How to Make Gourd Bottles
Gourd water bottles provide a truly eco-friendly, renewable way to tote water. Whether you intend to live solely from the land or simply want a natural container for your hiking water supply, a gourd bottle will do the trick. When dried, gourds, like longneck squash, become very hard and sturdy. You can drop them or let them rattle around with your camping gear without worrying about damage. Plus, you can personalize a gourd water canteen with paint or a wood-burning kit. Does this Spark an idea?
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Things You'll Need
- Small, dried gourd
- Electric hand drill
- 1-inch-diameter boring bit
- Long, narrow spoon
- Sharp, 1-inch gravel
- Cookie sheet
- Paraffin blocks
- Double boiler
- Water
- Towels
- Two corks 1 inch across
Instructions
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1
Drill a hole down through the top part of the gourd with a 1-inch diameter boring bit. Push a long, narrow spoon inside and swirl it around to loosen the dried innards inside the gourd. Pull out as much of the innards as you can with the spoon.
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2
Fill the gourd about half-full of sharp, 1-inch gravel. Smaller gravel or sand may stick inside the gourd and contaminate the water. Shake the gourd vigorously for about a minute and pour the gravel out. Much of the dried innards should come out with the gravel. Repeat twice to remove most of the innards.
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3
Preheat the oven to about 250 degrees Fahrenheit and place the gourd on a cookie sheet. Warm the gourd inside the oven for about 20 minutes to ensure the paraffin to seal the gourd stays liquid long enough to coat the inside of the gourd.
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4
Place two 1/2 pound blocks of paraffin into the top of a double boiler. Add enough water to the bottom pan so it's half full. Place the top of the boiler onto the bottom and bring the water to a simmer. Stir the paraffin with a wooden spoon to help it melt.
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5
Remove the warm gourd from the oven. Pour about one-fourth of the wax into the gourd.
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6
Seal the gourd with a cork and pick it up with towels. Turn and shake the gourd until the wax no longer sounds like splashing water and begins to sound like solids rattling inside the gourd. Pour out the extra wax.
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7
Let the gourd cool for an hour and add more wax. Repeat the coating process twice more to achieve a complete seal.
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8
Let the gourd cool and cure overnight, uncapped. Fill the gourd with clean water and cap it with a clean cork.
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Tips & Warnings
Select a gourd that feels firm and hard. The shell must have no soft spots, holes or places that appear sunken. Knock gently on the gourd; the duller the sound, the thicker the skin. The gourd should have a skin at least 1/4 inch thick.
Avoid open flames when handling the melted wax as paraffin is flammable.
References
- Photo Credit Jupiterimages/Creatas/Getty Images
