Sand your gourd before wood burning it. The wood burning fades and this helps with the fading. It also gives the gourd a better surface for burning.

Sand your gourd before applying dyes. It keeps the rough spots from "showing up" and brings out natural "good" stuff to show up. Great for light applications (see through)

The following was donated by Peggy Ash

When making birdhouses & bird (squirrel) feeders, I came up with a variety of ways to hang them. One was with wire that I always have on hand for a variety of projects. It didn't take long for me to discover the 'good & bad' side of this.

Good: easy to find, cheap, easy to work with..

Bad: rust marks on gourd over time, creeks when blows in the wind and with the motion it will cut into the gourd.

Solution: I found that the plastic tubing I had from other projects [such as gourd fountains] threaded through the holes drilled for the hangers worked as a silencer & a cushion . You simply thread the wire or leather lacing through the tubing.

Another use for the extra tubing that accumulates is that it can be used as a [1.]pine needle guide when doing pine needle coiling, [2.] a protective sheath for sharp tools [ a Exacto knife is a good example].I have a bad habit of dropping too many tools into a plastic box while working on a project only to stab myself by reaching into the box when sorting through the mess to use my tool again.[2a.] if you don't have extra tubing lying around I'll bet you have an old plastic tooth brush holder [ Bonnie Gibson tip].This will protect you & helps keep blades sharp.. Great for Exacto knives, clay tools, awls, sharp tools, or saw blades, and you can write what is in it on the plastic .

A tackle box can be your best organizer. It will fit easily on your work surface & closes to protect your tools from accumulated dust; not to mention easy to tote to a class. They come in a huge variety of sizes & prices and are very easy to find.They have tiny bins for burrs & cutters, collets & the like. The larger bins are good for sanding tools and files, burr cleaners. There is also room in the bottom for your carving tool & your mask & goggles , ear plugs & hand protection glove & a sheet of foam type shelf liner.

Safety note: if you don't wear a mask when power carving; START, please!

1. A respirator is even better

2. Safety glasses should always be worn[ or goggles] if you don't already wear plastic lens glasses

3. Hearing protection; can be anything from the headband style ear covers that are specifically made to protect from sound & dust to the tiny foam ear lugs that are frequently used to avoid snorers

Most of us are well aware of the dangers of dust & follow #'s 1 & 2, but we seldom think of what the long term damage done to our ears by high pitched sound of our power tools ..then there is the issue of gourd dust. We don't want to breathe that in & know how miserable it can be to get it in our eyes, but we can also get a lot in through our ears.Ever have a sore throat after doing a lot of carving even though you wore your mask & goggles?... Ear... Thin membrane between the ear canal & the throat..OK,sorry .. end of lecture...

The newest pattern transfer materials is as close as the grocery store - Press and Seal! Place a piece of this stuff on the pattern you want to copy.Draw it on the Press and Seal with a permanent marker. Then just press the stuff onto your gourd. You may have to make a few inward cuts to the material to get it to lay flat, just watch for distortion when drawing your pattern back on. You can wood burn right through this stuff or place a piece of graphite paper behind it before you press it on your gourd. Just be sure the graphite paper is smaller than the Press and Seal. ~ Karen in Alaska, Mi

If you are doing a lot of repeats of the same simple pattern:

Use fun foam that you can find anywhere. Copy the pattern then tape it to the foam and cut it out. Most times the pattern has to be adjusted because of the gourd size. When this happens I cut my foam pattern at main areas that I can adjust the size on. I write on the foam what the pattern is, put it in a zip lock bag or envelope and attach it to my pattern book. Hold it to the gourd & trace.~ Kathy Nichols

* I use a 3M paint removal tool that is made for a drill, [ it looks like a composite wheel] but the gourd needs to be held "tightly" so it won't spin out of control!! I found mine at Wal-Mart with the power tools.

***Two hints to help with holding you gourd more securely

1. Wear a gardening glove with the little rubberized dots on the fingers & palms

2.Use foam type shelf liner in your lap

* 'Scotch Brite Finishing Sander' or interleaver flap sander for cleaning the inside of bowls smoothly. Fits on to your drill. YOu can also get a drill extender for the drill to reach in deeper. These work best on the sides of the gourd. A flexible sanding disc works for the bottom of the bowl.

*Another thing that works well to clean the inside of gourds is a metal jar lid insert, like the ones for Mason canning jars [ not the rings, just the lids]

* I've heard of lots of people that use clam shells; that they picked up on a trip to the beach - works well to get all the "stuff" out of your gourd .