 ounce into a one ounce medicine cup. I use 48 drops of hardener per ounce and stir well for 60 seconds -- try to avoid stirring in air bubbles. Set a timer for 4 minutes. Four minutes from now will be GO TIME.
15. Make sure all gourd surfaces are dry and prepare a place that your project can drip, like a piece of cardboard. At the 4-minute mark, the liquid InLace (the brand that I use) is 'cooking' but still very fluid. This is good. Four minutes from now will be too late as the resin will be gel and unsuitable to transfer. Start applying the InLace into the design. Keep pushing the flow back to the design (where you want it) with the wooden stick and gravity. Rotate the piece to facilitate gravity pull. The channels need to be completely filled and then some. Too much is fine and too little is not. Work efficiently, so as not to waste product, but don't worry if you have to waste some. Multiple small batches are better than too much that cannot be controlled. Tip: inlay resin can be added at any point later to fix air bubbles.
16. Once that you are satisfied that all of your design is full of curing resin and the resin has stopped moving, it's time to put it away and clean up the mess. The piece should be left to completely cure at room temperature. It will be sticky for a few hours -- just leave it alone. Don't place your project near a heat source. It needs to cure, not dry. InLace resin will be rock hard in 10 to 12 hours. Acetone is the perfect solvent for hands, drips and cleaning surfaces. Once the curing has progressed for 1-2 hours you can stop venting area. END OF DAY ONE.
17. With a rotary tool (I prefer DREMEL) and coarse drum sander, CAREFULLY grind off the excess InLace until you are close to the gourd surface. Switch to the fine drum sander and carefully (with a light touch) move closer to the surface. The point here is to leave the InLace design as flush to the surface as possible without gouging the surface too much. This requires oblique light and a gentle sweeping back and forth with the rotating sandpaper drum. Use a rag wetted with acetone to remove the electrician's tape residue before step 18.
18. Once you have the fine grinding done, it is time to move on to HAND SANDING. Oblique lighting is your friend here. It shows you the hills and valleys of the surface so you know where to sand. I start with 100-grit paper. I have found that if you back the sandpaper with duct tape, it is easier to use, does a better job and lasts longer. Mark the back with grit number for easy reference.
Start here >>>>>>>>>>>>>>> Finish here 60 grit >>> 120 >>> 180 >>> 220 >>> 320 >>> 500 Very coarse medium fine very fine
Try to graze over 'valleys' and reduce 'hills' by working on the area in all directions.....to blend with the surface 'terrain.' I have tried to spot sand just the bumps and it doesn't work. Always sand the area (not just the spot) to maintain the curve of the gourd surface. You're finished with sanding when your project passes the "Braille Test." Sanding too much or too little can ruin your project. Knowing when to stop grinding and start the hand sanding is learned by experience.
20. Once your gourd is smooth and ready to finish, fashion a holder from wire clothes hangers or copper wire so that it can be sprayed. The wire device touches only the inside surface. 2-3 coats are usually required since the sanded gourd surface is more absorbent (porous). The finish can be acrylic which dries quickly or spar polyurethane which takes days to dry. I always prefer the latter. The finish coat will enhance the surfaces of your project and cover slight imperfections. Use either gloss or semi-gloss. With the acrylic coat, your gourd bowl will be dry enough to handle the next day.
Finish coat tip: I hurry the spar urethane by hanging the gourd in a 170 degree oven for 1 - 1.5 hours between coats. An S hook over an upper heating element is your hanging point. These S hooks can be left in the oven as they don't interfere with the oven's real duty. Drips can be sanded flush between coats so long as the finish is truly dry. Weight can be added by adding BB shot to bottom of gourd, submerged in freshly mixed 5-minute epoxy. Dye the inside of the bowl black and line the interior floor with black leather to finish. This makes the interior of your bowl 'disappear' optically. Once the surface is how you want it, you can use paste wax and a silk cloth to 'warm' the finish a little. Krylon Acrylic Spray is good and dries quickly. MinWax Helmsman Spar Urethane spray is best and water proof.
© Randy Eckley
