Saturday, February 13, 2010

Getting Ready With Some New Work

Fayme and I will be merchanting at a Society for Creative Anachronism (SCA) event next weekend on the 21st. While I will be concentrating on archery equipment at this Queen's Champion Archery event, there will also be room for gourds in our little booth. Consequently, I've been working on some new pieces.
While I don't have pictures of everything yet, I do have a little tease for you to see...

These gourds are designed to be table pitchers. For drinking gourds we can leave the gourd bare inside, but not everyone in our modern age likes that. To coat the inside I've used beeswax, brewer's pitch, and epoxy. In keeping with the SCA's less-than-modern theme I have chosen to use brewer's pitch in these gourds. This project is best done outside so we took a few pictures of the process.

These five gourds are finished but for the pitch.


The heat diffuser isn't needed to melt the pitch. The only reason I have it on the burner is that the can is too small to fit on the burner rack.


When the pitch is liquid it's just poured right into the gourd. The gourd is then turned so the liquid pitch coats all the inside surface. The gourd is then upended over the can so the excess pitch can run out. At this point the pitch is hotter than I want to think about. A couple spilled drops melted right through the plastic tarp on the table. If you try this, be really really careful.


The gourd is ready to use as soon as the pitch has cooled off.




(Thanks to Fayme for figuring out how to embed a video!)

I've also been working on drums and some little jewelry gourds. I'll put up some pictures as soon as they are finished and I can get pictures taken.

If you are in the area of Van Nuys, CA next Sunday, 21 February, stop by the Woodley Park archery range and say, "Hi." I'd love to meet you.

8 comments:

Garith said...

Talking to the wife and hopefully if nothing gets in the way we might drop by to say "Hi".

Guy Taylor said...

Outstanding!

Breezy Dawn said...

I have to say I'm so excited to see your drinking gourds. My husband and I have just started makeing them and really wasn't finding many others like them. We've reacenly finished our first five and are waiting to be pitched now.

Breezy Dawn
nymphtree@cox.net

Guy Taylor said...

Another gourd artist!
Breezy, I'd love to see what you have made. I may be contacted via email at guy.taylor@sbcglobal.net
If there is anything I can do to help, you have only to ask.

Fayme Zelena Harper said...

I'm happy to say that at our last event, which was in Heatherwyne (mundanely LaVerne), Guy just about sold out of his mini gourds and salt cellars. So I hope he'll be making some more soon.

Arturo Longoria said...

I've always been fascinated by gourds. These are beautiful.

Guy Taylor said...

Thanks, Arturo. I really appreciate that, especially after seeing the skills you posess yourself!
If anyone would like to read a very interesting blog I encourage you to visit Arturo on his:
http://woodsroamer.blogspot.com/
He's a frequent contributor to PaleoPlanet and is very good at sharing his experiences and skills with others.

Anonymous said...

I would like to purchase some uncleaned gourds for my projects. Can you or do you sell boxes of the gourds. I would like about 50 for birdhouses and 10 of the swan neck. Please contact me at rustanley@yahoo.com a Virginia resident.Thanks