Gourd Canteen

[kullas]

Here is a canteen i made. Last year i grew some gourds in the garden because i wanted to make a couple more purple martin houses and had some left over.
I cut the opening and cleaned it out. It is lined with bees wax on the inside and out. The stopper is carved out of maple chared with fire and sealed with wax. The harness and strap is made of jute twine. It holds right at a quart.

 

[Kansas Jake]

I like that. I may have to drop a few gourd seeds in the garden this spring. My wife has some from the gourds used to make bird houses.

 

[kullas]

They are fun to grow. I grow them every couple of years just to have some to replace ild houses and some projects. This upcoming year I am going to grow some dipper gourds.

 

[Crewdawg445]

Hey very nice! I've made a few gourd canteens along with a leather jackware canteen. However, the gourd canteens are just so special, each in their own way! One goes with me every time I hit the woods. Very good work! :applause: :thumbsup:

 

[BillinOregon]

Nice, Kullas. I get a kick out of growing gourds, too. How did you scrape the interior of your canteen? I've tried shaking a gourd with gravel inside and could never get it close to scraped clean.

 

[MSW]

I like it! (by the way, please do provide details about how to get the inside clean ... inquiring minds want to know)

 

[kullas]

i would love to say i had a easy way to do it but it just takes patience and a little elbow grease. I took a solid copper ground wire just a little smaller in dia. than a pencil. I made a hook on the end and pulled all i could out then took and bent the wire so i could scrape some of the sides. There is a membrane that likes to hang to the sides so i take small gravel not pea gravel but the kind that rough edges i find it works better. I shake it and swirl it around the swirling works the membrane loose and pull it out with the hook.
I heat the gourd a little and rub down with melted bees wax once dry to touch i add about a cup of wax to the inside and shake around i do this twice and add another coat to the outside.

 

[ohio ramrod]

I find that aquairium gravel has little sharp edges that help clean the inside with a whole lot of shaking. :idunno:

 

[George]

I have a gourd canteen very similar to this one, and I used a handful of nuts... as in nuts and bolts... to clean it, worked well. I don't treat the inside of my gourd canteens, never saw any need to do that.

Spence