Things You'll Need:
- 5-inch tall gourd
- 5/8-inch brad point drill bit
- Drill
- Rotary tool
- Dowel
- Craft paint
- Glass oil insert
- Lamp oil
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Step 1
Select a pear-shaped gourd that's at least 5 inches tall to make your oil lamp. The glass oil reservoir and wick insert fit into the top of your gourd, so your gourd will also need a flat bottom to sit evenly.
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Step 2
Cut a 5/8-inch hole in the top of your gourd with a brad point wood bit. The brad point drill bit has spur cutting edges that will keep from splintering the gourd's shell. You could also begin your opening with a small pilot hole and then use a rotary tool to gradually increase the size of the hole until it's large enough to fit the glass insert.
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Step 3
Remove the seed ball and any loose material from inside the gourd. The small opening makes this job a bit tricky; use a dowel or a file to break up the seed ball and shake out the loose material.
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Step 4
Decorate the outside of your gourd as you like. A small rotary tool is a good choice for creating texture on the surface of your gourd. You could also paint the gourd to coordinate with your room's décor. Regular acrylic craft paint works well for this project.
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Step 5
Insert the glass oil reservoir into the opening. The edges of the reservoir will rest on the lip of the opening and the glass tube will hang or sit inside the gourd. Fill the reservoir with oil.
