Learning to create a thunder gourd is fun and easy. Ron Swank videos and my tips will prepare you to make your own!
The thunder gourd is a musical instrument that is fun and easy to make. You can make it complicated with your design process or make it simple. Either way, it is a great seller and is a popular gift.
Several years ago, Ron Swank hung about 75 thunder gourds in his booth at the Wuertz Gourd Festival. By the end of the second day, they were all sold! The following year several stalls were selling them. That is unsurprising because they sound great, and the process is easy. The thunder gourd process should be in your repertory.
Still confused about how the final product sounds? Take a look at this short video as Ron demonstrates various tones.
Thunder Gourd Supplies
Hopefully, you have a jigsaw, a heat gun, drilling tools, and a sander.
Here are the unique supplies you will need to buy.
Perhaps a tutorial
All three vendors offer tutorials.
Choosing and Preparing a Gourd for a Thunder Gourd
The gourd should be narrower at the top while the bottom is wide. Be sure to clean the outside of the gourd and remove any dirt or mold on the exterior.
Here is a review of the steps for creating a Thunder Gourd
Step 1
Cut the bottom of the gourd off flat and not at an angle with a jig saw.
Next, clean out the inside of the gourd. Ensure you leave nothing on the gourd that could flake off later because it will fall inside and end up on the drum head you attach to the bottom.
Step 2
Now paint the interior black so the inside doesn’t distract from the design on the exterior. You can add Elmer’s glue to the paint to strengthen the gourd.
Step 3
Decorate the outside of the gourd using any art technique you prefer. Decide where the holes are going to be and cut and sand those.
Now your Thunder Gourd is ready for the Mylar
Step 4
Prepare the bottom rim for the mylar. Sand the rim edge smoothly and flatly. You can use a belt sander or glue sandpaper to a board and rotate the gourd by handover the sandpaper.
Step 5
Run some glue over the rim, then place the gourd carefully onto the mylar and press down. Let the gourd sit here for 30 minutes until the glue dries.
Step 6
Then trim the excess mylar off with an X-acto knife or scissors.
Step 7
The most challenging part is shrinking the mylar; you will need a heat gun to do this part.
Rotate the heat around the rim. At first, it will expand and wrinkle, and then it will tighten. Ron talks about this part in the video below.
Step 8
The last step is to add the spring. Notice that Ron sells the spring with a wooden ball at the end, giving the user something to hold on to.
If you purchase a spring without one, straighten up a coil and add a ball of Quikwood to it!
Step 9
Use a push pin to create a tiny hole in the middle of the mylar, and then insert the spring and twist it three or four times to secure it. Now you are done!
The gourd must have the bottom cut off to attach the mylar, our synthetic drum head, and the spring. The size and number of holes does not matter. What changes the sound tone is the size of the gourd. The larger they are, the deeper the tone.
How the Sound Works
The spring acts like a microphone vibrating the mylar creating the sound. You move the spring to begin the sound, not the gourd.
In our Facebook Group the question arose about th size of the hole and Its effect on the sound.
RON ANSWERS OUR THUNDERGOURD QUESTION.
Hello Bettie. The size of the hole does make a difference. If the gourd is really thick, it needs a bigger hole. If the gourd is very thin, it almost doesn’t need a hole. The thicker gourds tend to absorb more if the sound; hence a bigger hole to let the sound out. The thinner gourds don’t have that problem; make sense? Placement can be argued to a point depending on the shape of the gourd. For the most part, I always put my hole around the center of the gourd. And if I put multiple holes, I try to keep them all on the same side of the gourd too. Let me know if you have any other questions.
Still confused about the mylar part. Then Ron will demonstrate.
Creating a Hanger for your Thunder gourd
Instead of cutting holes as part of the design on the exterior of your gourd, you can choose just to cut off the top.
Next, consider adding a cord to the top to serve as a hanger. Use an awl or your micro-carver to drill your holes.
The handle can be just a cord or a piece of leather or a small chain.
Here are different ideas you consider
Final Protection
Most of these will hang outside on a patio. I recommend three light coats of a UV filter clear coat. Then, to protect it from the rain, use an outdoor spray. Another three light coats. Then hang it and enjoy!
Visit SBRArt
There are a couple of more videos to view. These come from a lady in Kentucky. You can find them on her Facebook page, with other examples of her thunder gourds. I found her video easy to follow and used someof her images in this post. Be sure to check it out and compliment her on her work.
This project would make a great idea to make friends.
I hope these ideas will encourage you to make a thunder gourd.
Please share your experiences creating these unique instruments in the comments below or share them with all the gourd artists on our Facebook Group Page.
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