Paul Sedgwick

Dreamtime Gourd Didgeridoo by Paul Sedgwick

Gourd art has been elevated to the highest levels of fine art. And, yet, one of the things which makes working with gourds so appealing is the fact that it is possible for the "weekend gourdist" to achieve amazing results with a minimum of tools and technical expertise. Such is the case for the following project. You can easily make your own gourd didgeridoo which will rival the best didgeridoos anywhere in terms of tone and playability. And, the more advanced artist (or the artist with more time on his or her hands!) will be able to create a real working piece of art. Since gourds hold a firm place in the ancient history of human beings-- both utilitarian and magical-- the idea of a "gourd didgeridoo" is quite natural and very satisfying.

Supplies:

-Minimum of 3 snake gourds which are in excess of two feet long and pretty straight (unless you purposely want to make a curly didge-- curves have no effect on tone). It is very difficult to find perfectly straight snake gourds, but just ask your grower for the straightest and longest he or she has. Because snake gourds are less popular among crafters, they are a bit harder to find, and, usually, less expensive than the more popular shapes. Buy extras.

-Liquid Nails glue. (Items 2 through 4 are available at a hardware store)
-Resin. There are two basic types of resin-- polyester, and Epoxy. The polyester stuff is the kind that comes with one large can of resin and a tiny tube of hardener. This is the smelly stuff, the makes-you-dizzy-and-sick-to-your-stomach stuff. The Epoxy kind comes as two equal parts which you mix together. This is the three-times-more-expensive-but-worth-it-because-it-doesn't-smell stuff. After much experience, I use the more expensive resin exclusively. (Epoxy resin is also sold as "Glaze Coat." If you can't find it in your hardware store, try a marine supply store.)
-Plastic wood dough or Bond-o auto body filler.
-Primer, leather dye, washable markers, acrylic paints, acrylic lacquer
-Beeswax. Available at an art supply store.
-Hobby knife saw or mini-craft saw, scraping tool, putty knife, two 32 oz. yogurt or cottage cheese tubs, wood rasp, sandpaper, pot scrubber, paint brushes, wood burning tool (optional)

PROCEDURE

If your gourds aren't clean (if the outer skin hasn't been removed from the shell), clean them by soaking in the bathtub-- or in a very large tub outside-- in warm water with a mild soap or bleach. After a few minutes of soaking, scrub with a plastic pot scrubber until all of the outer skin is removed, revealing the smooth, mottled gourd shell surface. You may have to scrape (not slice or cut) stubborn spots gently with the edge of a small paring knife.

I find this step to be the most satisfying and the most fun of the entire construction process. You really are creating a sculpture out of snake gourds here, so relax and enjoy your time designing and planning the physical characteristics of your didge-- some of the other steps aren’t quite so laid back! In general, the "classic" didgeridoo will taper from the more narrow mouthpiece end (about 2 inch diameter) down to the bell end (5 to 7 inches, or larger). But, it isn't necessary to try to follow that guideline. (Your didgeridoo may be a uniform diameter all the way down; or, you may have slight variations in diameter as you progress up and down the instrument.) I am very fond of using maranka gourds as the bells on my instruments.

After you have your pieces cut, play around for a while with different possibilities. Please do try to keep a narrow diameter for the mouthpiece end (again, about 2 inches). If you decide to make a curly didge, pay attention to where the bell will end up facing when the instrument is to be played-- do you want the bell pointing at your audience, at you, to the cosmos...?

Let your clean gourds dry before cutting. Cut the tops and bottoms off, preserving as much of the long, straight portion as possible. Don't cut away too much at first-- you may need/want some of the curves later, and you can always cut more off. Make sure you have enough sections to create one long section which is between 50 and 60 inches long. A didge in a high key, such as E, F, F# and G, won't need to be quite so long. Scrape out as much of the seeds and pulp as you can, but don't go crazy-- the resin will soak into any pulp you leave behind, adding extra weight and creating a textured surface which is actually desirable-- it adds more character to the tone of the instrument.

Now you're going to glue the pieces together. I use Liquid Nails to do the gluing because it's so thick and sticky. The end of one gourd should "telescope" into the end of another gourd.

Use the glue liberally to fill in discrepancies and create a good seal. Don’t be tempted to apply too much force when moving the gourds together-- remember, snake gourds aren’t as tough as the other Lagenaria gourds. However, if you do crack one, don’t fret; just tape it up and let the glue do its work. Tape your joints to hold them in place and allow to dry overnight. (Note: When I conduct one-day workshops, I use five-minute Epoxy for gluing because it sets and is ready for the next step in 15 or 20 minutes. But, I still prefer Liquid Nails when making instruments with no time constraints.) Don't worry at all about the appearance of these joints...you will use the wood dough (or Bondo auto body filler) to hide and shape your joints.

I do the resin step outdoors because of the mess ( and the horrendous fumes if you use the polyester resin as opposed to the more expensive Epoxy stuff). I set up a giant tarp or drop cloth on the ground and get all the materials together on top of the tarp. I work with the tarp under me and everything I am doing. I wear latex gloves. Glue a small piece of cardboard over the mouthpiece end of the instrument ahead of time (to block it off). I utilize two identical plastic tubs (as mentioned above) and start by pouring equal amounts of the hardener and resin into each tub. FILL TUBS LESS THAN HALFWAY. Then pour the hardener into the resin taking care to scrape the sides of the tub. Mix thoroughly. You may have upwards of 30 oz. of mixed resin. I will try to use all of that resin in one large instrument!! Hold the gourdgie at an angle and start pouring the resin in, slowly. Turn at the same time. Try to get all of the resin in there relatively quickly so you can use both hands to turn and tilt the gourdgie back and forth. When you are satisfied that you have coated the entire inside with a heavy layer, work the resin back down to your bell and carefully guide the stuff around to coat the inside of the bell.

Art

With the patches done, you're ready for artwork. The only constraint you have is that you must paint the joints. Since traditional didge designs often feature bands or sections of color, this should be no problem. People are always quite surprised when I tell them my gourdgies are made of pieces glued together. The joints are invisible once painted (at least that's your goal). As mentioned above, prime the patches first (I usually delineate a section of banding which will encompass a patched joint first by woodburning the two outer edges, then I prime the entire section, including whatever bits of unpatched gourd might be included in that section). Consult didge sites on the internet for art inspiration. Gourds take exceptionally well to wood burning and leather dyes. If you want a lot of color, an extremely fun and easy method is to use Crayola WASHABLE markers (thanks to Hal Hall for sharing this tip years ago).

Finish with an acrylic finish. I really like the Clear Acrylic spray by Premium Decor (PDS-8 Satin Clear). It dries speedy quick, so you can get lots of coats on there in a very short time-- four or five coats should do it. Always seal with some kind of spray first (acrylic or a fixative) before brushing on any finish.

Add a wax mouthpiece according to instructions that may be found elsewhere on the internet. Congratulations and welcome to the amazing world of gourd didgeridoos.